The Book of Ecclesiastes

1185 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary features of the song of solomon

In this brief book, the presumed author Solomon dictates the idea that everything we do, outside of a God-centered worldview, is futile and unfulfilling. To begin with, there is some debate as to whom the actual author of Ecclesiastes is, but the overwhelming majority of critics deem the authorship of this book to Solomon, King David’s son, based on textual clues. It is also generally accepted that this book was written late in King Solomon’s life based on the text in chapter 12:1-7. Ecclesiastes is similar in style to several Biblical poetic books as well as in context to various ancient Near Eastern texts, which demonstrate that practical wisdom is of little value in the real world. Having been blessed with great wisdom, Solomon would have been a prime candidate to explain the futility of wisdom (Hill & Walton 458-459).
The book is opened in the first 11 verses by the author vaguely introducing himself followed by a brief description of the unfulfilling nature of this world. The author is attempting to set the foundation for his belief that all things are meaningless. He chooses a variety of situations that demonstrate the unfortunate fact that life is circular and that nothing that is done amounts to anything of substantial worth.
Throughout the rest of the first chapter and through most of the second, the author goes into more detail in demonstrating more specifically what he has done in determining that life is unfulfilling. He searches first in wisdom before determining that with wisdom comes sorrow and as knowledge increases, so does that sorrow (1:18). The author then searches for fulfillment in happiness and pleasure. Unfortunately, this pleasure was not sought through a God-giving sacrificial life in which God reward...

... middle of paper ...

...he cry of thousands of men, women, and children wondering how it was possible to live up to the law that God had established for them in the Torah.
Christ, through his sacrificial love on the cross, changed the lives of every man, woman, and child into a life full of meaning and purpose. No longer can mankind say that life is meaningless, because with a correct Christ-centered view of life, our work, pleasure, and legacy can bring about glory to the King of the Universe. Christ redeemed us and set us free from a life of futility and vanity. The overall theme of the book of Ecclesiastes still applies to all of humanity. Everything that we do, apart from Christ, is meaningless and unsatisfying, but if we live a Christ-centered life, God the Father freely delivers meaning and joy, through the reconciliation that comes about from the death of the LORD Jesus Christ.

Show More
Related

  • Compare Antigone And The Bible

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is easy to place the blame on fate or God when one is encumbered by suffering. It is much harder to find meaning in that pain, and harvest it into motivation to move forward and grow from the grief. It is imperative for one to understand one’s suffering as a gateway to new wisdom and development; for without suffering, people cannot find true value in happiness nor can they find actual meaning to their lives. In both Antigone and The Holy Bible there are a plethora of instances that give light to the quintessential role suffering plays in defining life across cultures. The Holy Bible and Sophocles’ Antigone both mirror the dichotomous reality in which society is situated, underlining the necessity of both joy and suffering in the world.

    Read More

  • Hebrew Teaching on Diligence and Follies

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hindson, E. E., & Yates, G. E. (2012). The Essence of the Old Testament: A survey. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Academic.

    Read More

  • Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    this book. I think he is telling us to live a full and moral life.

    Read More

  • Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    but is a continued motif throughout the book. He claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how...

    Read More

  • Biblical Exegesis of Psalm 89

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm

    Read More

  • I am writing blindly

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    8. Roger Rosenblatt in his last praragraph clearly explains what he means by saying, "I am writing blindly. Like everyone else." He explain that we don't really know why we bother to speak or share stories, besides the fact that we feel lonely. It also ties to how he thinks we write every sentence to find God but we never do. But if we never do find god, why bother wrtiting the next sentence or why bother saying the next story. So basically he is saying, humans don't know why they do anything besides the fact it gives comfort and pleasure. This applies to anything we do. Almost like we are forever seaching our own approval of our lives. Blindly.

