Ecclesiastes

Lesson 9 w/answersEcclesiastes 10:1 to 11:10

In this lesson, we will look at Chapters 10 and 11 as Solomon continues to address the fact that man does not know what will happen to him and given that lack of knowledge Solomon provides us some practical advice for living a life that’s pleasing to God. As we get near the close of the book Solomon begins concluding his observations and offers his insights into what is important and what is meaningless as we live the life God has given us.

Bible

As a more effective way of reviewing these scriptures, this week we’ll do something a little different and look at these two chapters through several focuses, rather than simply verse by verse.

Let’s read Chapters 10 and 11 and consider the following:

  1. Knowing the foolish from the wise
    1. Read Chapter 10 verses 1-4 and list the ways in which we can easily tell the difference between a wise person and a foolish one.
      1. ANSWER 1: You can tell by where the person’s heart is
      2. ANSWER 2: His or her actions will be so obviously stupid you’ll know they’re being foolish
      3. ANSWER 3: A wise person remains calm in the face of adversity
  2. Politics – has anything changed?
    1. In Chapter 10, verses 5-6, Solomon makes an observation – give an example of this happening today.
      1. ANSWER: Placing fools in places of authority while more qualified people are pushed down to lower level jobs
  3. The effects of poor leadership
    1. Read Chapter 10:16-20. What are some of the effects Solomon is referring to that result from having an immature leader?
      1. ANSWER 1: They’re motivated by fulfilling selfish desires rather than looking out for the good of those of whom they’re responsible
      2. ANSWER 2: Not paying attention to their duties and responsibilities their organization and even their “kingdom” will rot and decay for lack of attention
      3. ANSWER 3: They think money takes care of everything, simply throwing more and more money at a problem or an enemy as though that will fix everything
      4. ANSWER 4: You must be very careful what you say, any criticism will get back to the leadership and been seen as a negative
  4. Investing advice for the follower of God
    1. Read Chapter 11:1-6. Solomon offers some very good investment pointers, can you list them?
      1. ANSWER 1: Diversify your holdings, you don’t know which will succeed and which won’t
      2. ANSWER 2: Don’t wait for the “right time”, be a regular investor no matter the weather forecast, dollar cost averaging for example.
      3. ANSWER 3: Don’t be lazy with your investments – be diligent even in the evenings, make your investments work for you round the clock
  5. Enjoying life
    1. In Chapter 11:7-10 what are some of the things Solomon tells us about enjoying life?
      1. ANSWER 1: Enjoy the Sun, it’s pleasing - just use sunscreen ;-)
      2. ANSWER 2: Enjoy each day you don’t know how many more you’ll have
      3. ANSWER 3: Don’t take things too seriously, keep the main thing the main thing
      4. ANSWER 4: Don’t be a worrier
    2. What does he tell us should be our guide for how we enjoy this life?
      1. ANSWER: Remember that God’s our judge and whatever we do will be judged. Consider this and temper your enjoyment so that everything you do is pleasing to God.

May God bless you as you study with us.

In Christ,

Wes

[2017]

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