Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:14-19 v. 14 — “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” In the last section of verses, The Preacher advised us to avoid having selective memories about the past—don’t romanticize what it used to be like…or else you will foolishly ask: “how come things aren’t as good as they used to be?” And, now, The Preacher s

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 6:1-12 v. 1-2 — “There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil” Remember when chapter 5 ended with that warm, tender, fuzzy phrase about being “occupied with joy”? Well, I hope you weren’t expecting tha

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 v. 8-9 — “If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.” In this life, which can so often feel meaningless, you can’t count on much…Almost nothing is guaranteed. But nothing is off the table e

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:7-16 In Ecclesiastes, we’ve been analyzing the sad state of affairs of life under the Sun. But the author does not want to inspire you to envy or hate those around you because of these difficulties. In this section, he’ll actually show you why the frustrations and worries of this world should encourage you to work with and for your neighbors; serving and helping them as you navigate life. He’ll show you how and why human beings are not meant to be

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:1-6 Well, if there’s one thing you learn by skimming through Ecclesiastes, it’s that—if you want to—you can see the bad in everything…and that’s partially because everything is bad. All is vanity…meaningless…purposeless. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the things you’d expect to have meaning often have a bad one! Last time, Solomon’s big statement was: “in the place of justice, there was wickedness!” This time around, he sees a few more travesti

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:12-22 Discussion Question: Share a time when you experienced something that was unfair. Last time, we looked at one of the most memorable sections of Ecclesiastes. Chapter 3 is the section people on the street have probably heard before. I did some research and found that it was actually referenced in the ’80s movie, Footloose. It’s a story about a really strict town where there’s a law preventing people from dancing. Watch these two of clips, on

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 Discussion Questions: Share a time when you felt like life was happening to you rather than you being in control of it. If you could control just one season of your life—past, present, or future—which one would you change? Have you ever wanted something deeply—but the timing just wouldn’t cooperate? We’re looking at the most recognizable section of Ecclesiastes, and one of the most familiar passages in the entire Bible. Ecclesiastes isn’t quo

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:18-24 When I was growing up, my dad worked at Fair Vending Company. It was great at first and was owned and operated by an ambitious, old entrepreneur. But when his kids took over...the ship began to sink. Such is life. And you see this frustrating pattern played out in this reading from Ecclesiastes. v. 18-23 — “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-17 Discussion Question: Is there such a thing as pure pleasure in the world? (If you have it, you fear losing it or not having as much as others. Alcohol helps you forget for a moment, but it doesn't give answers. Sex gives the illusion of intimacy, but it doesn't cure loneliness. You can fill up a house and storage unit, but it still won’t answer the deeper questions of my life). Growing up, one of my favorite things was playing drums to dozens

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Discussion Questions: What’s something you know so well that you could give an impromptu presentation on it? What’s a fun fact you’d like to share with the group? What’s something you had delusional high hopes for? Today, we have more knowledge available to us than at any other time in history. In seconds, a smartphone can call up information that would’ve taken months to compile a few decades ago. But despite all the facts at our fingertips

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 verse by verse with Law & Gospel in view.

This’ll be my first time teaching through any of the wisdom literature or poetry in the Old Testament. Not only that, the book we’re about to look at is probably the most unique in the bunch…It is not like Proverbs, which is full of short, little guidelines for life…It’s not like Psalms which is full of praises, hymns, and crying out to God for help…And it’s not like the Song of Solomon, well, for obvious reasons… We’re starting Ecclesiastes…and before we go any further, I h