(…continued) Not everyone is fond of Ecclesiastes. It is strange. It is depressing. It even gives ungodly and bad advice. In the parable of Jesus, it is the fool who says, “Eat, drink, and be merry.” But in Ecclesiastes that very advice is given by the teacher as the best way to live. In several verses it says work hard, and in several others verses it says hard work is useless and meaningless. There are many such contradictions. This is the writing of a frustrated man who admits to being confused by life. It contains some good advice and it contains some bad advice. Sometimes it seems to look to God, sometimes the writer seems to ignore God.
But we must remember that Ecclesiastes is not the gospel. Nor, is it the Ten Commandments. It is not even God’s truth in the same way as the Gospel of John or the book of Romans. Rather, Ecclesiastes is the expression of a human heart that is reaching out for and longing for the answers and the hope that is given in the rest of the Bible. Reading Ecclesiastes is like eating salt. Salt makes you thirsty for water, and Ecclesiastes makes you thirsty for what the rest of the Bible offers. The Holy Spirit’s placing of this book within the pages of the inspired Word of God, is like a bartender placing free salted peanuts and pretzels on the bar for the customers; all there to make you thirsty for the rest of what he has to offer.
Therefore, Ecclesiastes is not helpful for, or popular with, many people who already know Jesus and believe in him and already have what he offers. But for those on the fringes of faith, or still outside of the faith, Ecclesiastes, even with all its despair, is a word of hope. It has often been a first step toward the greatest hope of all, eternal life in Jesus Christ. That is how it worked for Patti.
In that way, this strange book has held an important place in God’s Word. The Holy Spirit knows what he is doing. Pastor and Old Testament professor James Limburg taught this book in college and seminary for decades. He wrote: “Ecclesiastes is not helpful for everyone. But it does have an honest, invigorating, often surprising word for many people.”
The book does eventually get around to faith in God. There are a few verses scattered throughout the book that point to an answer for the many questions being asked. The clearest expression of that answer comes at the end. The twelfth and final chapter begins with these words, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.” Then, in the closing words of the book, it says: “Now that all has been heard, here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for in this is the whole duty of man.”
Chapter one verse one of Ecclesiastes says, “These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.” That was Solomon, and Solomon was indeed very wise, and Ecclesiastes contains many good and wise sayings. Like Patti in the story, Solomon had everything and tried everything. He and Patti and millions of others have learned that even having it all and doing it all does not satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. Ecclesiastes was written out of the frustration and despair Solomon was left with. The titles of two books I have read about Ecclesiastes describe the problem: When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough by Harold Kushner, and Been There, Done That, Now What? by Ed Young.
Saint Augustine walked a similar path for thirty years before he became a Christian. He was brilliant and well liked, he had money, he traveled, and he had lots of good times. But like Solomon and Patti, he was not satisfied. At the age of thirty, Augustine became a Christian, and years later he wrote those oft-quoted words that sum up both the problem and the answer: “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until we rest in you.”
There are many different paths to becoming a Christian. Some are born and baptized in the faith and never question it or wander very far from it. Some have to try everything else first. But all other attempts will, in the end, fail you, because in the end, death takes it all away. Only Jesus can give you a hope that does not end in death and will not fail you. Only Jesus can give you an eternal life of abundance.
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II Timothy 3:16 — All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
II Peter 1:20-21 — You must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 119:105 — Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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O Lord, we pray to you in our perplexity; let your light so shine in our darkness that our perplexity may not lead us into despair. O Lord, in whom there is no darkness, we give thanks that you have given us enough light in which to walk. O Lord, pierce the shadows of our sin so we may see more clearly the meaning and purpose of our lives. O Lord, grant us clear vision, especially when good is intertwined with evil, so we may we walk in the way of your wisdom and always do your will. Amen.
–Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
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Here is The Bible Project’s excellent video introduction to Ecclesiastes (eight minutes), with a little more emphasis on the positive parts of Ecclesiastes than what I presented :
https://bibleproject.com/videos/ecclesiastes/
When finished with Ecclesiastes, scroll down to find more of The Bible Project’s terrific videos on all the books of the Bible, topical videos on major teachings in the Bible, and more.
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