A sample of "Bible Alive" studies

This is a sample page of Bible Studies from chapters 1 & 2 of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, from the "Bible Alive" series.   

Ecclesiastes, chapters 1 & 2

Bible Alive Studies : Rochford, Essex  (c) 1997

INTRODUCTION

Health Warning!

Be quite clear, this is not a comfortable book to read and if you are looking for quiet encouragement this is NOT the book for you at the moment. This book requires careful reading and a lot of thinking and praying - especially praying. More than any other Study in this series, this one has required the most prayer, but remember, ALL Scripture comes from God and is useful for teaching, and for rebuking, and for correcting and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16) and that includes the book of Ecclesiastes!

Background:

The writer is obviously Solomon, for no one else could fit the description of 1:1 and as soon as we accept that the book starts making sense. Solomon started out his kingship by receiving God's blessing in the form of amazing wisdom (1 Kings 3 & 4:29 ). Tragically Solomon later disobeyed God and eventually drifted away from Him (1 Kings 11:1-13). Solomon was a prolific writer and Ecclesiastes is probably the last part of the Scriptures that he wrote, written probably in old age, after a period of being away from the Lord.

Understanding:

The key to the book is the phrase "under the sun", in other words it is an account of Solomon's thoughts from a purely earthly standpoint, and in that respect it is invaluable to us as the viewpoint of the person looking through human eyes. It faces the harsh reality that without God as the focus of your life, all you are left with is an empty existence. Older versions start out in chapter 1 with "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity". Later versions declare "Meaningless, meaningless...". That is how the earthly man summarises existence, but in the midst of it all watch for much truth, and particularly, nuggets of truth about God.

PART 1 : Meaningless Elements of Life

Remember to pray your way through this first Part. As you see the futility of the various THINGS Solomon tried, thank the Lord for the meaning HE brings to your life. Remember, pray before and after you read!

Study No.1 : Meaningless! : Eccles 1:1-11

A. Find out :

1. What is meaningless? v.2

2. Why does work appear meaningless? v.3,4

3. Why does the world seem meaningless? v.5-7

4. Why is knowledge wearisome? v.8

5. Why is history meaningless? v.9,10

6. What other reason is given? v.11

B. Think :

1. Why do we sometimes think that "meaning" is important?

2. Why does the writer seem to say that everything is meaningless?

3. How can there me meaning in anything?

C. Comment :

This is Scripture? Surely Scripture is supposed to be helpful? Isn't this just a hopeless cry? Perhaps not. Let's look and think about it.   First let's see WHY the writer is saying everything is meaningless. His strong contention is that everything just keeps on going, regardless of whether we are there or not. When we are there, we work but at the end of the world we won't be remembered. The world keeps on with little change and there's so much to see and take in that it's exhausting just to try.

Very well, all he says IS true, let's acknowledge that first. BUT look at the perspective he is coming from: twice in this passage and many more times in the book we see the phrase, "under the sun". Here is the clue: everything on the earth, this is an earthly perspective, a materialistic, mechanistic, view of things.

What is this saying? When there is no reference to God life IS meaningless. As we go through the book we'll see that meaning only comes by reference to God. Meaning is important, we need that sense that there is more to life than just materialistic living. This is a message our world desperately needs to hear.

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord that HE made this world for our enjoyment.

2. Life is more than molecules!

Study No.2 : Wisdom? : Eccles 1:12-18

A. Find out :

1. Who is the writer? v.12

2. What had he done? v.13

3. What had he seen? v.14

4. What did he become? v.16

5. What did he conclude? v.14b,17b

6. Why? v.18

B. Think :

1. How did Solomon's position allow him to speak as he did?

2. What task had he set himself?

3. What two reasons did he say made it fruitless?

C. Comment :

Let's note first of all who it is who is speaking these words, the king of Israel who was able to speak confidently about wisdom. That shows us that it must have been Solomon. (see 1 Kings 3:5-15, 4:29 -34) From this we can conclude that he knew what he was talking about, it was not idle talk.

