Ecclesiastes

Lesson 1 w/answersIntroduction

We begin a new study as we look at the book of Ecclesiastes. Written by King Solomon, the wealthiest and wisest man on the face of the earth he seems to be in conflict referring to all life as meaningless and yet celebrating life as well. We’ll look at this conflict in depth as we consider a few fundamental questions during our study, such as what does it mean to prosper, what is the meaning of life, and where do our material blessings fit within God’s plan for our life?

Solomon will bring us face-to-face with the priorities in our lives and cause us to take a long and hard look at success, prosperity, material wealth and our view of each of them.

Bible

Before we actually begin a look at the book, Ecclesiastes, let’s consider some fundamental background information and begin to set to the foundation for our study of this most unique book in God’s Holy Word.

You will quickly notice that as you read Solomon’s writings he uses the word "vanity" over and over again. For example, in verse 1 of chapter 1 he writes "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, King in Jerusalem. ‘Vanity of vanities’ says the Preacher; Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." We can read the word "meaningless" into the use of the word "vanity." In summary, Solomon begins his writing by declaring that all of life is empty of happiness and all attempts at achieving happiness are meaningless. Solomon addresses mankind’s quest for finding happiness in what we could call the four p’s: power, popularity, prestige and pleasure.

However, having declared all is vanity we can also find the opposite view by Solomon in numerous verses, Chapter 2:24 is one example, "There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God."

So let’s begin to look at this tension within the book. Is everything in life "vanity" or meaningless, or is it good and why would Solomon have two views?

  1. Let’s consider first a fundamental question, what does it mean to prosper? Read the following verses, what observations can you list that tell us what it means to prosper? Should we indeed have the intent to prosper or is that intent in and of itself evil? If we are to prosper, what does that mean? Read the following verses and see what the Lord reveals to you about being prosperous.
    1. Jeremiah 29:9
    2. Deuteronomy 29:9
    3. Psalm 122:6
    4. Isaiah 55:11
    5. I Kings 2:3
    6. I Chronicles 20:23
    7. Joshua 1:7-8
    8. Genesis 39:13 and 39:23
      1. ANSWER: God clearly intends for us to prosper and from these verses we can see that through God we can lead a life that prospers. But that may not mean prosperity as we define it. See the next question.
  2. As you consider prospering, and the fact that God wants us to prosper, we then also need to consider what it means to be prosperous. Consider the following people, do you believe they were prosperous?
    1. Abraham
    2. Moses
    3. David
    4. Christ
    5. Paul
    6. Mother Theresa
    7. Billy Graham
  3. If we assume, as I do, that all of the people mentioned above were prosperous it would not seem to align with perhaps our definition. For example, Mother Theresa lived a life of extreme poverty with the very poor and the very sick, yet she prospered greatly. How can I say that, what do you think the word prosperous means?
    1. ANSWER: You will quickly see there are two definitions for prosperous: one as the world would define it— achieving power, pleasure, popularity, and prestige. As Christians, however, we view being prosperous as fulfilling God’s will. As we will see from our study, the really happy life, the blessing filled life, is one in which our treasures are stored up in heaven and we live in the perfect will of God—not in the material pleasures and standards of this world.
  4. How can we prosper as God would have us? Re-read the verses in question 1 and consider Christ’s instruction in Matthew 6:33 and see what conclusions you arrive at—how do we live a prosperous life as followers of Christ?
    1. ANSWER 1: By seeking God’s kingdom first.
    2. ANSWER 2: By living a life that follows God’s laws and teachings and not following the ways of the world.
  5. What happens when a Christian has prosperity as the world defines it. Successful career, children who do well, material wealth and possessions, are these things evil, are there any people you can think of in the Bible who have had worldly prosperity and yet lived a life pleasing to God? What can we learn from looking at them?
    1. ANSWER 1: All of our success and material blessings come from God.
    2. ANSWER 2: We are commanded to be good stewards of all that God has given us, when we have material success it comes with the responsibility to manage it well within God’s kingdom and in accordance with His will.
    3. ANSWER 3: All of the Biblical examples had both successes and failures, good days and bad days, but in all they did they gave God the glory and did not allow worldly pride to come between them and God.
    4. ANSWER 4: All of them used their material possessions to honor God..
  6. In managing our material possessions, indeed in trying to live a life truly pleasing to God what teaching does God give us in Malachi 3:10? Why is this instruction so important?
    1. ANSWER 1: By tithing we worship God. We demonstrate in a tangible way our acknowledgment that all we have comes from Him, and not from our own effort.
    2. ANSWER 2: By putting God first, and being dependent on Him rather than our own personal efforts we are assured by God in Malachi that we will have a prosperous life.
  7. Do you worship God when you tithe or are you simply fulfilling a requirement? When we tithe out of love and an acknowledgement that all we have and all we are comes from God we worship Him and demonstrate what priority our material possessions have in our life. Prosperity can only be seen as having meaning in our lives if it comes through God’s eyes, through living a life pleasing to God. What does Solomon tell us about enjoying the many blessings God gives us? How are we to react when God prospers us in mighty ways? Read Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 and write down all the things God reveals to you.
    1. ANSWER 1: That our work can be fulfilling, that it’s ok to enjoy the blessings that come to us from God, and that all of our success and blessings come from God.
    2. ANSWER 2: That our work will be so fulfilling there will be no time for looking back—the future lies ahead and our work drives us there, happy in God’s will.
  8. Solomon sums up his reflections in Chapter 12:13-14. What is his conclusion?
    1. ANSWER 1: That being in God’s will, fearing God and keeping His commandments this is our priority.
    2. ANSWER 2: God will ultimately judge us, both our good works and anything that is evil.

In summary, Solomon came to see that all of his wealth, all of his intelligence and all of his great works—his writings, his buildings, his successes—had no meaning if he was doing them just to find happiness. But, when he viewed his life through God’s perspective and focused his energies on accomplishing God’s will he saw that that was true prosperity. In the lessons ahead, we will study his writings closely and look at ourselves, what are our priorities, what is our perspective on our material things, what do we see as the important things in our lives, and what meaning do these bring to our life? In the end, when Christ calls us home, all of our material world stays behind. What then is important, and how are we to live in this material world as God works out His plan for us in this life?

In Christ,

Wes

[2017]