    Read More

  • Epictetus' Philosophy: A Constructive Critique

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    I don’t completely agree with this passage though it helps me to see sort of how it can be a simple understanding to treat the world and the people in it in such a way as to not care about them. As this passage talks about that I must not force something to come to me but let it come to me on it’s own, I understand that if I treat the world as if I don’t care about it then it will never really become something that I hold a piece of; if the world is thought of as something that shouldn’t be cared about then the only holding I will have over it will be temporary and never really have something that will be mine. I don’t think this is the way that anyone should go through the world since it provides no real enjoyment of the things around me and the lack of being empathic toward anyone else in the

    Read More

  • Individualism in "Anthem" by Ayn Rand

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    If my life had no purpose, no individuality, and no happiness, I would not want to live. This book teaches the importance of self expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Meaning of Life by Richard Taylor

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Meaning of Life”, Richard Taylor begins with questioning the meaning of life. He mentions this is rather hard to do and decides to define what meaninglessness is in order to understand the exact opposite: meaningfulness. Taylor asks the reader to recall the famous myth of Sisyphus to come about the definition of meaninglessness. He states that Sisyphus was condemned to roll a large boulder up a hill, only to have that boulder roll back down the hill, forcing him to repeat the task forever. Despite all his efforts, his existence amounts to nothing more than endlessly repeating the same task, which itself contributes to no greater goal or purpose. This, Taylor suggests, is the very image of meaninglessness. He defines meaninglessness as the following: “Meaninglessness is essentially endless pointlessness, and meaningfulness is therefore the opposite” (270).

    Read More

  • Quotes From Maghan Sundiata

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    P. 15 "God has his mysteries which none can fathom. You, perhaps, will be a king. You can do nothing about it. You, on the other hand, will be unlucky, but you can do nothing about that either. Each man finds his way already marked out for him and he can change nothing of it."

    Read More

  • The Meaningless Life of Grendel in John Gardner's Grendel

    2577 Words  | 6 Pages

    "People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive...." Joseph Campbell made this comment on the search for meaning common to every man's life. His statement implies that what we seem bent on finding is that higher spark for which we would all be willing to live or die; we look for some key equation through which we might tie all of the experiences of our life and feel the satisfaction of action toward a goal, rather than the emptiness which sometimes consumes the activities of our existence. He states, however, that we will never find some great pure meaning behind everything, because there is none. What there is to be found, however, is the life itself. We seek to find meaning so that emptiness will not pervade our every thought, our every deed, with the coldness of reality as the unemotional eye chooses to see it. Without color, without joy, without future, reality untouched by hope is an icy thing to view; we have no desire to see it that way. We forget, however, that the higher meaning might be found in existence itself. The joy of life and the experience of living are what make up true meaning, as the swirl of atoms guided by chaotic chance in which we find our existence has no meaning outside itself.

    Read More

  • The Book of Thessalonians

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    The books of I and II Thessalonians, which are in the New Testament, are both letters to a church that Paul the apostle helped establish in the city of Thessalonica. First Thessalonians is agreed by biblical scholars to be written by Paul. The author of II Thessalonians, however, is still being debated about.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Death

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life is not merely something that we experience outwardly. It can be an awakening to imagination, emotion, and true virtue. As we experience feelings in the way Puddleglum lived, believing in something so profound and so realistic that no apathy or emptiness could ever dissuade him, we can learn to live a life worth continuing. Keeping our eyes on that which is not fleeting or passing away, we can learn to feel more and with purpose. As 1 John 2:17 declares, “And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains

    Read More

  • The Book of Colossians

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...is simple truth we learn that man must acknowledge when his work is complete and then chose to focus on that which is better and cannot be taken away from us – time spent in communion with the Lord, memories shared with loved ones, and rest. But, most importantly, from this passage we learn that man must not put his faith in anyone or anything else but the Lord, for he is sufficient to provide for our needs and desires. He knows each person before their birth, he gives each of them a purpose in life, salvation from their sins, a place to dwell God’s presence after death, and selfless love. Man’s only true need is salvation from the sins that have condemned him. The only way to receive that salvation is through faith in God. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has allowed man to do that, anything more is futile for he alone is sufficient and his work is complete.

    Read More

  • The Meaning Of Life Essay

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life has meaning. One way in understanding life is the importance that life has. If something is considered important then it is valuable. Life is important because of the fact that it serves a purpose and has some sort of value connected to it. Value can be interpreted in relation to someone or some procedure that can be said to have interests. In the religious viewpoint it is understood that God is the person that individuals are valuable to. God was the one that created humans and we are important to Him because we are made in his image. Being made in his image, for the religious people, makes us wonder if we are living our life as if God would want us to. Most religious people go through each and every day with the question of “What Would Jesus Do?” The reason why most individuals live their life by this question is because God is very important to them and they do not want to do anything to disappoint Him. That is not the only possibility. Life can be important within ourselves. It doesn’t ma...

    Read More

More about The Book of Ecclesiastes

Open Document