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Ecclesiastes: When All Has Been Heard…

Life is absolutely pointless, miserable, and nothing matters. It’s the same ole, same ole. Do I just live in the now with little hope or future? Do I sacrifice for an earthly legacy that will be squandered and forgotten? The wealthiest and wisest King of Israel wrestled with these very thoughts in Ecclesiastes. Will we arrive at his conclusion, WHEN ALL HAS BEEN HEARD…? #ecclesiastes #2023

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Pray

Lord we pray that You would help us in our study of Ecclesiastes to be in awe of You and obey Your ways. We recognize that all things under the sun are FUTILE and meaningless. We recognize that no amount of intellect, wisdom, pleasure, relationships, or power will ever satisfy our eternal longings. When All Has Been Heard…Lord help us arrive at Solomon’s conclusion of the matter: to fear You and keep Your commands, because this is for all humanity. Amen.

Study Questions

"Everything is Futile?"

Solomon would have had the pressure of being King David’s son and a seemingly illegitimate heir. However, Solomon believed in the God of Israel and was given the kingship and supernatural wisdom from God (2 Chronicles 1:10, 1 Kings 3:12). He became the most powerful, wealthy, and desirable king of the world. Even though Solomon misused that wisdom, abused his position of authority, and clung to relational idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-2), God never took away his wisdom (Ecclesiastes 2:3), and that allowed Solomon to see the meaninglessness of life and give us the conclusion of the matter (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

God had Solomon write 3 books as a picture of life. His first book, likely written when he was young, was Song of Solomon about youthful passion and relationship. His second book, likely written in midlife, was Proverbs about the importance of living with wisdom and not just passionate feeling. His final book written near the end of his life was Ecclesiastes about the FUTILITY of it all and reality of life.

READ Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

  1. We hear people talk about the grind of life. Solomon uses the term “under the sun” or “under heaven” throughout the book to reference the reality of the earthly grind.
    1. What do you think Solomon is trying to get at when he seems to compare nature to something more like our modern assembly lines or machines?
    2. What impact does this daily reality have on man and our relationship to the world?…our relationship to God?

READ Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

  1. Do you think that we have seen a societal shift away from trying to answer deep questions and a move toward just making money and having fun?
    1. How has this struggle affected you and those around you? Explain.
  2. Spoiler alert for the end of the book: Ecclesiastes 12:13 is the book’s theme verse. “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.”
    1. What impact does it have on us when we realize that all meaning is supernatural and must come from outside ourselves?
    2. How does the idea that it comes from outside of ourselves change our view of ourselves, and how do we deal with this change?

READ Matthew 6:19-21, John 3:7-8, Matthew 6:21-24, Hebrews 8:12-13, Isaiah 53:3

  1. Solomon did not have the privilege of the full picture of life under eternity that we have been given through Jesus revealed in the New Testament.
    1. Discuss how the verses we just read help us answer the issues Solomon is struggling to understand and believe?

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