Through confronting questions, wise counsel and striking proverb the Teacher continues to probe the perplexing issues of life: existence, death, grief, pride and anger, living in the past and struggling with the sovereignty of God. No simplistic answers here, but neither is there a giving way to godless despair. In the gospel the Spirit indeed reveals the deep things of God – ‘what God has prepared for those who love him,’ but it is good to be reminded that even ‘the secret wisdom of God’ does not automatically resolve the deep and dark riddles of life. We do not have a philosophy to resolve all the difficult questions of life and death. Rather, we have One who hung in our place on a cross where, by faith, we believe ‘the solution of every dark and difficult thing’ has already been achieved and resolved.