Episode Details

For many Christians, the book of Ecclesiastes has been an enigma. Maybe you’ve noticed that for yourself when you’ve read it. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes says all sorts of things, many of which are troubling, perplexing, and even seem heretical on the surface. The main refrain of the book itself is a classic example: “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” The NIV translates it: “Meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.” Our polite Sunday morning self, of course, doesn’t make any critical comments. But the honest question of every thoughtful Christian is inevitable: “Really? Is it really vanity? Is it really all meaningless? Doesn’t that go against what the rest of what the Bible teaches?” There are plenty of other passages in the book that similarly leave us scratching our heads.

So what are we to make of the enigma that is the Book of Ecclesiastes? Do we just ignore the tough bits? Do we jettison it from our Bibles? (if not officially, then at least practically by neglect). Do we take a superficial approach to it, giving trite Sunday School answers to the difficult questions? Never truly exploring what it really means? And where does Christ fit in this book?

As we open up this conversation, I want to put to you that the message of Ecclesiastes is both powerful and timely in an age of materialism such as the one in which we find ourselves. There’s no doubt about it, the book is uncomfortable, and if you’re looking for an easy ride, you won’t find it here. What you will find, however, is an honest assessment of life. Ecclesiastes is uncomfortable precisely because life itself is often uncomfortable. Things happen that we don’t understand, things that make no sense to us, things that make us feel afraid. There are things that happen in our lives that make it feel impossible to hold on to hope, indeed hope itself may completely evaporate at times (see Psalm 88). Despair and depression can take hold, and we live our lives feeling sightless and in a dark mist. In times like these, Ecclesiastes will prove to be a balm to the soul.

Contrary to the teaching of some commentators, however, Ecclesiastes is not the ramblings of a man who has succumbed to these trials. The writer is not a jaded old cynic. On the contrary, this book is an antidote to these uncomfortable truths in life. No, it’s not intended to make them disappear, and it won’t give you an easy answer. In fact, at times it won’t even give you an answer at all to some of life’s difficult questions. But what it will do is put strength into your limbs and resolve into your hearts. It will not lead you on easy paths, but it will lead you on faithful paths. Paths that have been tried and tested, paths that will fill you with wisdom and perseverance, and – yes – even hope. I dare go further. God’s desire for us as he has penned these words through Solomon, is that we should deeply and richly enjoy life in the fear of God.

But where do you begin in Ecclesiastes? How do you start to make sense of it? Trying to understand this book is much like holding a rubix cube and trying to solve it. You have no idea where to begin, and even when you think you’re making inroads, some new impossibility arises. The book is, in a sense, an enigma, but that’s part of the point. Wisdom literature in the Bible is meant to get you thinking, it’s designed to make you think, to consider, to wrestle with mysteries. Indeed, that is part of the journey toward hope. And so as we study this book, I want to begin by equipping you with the means to solve this riddle. The book is perplexing at times, but it is not unsolvable. In fact, it is designed to be solved, and in solving it we will be enriched and made wiser.

So to begin with, I want to give you a few basic tools that you will need for understanding Ecclesiastes. The first tool you will need is a correct approach. If you’re going to make any sense of Ecclesiastes, you need to realise what kind of a book it actually is. Now