also known as
The Preacher
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Introduction
Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom. Jewish tradition is that Solomon wrote it in his old age. Looking back on his long life of wisdom, wealth, and wives, Solomon’s weary…and wiser. And he wants to share what he’s learned.
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are both collections of wise sayings, but each collection has its own feel. It makes sense that Solomon worked on the book of Proverbs long before he produced Ecclesiastes because the latter book seems more reflective, and like afterthoughts to wisdom. Igt’s wisdom-plus. For one thing, it spends more time on death and on how everything is affected by it.
The title “Ecclesiastes” means “an assembly” and is connected to the word “preacher” in the first verse. (See notes below.) The book title is even sometimes rendered as “The Preacher.”
The book is gloomy in outlook but at the same time imbued with faith in the man’s Creator. Solomon stoically accepts what Job struggled so hard to accept – that there are things that happen on earth we won’t understand until after life is over. But understand we will. Solomon’s concluding verse emphasizes this point. Jesus put it this way:
Mark 4:22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
Jesus Christ lit up the dark world that Solomon describes, ending the darkness with a light so bright that even someone as wise as Solomon could not have imagined it.
Mal 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise…
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Ecclesiastes 1
The Futility of All Endeavor
Eccl 1:1 – Solomon was “the son of David” who was chosen to be “king in Jerusalem“ after him. Solomon reigned about 40 years during the 10th century BC. The book’s title “Ecclesiastes” is connected with the word “Preacher” because in both the Hebrew and Greek a preacher (or teacher) was someone who called for and addressed an assembly. The context could be religious, political, or otherwise. The point is that someone had something to say and was calling for listeners.
Eccl 1:2 – If the prophets preach doom, Ecclesiastes preaches gloom.
Eccl 1:3-8 – These are observations which no reasonable person can deny.
Eccl 1:9-11 – Because “there is nothing new under the sun,” we can benefit from studying history. And for this reason, the Bible is full of history.
The Futility of Wisdom
Eccl 1:12-18 – Solomon describes the personal journey that led him to the conclusions he has just stated.
Eccl 1:18 – It was in 1978, when I was still a very secular person, that I first began to read the Bible. I did so with no expectation of finding God. On the contrary, I expected only to find an antiquated bundle of contradictions. A friend pointed me to Ecclesiastes, and when I came across this verse I was startled by how accurately it described my experience in life. I was only 26, but that was long enough for me to have learned the hard way that the pain identified in this verse was truly the way things were. The truth and relevance of this verse made me want to read more of the Bible. It was the New Testament that opened my eyes and made me see that the pain could lead to something worthwhile – like the pain of exercise or of childbirth. Ecclesiastes doesn’t so much preach the gospel as it paves the way for it to be preached.
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Ecclesiastes 2
The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions
Eccl 2:1-11 – Solomon got a great start in life because his father David had set him up for success. David made Israel great, subduing all its enemies and making many allies. Therefore, Solomon did not have to fight wars. With peace on every side, and the spoils of David’s military victories at his disposal, Solomon could do almost anything he wanted. Yet after he lived to his heart’s content…he found that his heart was not content. He found life to be “vanity and striving after wind” (verse 11).
Wisdom Excels Folly
Eccl 2:12-17 – Solomon then thought wisdom would be his salvation, but came to realize and accept that it ultimately made no difference because the wise man and the fool both end up dead…so what’s the point? The key phrase here is “under the sun.” It appears 27 times in this book! And it is a key to understanding the book. Solomon is looking at everything “in the flesh,” because it wouldn’t be possible to view life “in the spirit” until Jesus came to reveal the spiritual dimension. It was known in Old Testament times that the spiritual dimension existed, but it was dark and murky to human perception. Jesus came to pull back the veil and show what was going on behind the scenes we could physically see. (Walking in the Spirit and Not in the Flesh)
The Futility of Labor
Eccl 2:18-21 – Solomon conveys how even “leaving a legacy” doesn’t console him because he won’t be around to make sure the legacy isn’t squandered.
Eccl 2:22-26 – Solomon tells himself that the only way he can cope with all this “vanity” that he sees going on “under the sun” is to do what is right and be content with whatever life brings – good or bad. This is also the conclusion that Job eventually came to accept. Both men saw the “vanity” and came to terms with it. Many today see the “vanity,” but won’t come to terms with it. Rather, they ignore it and live by delusions. The only reasonable way to deal with the futility of life “under the sun” is with the truth, and we have it in abundance through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
Eccl 3:1-8 – Bible scholars tell us that there are no quotations and no certain allusions to Ecclesiastes in the New Testament. There is a sense in which that’s true, but this belies the more important point that its concepts are embedded from one end of the New Testament to the other. This segment on the importance of timing is a prime example. Notice how it provides context for the following New Testament verses.
