Despite the meaninglessness and seemingly random nature of all things under the sun, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes is certain that wisdom is better than folly. Our passage this week (Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:15) provides numerous proverbs which drive home this conclusion. For example, the words of a poor wise man deliver a meagre city besieged by a great king, and “the words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” However, the Preacher also recognises the devastating impact even just a little folly can have over wisdom– “wisdom is better than weapons of war, […]

When one observes life ‘under the sun’ it is easy to think that good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. To the Preacher such events seems to be unavoidable and random, a matter of time and chance. However, he is aware that such events are in the hands of God, but admits he cannot fathom this wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 9, with the same brutal honesty that he has assessed life under the sun so far, the Preacher notes that whether good or evil, clean or unclean, swift or slow, strong or weak, ‘the same […]

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This week we hear from the Preacher of Ecclesiastes in the second half of Chapter 7 who, having searched high and low under the sun, seeking wisdom, righteousness and ‘the scheme of things’, comes up empty handed. ‘Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins,’ he remarks. Aware of this sad truth, in his wisdom, the Preacher offers sound instruction to all who might listen: Don’t be overly righteous, nor overly wicked, for neither can secure your destiny – instead, fear God. Humanity has devised many schemes as we seek to secure our […]

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 […]

Can I encourage you to come this week, ‘guarding your steps’ and being ‘ready to listen’, as the Preacher of Ecclesiastes takes a break from his commentary on life under the sun, and for the first time in the book, admonishes his readers directly. In fact, in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 he instructs us on how life can be lived ‘out from under the sun’ as he exhorts us to draw near to the Lord and listen to him. True worship is not an ‘under the sun’ activity and so, only as we approach God and all that he has given us […]

The Teacher looks out upon the world and sees many human illustrations of the meaninglessness that pervades ‘life under the sun’: the suffering of the powerless that have no one to comfort them, the envy and jealousy that drives people in their work and careers, the foolishness of those who destroy themselves by opting out of life altogether, the pointlessness of being materially rich and yet relation-ally poor and the short lived popularity of those who gain political power. If our lives are not redeemed for a larger purpose we are doomed to such futility and pointlessness. The gospel of […]

This week James Krieg will be bringing the message from Ecclesiastes 3. He writes: “In Ecclesiastes chapter three the Teacher calls us to wrestle with one of the Big issues – the seeming inevitability of all that happens under the sun. ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.’ For some this is fate, for others chance, but for the teacher, and for those who follow His wisdom, we see that it is the sovereign hand of God. Unless we know the reality of the loving Father who knows and determines the beginning from […]

In the second chapter of Ecclesiastes, Koheleth, the Preacher looks at three particular aspects of life in his quest for meaning and gain: he ‘tests’ himself with pleasure; considers wisdom; and then reflects upon all his toil. He found that none of these could satisfy, nor could they offer any lasting substance or meaning to life. In fact, they lead him to despair. After all, he concludes, in the end we all die, whether a wise man or a fool. It is all meaningless… under the sun! This series may already be sounding too miserable to go on with. However, […]