Ecclesiastes

You are wrong if you think that the book of Ecclesiastes is a glum, pessimistic book lacking hope. You are also wrong if you think that the writer was a soured, despairing old man who had missed the joys of life. Quite the contrary was true. Coheleth (Solomon turned preacher) is pessimistic, it is true. But his pessimism is confined to life lived "under the sun." He understands that life under the sun is life lived under God's curse with sin and all its consequences. He is genuinely pessimistic about man and his achievements, but supremely optimistic about God and His. And there should be nothing but optimism about the lot of those who fear Him.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon confronts the hard questions of life. Why should anyone bother exerting any effort since all is temporary and, therefore, vain? How is it that money, fame, and power fail to satisfy? How is it that the righteous and the wicked alike end up in the grave? Why do fun and folly fail to bring contentment? And he gives the answer that this is all God's will. God has constructed things this way, and through His providential working, He deals with sin and righteousness in this present world. Solomon believes in resting in the will of a sovereign God.

Ecclesiastes need not be a closed book to you. Let Jay Adams walk through it with you.