Matt 3:13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.
Matt 3:14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
Matt 3:15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.
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Matt 16:1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.
Matt 16:2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
Matt 16:3 “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
Matt 16:4 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
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Rom 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Rom 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
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Eph 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
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Titus 3:14 Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.
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1 Pet 4:1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
1 Pet 4:2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
1 Pet 4:3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries.
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James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
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Rev 22:10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
These and many other other new Testament verses I could have included demonstrate that a righteous life cannot be lived without a sense of timing. And even the Old Testament has verses that imply the concept that Ecclesiastes lays out so explicitly and thoroughly inn these eight verses. Here are just a few of them.
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2 Kin 5:26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?
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1 Chr 12:32 Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do…
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Prov 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
Prov 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
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Eccl 8:5 He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.
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Dan 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
Over and over, the Bible assumes and implies that the righteous man knows what time it is. Ecclesiastes 3 is the place where this principle is spelled out.
(By the way, speaking of spelling things out, compare Rev 22:10 and Dan 12:4 from the lists above and see that there is “A time to seal up the words of prophecy and a time to not seal up the words of prophecy.” That is, what was distant future in Old Testament times was near future in New Testament times. And distant past to us. Jesus Christ has already come again.)
Let us stay alert and always know what time it is RST (Righteous Standard Time).
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
Eccl 3:15 – This is another way of saying “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9).
Eccl 3:17 – This will be Solomon’s concluding point in this book (Eccl 12:13-14).
Eccl 3:18 – Any grown man who will not admit to himself that he has at times acted like an animal is neither honest nor wise.
Eccl 3:19-11 – During Old Testament times it was not revealed that resurrection would lead to heaven (Everyone Is Going to Heaven). Back then all the dead descended to Sheol, and the hope was that they would be resurrected to earth.
Eccl 3:22 – Jesus did.
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Ecclesiastes 4
The Evils of Oppression
Eccl 4:1-3 – All this makes sense if you look at things only from an “under the sun” (that is, “according to the flesh”) point of view. A thousand years after Ecclesiastes was written, Jesus Christ would open a door to a whole new way of thinking about life. (Walking in the Spirit and Not in the Flesh)
Eccl 4:4-6 – Competition has its advantages and disadvantages.
Eccl 4:7-8 – A key to both the gloom people see in Ecclesiastes and to Solomon’s hard-earned wisdom is that he examines his life with the all-important fact that he’s going to die clearly in mind. ***** With more and more adults intentionally choosing a life of childlessness, the vanity described in these verses will only increase.
Eccl 4:9-12 – There are lots of ways to apply these adages. Here’s one of my favorites:
2 Cor 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.
(See Two or Three Witnesses)
Eccl 4:13 – It’s not how long I’ve known the Lord that matters; it’s how well I know Him. I need to approach Him every day with the childlike humility and simplicity that originally brought me to Him. I must not let familiarity breed contempt.
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Ecclesiastes 5
Your Attitude Toward God
Eccl 5:1-3 – Prayer is more about listening than talking.
Eccl 5:4-5 – Let’s compare this to what Jesus said about vows.
Matt 5:33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’
Matt 5:34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
Matt 5:35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.
Matt 5:36 “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Matt 5:37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.
Some people read this passage from Jesus out of context and think he was disallowing vows and oaths. Rather, He was saying that we should keep every promise we make even if it’s not a vow or oath. What Jesus is against is people only thinking they have to keep their word if they’ve vowed it or sworn an oath to it. They were using vows and oaths to play “Simon says” with their words, giving themselves an escape hatch from commitments that they didn’t want to keep. Jesus wants every word coming out of our mouths to be true…just as every word coming out of His mouth is true. Therefore, every promise we make no matter how we word it is, in effect, a vow; and it should be kept even if no one thinks of it as they would a formal vow.
Eccl 5:6-7 – The book of Proverbs contains an exhortation with similar focus.
Prov 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.
The Folly of Riches
Eccl 5:10 – I wonder what the Pharisees thought about Eccl 5:10.
