Ecclesiastes - Overview and Introduction
All Is Vanity
There is no happiness outside of God; only God knows what’s good for man.
This is a profound truth.
The world will entice, ensnare, and attempt to distract us from this simple fact.
Truth be told, and paraphrasing Voddie Baucham, it’s not *just* the world and its system, but also your sinful flesh and the Devil. However, what we must always remember is that the Devil is not omnipresent. He is not God, nor does he share God’s attributes in this way, he is merely a creature—a strong man bound by Christ (Mark 3:27).
While I certainly believe that his demons are tasked with attempting to harm and entice the children of Adam, and more specifically, the children of Abraham (all those that believe and belong to Christ), sometimes our sinful nature and the sinful nature of others is the cause of our being lured away from God to the pleasures offered by the world.
We don’t always get to blame Satan and his minions for our issues.
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man, a man! Complain about the punishment of his sins? Let us examine our ways and return to the Lord! (Lamentations 3:34).
What we do understand is that life is complicated. It vexes, confuses, hurts, and breaks us down. Such is the nature of a sinful world tainted by sin.
Indeed, it is a great struggle. With this, the author of Ecclesiastes understands exceptionally well.
When we take the truths in this book to heart, we come out the other side with a greater understanding of ourselves, the world around us, and God’s character.
Solomon contrasts these themes of folly, vanity, and despair with rays of hope, wisdom, and trust. He encourages us to seek and trust God in all things so that it will go well with us and our lives. I believe this reflects life in varying ways—happiness is glorious yet fleeting. Joy and contentment are more concrete yet require cultivation, abiding in the Creator, knowing His word and commands, and hiding them away in our hearts.
“Ecclesiastes, which imparts strength and consolation to the children of God in the midst of their trials and hardships, was read at the Feast of Tabernacles (October), which was a kind of pageant of the hardships which the Israelites experienced when they lived in booths during their desert journey.”
- William Hendriksen
Synopsis:
I believe it is obvious that King Solomon is the Preacher and author of Ecclesiastes. Announcing himself immediately in the opening verses as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” A man we know who possesses great wisdom and equally great wealth. These qualities make the most sense in my estimation. Couple this with the end of the book stating “the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care.” (Eccles. 12:9) we know that King Solomon wrote many of the Proverbs as well.
There are groups of people who contest King Solomon’s authorship, usually based on textual criticism, I don’t think those arguments have any true substance.
Ecclesiastes fits into the collection of what is called “Wisdom Literature” alongside Job and Proverbs. There are some elements of Hebrew poetry in this genre, and therefore hyperbole can be found. The subtitle of this introduction, “All is vanity”, for instance. Can it really be ALL vanity? Certainly not, despite the fallenness of man and the impact upon the world, God is still good and gracious, allowing us to enjoy Him and his good creation around us.
Ecclesiastes shows us where happiness does not belong - the honors, pleasures, and riches of this world, and contrasting with where it does - the enjoyment and service of God. Lest we believe that this book is only doom and gloom. The author speaks of things that God has gifted us to enjoy in this life. There is also good advice and helpful proverbs throughout.
The central theme requires us to understand a few terms to have the most effective grasp of the text, they are:
Vanity: Though our current culture has an understanding of what vanity is, and that definition does happen to fit the flow of the text occasionally, we should know that the Hebrew word is hebel. More accurately described as frustration, perplexing, or fleeting.
Under the Sun: Our current life within the fallen world. Thus, “under the sun” is where we experience all of our vanity if we belong to Christ (see definition above). There is no vanity once we pass through this life and reside with the Lord.
“Ecclesiastes teaches us to face the frustrating and perplexing aspects of life, to find joy and satisfaction with thankfulness when possible, and to fear God regardless. How are we to do this? The ultimate answer is not found in Ecclesiastes, but in the pages of the New Testament in our final redemption in Christ.”
- The Reformation Study Bible
In one sense, Ecclesiastes is a very easy book to understand. In fact, at the very end it tells us exactly what the purpose of every human being is:
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14