Journey Through Ecclesiastes

When we study Proverbs, we see wise Solomon and all the wisdom God gave him. It is a powerful book. But now we come to the next book of the Bible — we now journey through Ecclesiastes.

Solomon wrote not only Proverbs, but also Ecclesiastes. He wrote Proverbs when he was middle-aged at the height of his power and splendor. But he wrote Ecclesiastes late in life, and his seasons of life had an effect on him. There’s a great deal of reflection here, and the tragedy is that in Proverbs we see wisdom defined, but in Ecclesiastes we see wisdom disobeyed. The word wisdom is used throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, but the truth of the matter is, most of the time it is used in Ecclesiastes, it is not referring to the wisdom of God — it is referring to the wisdom of man.

Listen: Journeying through Ecclesiastes

Overview of Ecclesiastes

Sometimes the wisest people make the most foolish decisions. People who know all about the Lord, that know all the answers from the Bible, and that have been in church all of their life end up doing something they never dreamed they would do. This is the story of King Solomon. As a matter of fact, in Ecclesiastes 4:13, he says, “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.”

I have often wondered, as I read that verse, if he was not giving his own testimony. When he was poor, when he was a young child, when he had nothing but God, when he depended only on the Lord, he had wisdom. But now we see him as an old and foolish king who will no more be admonished. A man who has departed from the wisdom he gave to others. A man who has taught others to follow the Lord, and yet has failed to follow him fully in his own heart and life.

Consider 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Ecclesiastes is a book about life. The main character is really not Solomon; it is life. So if you are breathing right now, would you take a breath? Are you still breathing? If you are breathing right now, if you are alive, then this book is for you.

Key Verse

A journey through Ecclesiastes teaches us that Ecclesiastes is a book about life. And even more specifically, it is a picture of life apart from God. Life lived outside of the ruling presence of the Lord. The key verse of this book is Ecclesiastes 2:11, where Solomon says, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” You see, Solomon tried it all. He had it all. He did it all. But he came up empty in the end. It is like standing on the seashore and trying to hold sand in your hand, and the tighter you cling to it, the more of it sifts through your fingers.

That, my friends, is a picture of life apart from God. He was looking at what he had produced. I don’t need what I can produce; I need what only God can produce in me. I don’t need my works; I need His work in my life.

Vanity…Vexation of Spirit…No Profit Under the Son

Solomon says, “I tried everything, but in the end, here are the three statements.” There is vanity. That is emptiness. There are so many empty people in this world. Then there is vexation of spirit. People grieve. They know not only is something missing, but there is a despair that fills that void and that vacancy. And then the Bible says there was no profit under the sun.

It is just another way of saying, “Living life on earth apart from God.” That word vanity is used 37 times and the word under or under the sun is used about 29 times in this short little book. And they are connected to each other. You see, life on earth apart from God is empty. And every person is either living under the sun or under the Son.

You are either living under the sun, a very earthly life, on earth, apart from God, or you are living life under the Son of God, under His ruling presence in your life. And you have got to choose which way it is going to be.

Three times, at least, in this book, he even says, “Vanity of vanities.” What does that mean? Emptiness of emptinesses. In other words, when I get to the bottom of the empty well and go even further, that is life apart from God. All of my wisdom, all of my wealth, all of my work, all of the wine, all of this world, is vanity and vexation of spirit apart from God. It is really an illustration of Jesus’ words in John 4:13-14: “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Outline of Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is literally a sermon. That is what the word Ecclesiastes means. It means “the preacher.” And the whole book is one sermon. We are introduced to his subject in the opening verses of chapter one. And then you have the sermon beginning in chapter one, all the way through chapter ten.

But when you come to the final two chapters of the book, chapters 11 and 12, you come to the preacher’s summary. And like most sermons, if you missed the end, you have missed the great point. You see, it is at the end of this sermon that we get to the bottom line. As you read through the book of Ecclesiastes, it is easy to become a little depressed. It seems morbid and dark, and indeed it is, because that is a picture of life apart from God. But the great emphasis of the book is found at the end of the book.

The key to these books is often found near the front door or near the back door. In Proverbs, it was found near the front door. In Ecclesiastes, it is found near the back door. At the end, the truth finally comes to light. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

God in the Book of Ecclesiastes

You know, it is fascinating to me, but notice as you journey through Ecclesiastes that God, Elohim, is found in this book. He is scattered throughout, but it is almost as if He is a cursory figure. It is almost as if He is on the periphery of everything else. And it is not until you get to the end of the book that He is given the place He deserves.

He is the judge of all the earth. He is the one we are going to stand before someday. And so the conclusion of the whole matter, the bottom line of it all, is this —  fear God.

Now remember, we are studying our way through the poetic books of the Bible. There is a common theme here. These poetic books are often referred to as wisdom books as well. So they go together in their emphasis. Did you ever notice that the Book of Job opens with the fear of God? In Job 1:1, we read that Job “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Proverbs opens with the fear of God. In Proverbs 1:7, we learn that the fear of the Lord “is the beginning of knowledge.” But when you come to Ecclesiastes, you do not find the fear of God until you get to the end of the book.

Fear God, Now or Later

Remember, Job and Proverbs begins with it. Ecclesiastes ends with it. Here is the lesson: you are either going to learn the fear of God in the beginning or in the end. But if you are going to be wise, you must learn it now. You can waste your life, and you can sit as an old man like Solomon looking back, reflecting and realizing what you missed and beginning to fear God at the end. Remember, life is not a game! It is a gift to be stewarded carefully.

Or in the words of Ecclesiastes 12:1, you can: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” You can begin to fear God today, wherever you are in life, and say, “By the grace of God, I am going to make the rest of this life count.” Do not come to the end saying, “Vanity and vexation of spirit.”

Friends, only Jesus brings fulfillment and real joy in life. And that is what we learn as we journey through Ecclesiastes.

Related Study: Dig Deeper with Scott’s Verse-by-Verse Series on Ecclesiastes

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