Luke 16:14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him.
No wonder Jesus spoke of the Pharisees the way He did.
Matt 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,
Matt 23:2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;
Matt 23:3 therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.
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Ecclesiastes 6
The Futility of Life
Eccl 6:3 – “soul“
Eccl 6:3 – “soul“
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Ecclesiastes 7
Wisdom and Folly Contrasted
Eccl 7:1 – Compare “A good name is better than a good ointment” to what Solomon wrote in Song 1:3 (and accompanying BSN notes).
***** If “the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth” made sense and was true in Old Testament times, how much more in New Testament times!
Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Eccl 7:2 – A funeral is a good reminder of the final judgment we are all going to have to undergo. Don’t plan on cramming the night before finals. Your final exam could be a pop quiz. (Judgment Is upon Us)
Eccl 7:9 – Many expressions of old covenant wisdom transfer directly into new covenant thinking – including this one.
James 1:19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
James 1:20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Eccl 7:5 – Job’s would-be comforters never understood this. They kept insisting that Job was a righteous man who had done something wrong he wasn’t admitting.
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Ecclesiastes 8
Obey Rulers
Eccl 8:5 – As for “the proper time,” see the notes on Eccl 3:1-8 above.
Eccl 8:11 – This is true both with respect to parents disciplining children and with respect to God disciplining adults – although children need shorter time intervals since their memories are shorter.
Eccl 8:12 – Amen!
Eccl 8:14 – Yes, it is most certainly a confusing world when someone like Jesus is executed as a despicable criminal. However, He makes the world understandable through His example and His teaching. That’s why we study Him so much.
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Ecclesiastes 9
Men Are in the Hand of God
Eccl 9:9 – The simplicity and beauty of married life shines through in this verse.
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
Eccl 9:10 – “Sheol“
Eccl 9:13-15 – #FJOT This is a parable of the kingdom of God. The “city” is the world and the “great king” who “came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it” is Satan. The “poor wise man” is Jesus and the “wisdom” is His teaching.
Eccl 9:16 – This is an epilogue to the parable. It describes people benefiting from the “poor wise man’s” deliverance of the “city”…but not reading the Bible to giving thanks to Him.
Eccl 9:17 – Jesus is a whisperer – not a shouter.
1 Kin 19:11 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
1 Kin 19:12 After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.
And let’s look at the King James Version, too.
1 Kin 19:11 KJV And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
1 Kin 19:12 KJV And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
As if to confirm the point, here is Matthew describing Jesus by quoting Isaiah 42.
Matt 12:13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
Matt 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.
Matt 12:15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,
Matt 12:16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
Matt 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
Matt 12:18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN;
MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED;
I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM,
AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
Matt 12:19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT;
NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
Matt 12:20 “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF,
AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT,
UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.
Matt 12:21 “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”
And Jesus Himself said He was gentle.
Matt 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
Let us not be found among those who despised the words of “the poor man” who saved the world (Eccl 9:14-17
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Ecclesiastes 10
A Little Foolishness
Eccl 10:4 – In everything Jesus faced throughout His life – including His trial, beatings, and crucifixion which came at the end – I cannot think of a single instance in which He ever lost His composure. His disciples were often dullards*, and the religious elite were constantly trying to trip Him up, but nothing ever seemed to get His goat. Even when He cleared out the temple, He seemed very self-controlled about it. That He maintained His composure in the face of so much provocation from so many people over so long a period of time, I consider to be one of His greatest miracles.
(*They were dullards relative to Him, but they were geniuses relative to me.)
Eccl 10: 8 – “He who digs a pit may fall into it” certainly seems to have happened to Haman in the book of Esther.
Eccl 10:12 – “gracious“
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Ecclesiastes 11
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
Eccl 11:5 – We may have ultrasounds, but we still don’t know how to do what He does.
Eccl 11:10 – Indeed, “childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”
James 4:14 …You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
Therefore…
Eph 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
Eph 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
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Ecclesiastes 12
Remember God in Your Youth
Eccl 12:8 – Solomon has come full circle, back to where he started (Eccl 1:2).
Purpose of the Preacher
The man who was king in the beginning of his public life became a preacher by the end of it. That was a demotion in one sense and a promotion in another.
Eccl 12:13-14 – This conclusion is brought into full focus by acceptance of the New Testament revelation that Christ is God. Therefore, substitute “Christ” for “God” in this passage and it fits perfectly in the new covenant.
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