This will be a bit of a change. We’re in the Jewish Scriptures (we call it the “Old Testament”). We’re roughly a thousand years before Jesus showed up in Galilee. And we’re looking through an entirely different lens (more like looking backward through a telescope).
Introduction
Ecclesiastes is one of the most unusual books in the whole Bible.
Most of the Bible gives us God’s perspective on things. Just look at the opening of Genesis: “In the beginning God . . .” And at the end of Revelation we read that God has finished this part of his creation. The Bible is by God, about God and his creation, so that we can understand who God is and our relationship with him
And then, in the middle of the Old Testament there is this book that is essentially about us, from our perspective. Ecclesiastes has a human point of view.
Let’s take a closer look.
Author
In the Jewish tradition, King Solomon, David’s son, is the author of Ecclesiastes. We get this from the description in the first chapter. The writer says he is “King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem,” in verse 1, and then says “I . . . was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem,” in verse 12. He also says he is “wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.”
Now we know that actually there was only one king in Jerusalem before him – his father David. But we also know that God gave Solomon greater knowledge and wisdom than any other person alive at that time, (you can get the details in 1 Kings 3 or 2 Chronicles 1).
The writer also says Ecclesiastes is the work of “the teacher.” The Hebrew word here is not used anywhere else in the Bible. The closest scholars have gotten is the Hebrew word for “assembly,” so the English take on this one has been “teacher,” “preacher,” or even “leader of the assembly,” depending on the translation.
Over the years some scholars have concluded that Solomon did not write this book. They argue that the vocabulary and style of writing is different than most writings from the time of Solomon, and is closer to the linguistic style of later writing – sometime between 450 BCE and 250 BCE. But some more recent studies have questioned that earlier conclusion.
Theme and Purpose
Solomon’s theme is very obvious. He hits us with it right after he identifies himself: “Everything is meaningless,” [1:2]. He closes the book with the same phrase, [12:8]. And in between he uses it 28 other times. (NOTE: the NRSV retains the poetic imagery of the King James translation, “vanities,” but the New International Version, along with most contemporary translations, uses the clearer “meaningless.”)
There is some irony in the fact that the wisest person in the world, not to mention the wealthiest person in the world at that time, looks at the world and can only conclude that nothing is worthwhile – “Everything is meaningless.”
We have to dig a little deeper, however, to understand why Solomon wrote this book, and why it is part of the Bible.
First, a little background on Solomon.
Many are familiar with the beginning of his reign. His father, David, appointed Solomon as his heir and successor. Shortly after David’s death God appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him what he wanted as Israel’s king. Solomon replied that, “here am I among your own chosen people, a nation so great they are too numerous to count! Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?” God granted his request and included “riches and honor” as well, “And if you follow me and obey my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life,” [1 Kings 3:8-14].
Well, Solomon followed God for a long time, but eventually he began ignoring God’s commands. He built up a huge standing army and built lavish palaces. He took 700 wives, many of them from the nations God had told the Israelites not to marry. And, as God had warned, they led Solomon away from trusting God to worship their gods. God told Solomon that was the end of his help and the end of the kingdom of Israel; the kingdom would be divided during his son’s reign, [1 Kings 11:1-13].
Without trust in God, Solomon had to rely only on his human wisdom.
Ecclesiastes is the record of Solomon’s exploration and evaluation of this world.
In addition to the primary conclusion, “everything is meaningless,” Solomon uses two other phrases that show his purpose and his method.
The first is “under the sun,” (sometimes “under heaven”). The writer uses this phrase to identify the scope of his search: information or data that is available to our senses, that is part of this world. Unlike Proverbs, there is no discussion of spiritual things, and no mention of any type of revelation.
The second phrase is “I thought in my heart,” or “I thought to myself.” This is Solomon’s intent to use only his own, admittedly great, powers of reason and analysis. He may have examined much of the world as he knew it, but he used only his own intelligence to evaluate it.
Ecclesiastes is the record of Solomon’s search for meaning in this life on this planet. He concludes that, without God, there is none.
Many people have considered Ecclesiastes the counterpoint to Proverbs, but I disagree. I believe that Ecclesiastes is the counterpoint to the Psalms – Solomon’s intellectual response to what he can see and analyze versus David’s emotional and spiritual response to God’s actions (or sometimes apparent lack of action) in his life.
Next Lesson
Everything is meaningless – Ecclesiastes 1
