E(eek)cclesiastes: Finding Meaning in a Meaningless Life

As noted in the introduction of this study, I find Ecclesiastes to be an odd duck. I mean it isn’t a book filled with pearls of wisdom, like the book of Proverbs. And it isn’t a book filled with praise, like the book of Psalms. Nor, will you find it to be like many of the books in the Old Testament, which give a history of God’s chosen the people, the Israelites. And, you won’t find any major or minor prophet here either. In fact, this book, with all of the author’s laments about the meaninglessness and vanities of life, for the most part, can be downright depressing! Yet we know that all of the books in the Bible are there for a reason. So, while some people shy away from the book of Revelation because of its somewhat frightening and symbolic text and others skim over books like Leviticus, Numbers and Lamentations because of their dry, repetitive or mournful tone, I don’t want people, who love God’s word, to do the same with this book. I want my readers to see Ecclesiastes in a new light, from a new perspective. Finding a new approach was relatively simple. I didn’t consult a bunch of theological, heady books that provided someone else’s understanding of what the author, whom I believe to be King Solomon, was trying to say or was feeling when he wrote this book. Instead I simply sat down with my Bible, started reading at the beginning of chapter one and asked the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to what He wanted me and my readers to glean from this most unusual book. The title of the book, E(eek)clesiastes- How to Find Meaning in a Meaningless Life!, came to mind almost immediately. The EEK part, because of how crazy this book it, but the second part, the finding meaning part, because to me, this is the bottom line of what Solomon, consciously or unconsciously, brings to the table in this book. While he struggles throughout the entire twelve chapters of this book with life’s meaning he, through this struggle, actually reveals to us what there is in this life that does provide meaning. However, you really have to look for it. In addition, as one of reviewers of this book points out, like all of the books of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes, is no different in pointing the way to the New Testament and thus to Jesus Christ and life eternal. She notes that I show “the reader how the books of the Old and New Testament are related, giving us a clearer understanding of what we read. By this we begin to see how it all relates to one work, the work of God through the Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible.” We have all struggled with the meaning of life. Consider walking through this book as we try to unravel what that meaning might be – together.

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