Ecclesiastes

[Guest Be real]

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the teacher, "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

My Philosophy class did a discussion on this book, and I became greatly annoyed and confused, as well as a little depressed. I felt like so much of the book was contradicting. (For example, in chapter 8 verses 12-15.) And I also thought that in the beginning of the book the meaninglessness is shown by repetitiveness, things are out of our control, and there are no results to the cycle, no satisfaction, and nothing new... (chapter 1)

Then in chapter 3, I thought that everything that is born will die, everything that is planted will be uprooted, etc. There is a constant cancellation So, then everything really is meaningless in this sense. (I guess...)

Later on the Teacher talks about how justice is meaningless also aloneness.

But then... towards the end of the chapter there is mention of a goal or a direction and something new and special. Justice is served in the end.

I don't agree with the Teacher, I don't even know what he is saying half of the time!! So here are some thoughts and questions I raised...

First, I think the book is entirely contradicting to itself. I don't know if this book has a purpose or a point to it. Why is it in the Bible? What are we supposed to learn from it? Is the meaninglessness referring to non-christians after death? Maybe the meaninglessness refers to non living things: wind, water, sun, etc. But meaningfulness refers to the individual. Maybe the teacher is wrong about everything being meaningless. Could the Teacher be telling us what life could be like so we can be thankful?

Anyway, I don't know if I am completely lost here...so any thoughts are appreciated.

[Dad Ernie]

First, I think the book is entirely contradicting to itself. I don't know if this book has a purpose or a point to it. Why is it in the Bible? What are we supposed to learn from it? Is the meaninglessness referring to non-christians after death? Maybe the meaninglessness refers to non living things: wind, water, sun, etc. But meaningfulness refers to the individual. Maybe the teacher is wrong about everything being meaningless. Could the Teacher be telling us what life could be like so we can be thankful?

Greetings Be Real,

Eccl. is one of my favorite books! Recall to mind this request of Solomon:

1 Kings 3:9-12 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

Having gotten to a "young" old age, I understand. God did not just go ZAP and filled Solomon with Wisdom. Wisdom comes from putting knowledge into practice. That is if you are willing to be taught by God. Many in the world accumulate knowledge for knowledge's sake and never learn true "wisdom". God was always in the forefront of Solomon's heart and thoughts. He kept nothing from himself and tested it to see if there was any value in it. As you have noted - All is meaningless or "vanity" as the KJV says it.

I don't know how old you are, but when someone gives me advice, I weigh carefully where it came from. If it came from their experience, I "hear" a lot better than if they read something out of a book and decided that now they are now an authority on the subject.

All of Solomon's experiences are "common to man", either through desire or through their experiences. I value Solomon's experiences because I can learn from him without actually having experienced many of the things he did.

It would appear that God gave Solomon a special dispensation, because much of what Solomon did, I would consider sin. No doubt Solomon found himself repenting many times in the exercise of his various "lusts". We can never argue that we were never told about the result of "our lusts", because of Eccl. In the very end, we see Solomon could only arrive at one conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

There is nothing, absolutely NOTHING that we can aim toward in this life that will fulfill us, that is except for Christ. Solomon learned the hard way. He did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling IN HIM. But for those at that time, and even for us today, all our desires and works are meaningless unless Christ is the reason for them.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[ann2]

I believe that eccl. is telling us that if all we have is the world and ourselves that we will never be happy.We need God as our focus.Its all about God not about us.

[kroschild]

Remember that Eccl was probably not written in one sitting! It is not the answer to life, but the story of a journey. Solomon begins with everything is meaningless because the things he describes as having done and found meaningless are the things he did! The book is a story of his discovery that although he at one time thought everything must be meaningless, he finally realized it was because God is the only meaning, and everything else he was doing was not centered on God. Try reading it again, as a story with a beginning (and a beginning emotion of depression) to an end (with a realization of the truth).

It's hard to understand, but then it WAS written by the wisest man ever to live!

KrosChild