Second, note what he sought to do: to study and grow in understanding. Third, note what he achieved: he was able to say he had increased in wisdom more than any previous king, and that was true! Fourth, note his conclusion: it is all pointless! Why? Because it's first like chasing the wind, you can't get hold of it, total knowledge and understanding keeps eluding your grasp, and second it just shows you so much of the bad side of life and that simply produces sorrow.

In a day when such importance is given to knowledge and learning we would do well to listen to Solomon. If you exclude God ("under the sun" again, v.14, and "under heaven", v.13) from your thinking, much learning is just futile, it will gain you little. The more we know the more we realise how much we don't know. To reverentially fear God is the beginning of true wisdom (Proverbs 9:10 ). When will we learn that?

D. Application?

1. Learning for its own sake will only bring frustration and sorrow.

2. True learning, true wisdom acknowledges the Lord in all things.

Study No.3 : Leisure Activities : Eccles 2:1-11

A. Find out :

1. What was the next thing Solomon tested? v.1

2. How did he do this? v.2,3

3. To what extent did he do this? v.10a

4. What did he then turn to doing? v.4-8

5. What did he achieve? v.9

6. How did he go about all this? v.3b,9b

B. Think :

1. What two things in this passage did Solomon do to try to find meaning in life?

2. What governed or dictated what he would do?

3. What was his feeling about it all?

C. Comment :

Now, in his search for meaning, Solomon turns purposely to see what lasting benefits pleasure brings. As king he had access to much food, drink and leisure activities and these he used to the full, only to conclude that it didn't bring him what he was searching for.

Next he turned in his search, to achieving great things by setting himself great goals and working to achieve them, great projects. In that, humanly speaking, he was very successful and became richer and more powerful than any before him. Yet in all that he is left with the feeling that it was all meaningless. What we should note is the way he went about it. He let his mind guide him (v.3), he carefully thought out and thought about everything he did. His failure in all this was that he was being self-centred, it was all that HE was trying to achieve.

It was centuries later that Jesus declared the truth: "whoever loves his life looses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25 ). It is when you stop trying to get meaning out of life on this world and start living in the light of God's love, that you start finding meaning and purpose and fulfilment.

D. Application?

1. Meaning cannot be found in leisure activities, they simply cover up the emptiness.

2. Death to self brings awareness of real life.

Study No.4 : Wisdom is Meaningless : Eccles 2:12-16

A. Find out :

1. What subject did Solomon next consider? v.12a

2. What question did he consider? v.12b

3. In what way is wisdom better than folly? v.13

4. How do the wise and the foolish differ? v.14a

5. But what happens to the wise and foolish? v.14b,16

6. What question did that raise in his mind? v.15

B. Think :

1. Why IS wisdom better than foolishness?

2. Why isn't one better than the other?

3. What conclusions should we draw from this?

C. Comment :

Moving on from pleasure pursuits and project building, Solomon turns to the general question of striving for wisdom. What is the point? Will it lead to better lives for those who follow us? Will they be able to do any more than we have done? Why strive for it?

The answer he comes up with is that wisdom is naturally better than foolishness in the same way that light is better than darkness. In the light you can see what you are doing and where you are going and the same is true of wisdom. The opposite naturally follows - foolishness!

But then he considers further and realises that though this is true while we are alive, the wise and the foolish both eventually die and nothing can change that! Further on in history both the wise and the foolish will suffer the same fate; they will be forgotten!

The end conclusion of the whole thing must surely be that wisdom is certainly more preferable than foolishness because it helps us in our daily lives, but if we elevate it to esteem ourselves, that becomes foolishness for wisdom cannot help us in eternity. Wisdom is to be sought after but it is NOT the key issue in life, knowing God is!

D. Application?

1. Wisdom brings with it understanding and revelation and enables us to walk more surely through life.

2. Wisdom that does not acknowledge God is in fact mere foolishness

Study No.5 : Work? : Eccles 2:17-26

A. Find out :

1. Why had he hated work? v.18

2. What did he find a frustrating thought? v.19

3. Why was night time as bad as day? v.23

4. What did he conclude? v.24a

5. From where does this come? v.24b,25

6. What does God give? v.26

B. Think :

1. How does this passage naturally flow on from the previous one?

2. What is Solomon's point about the meaninglessness of work?

3. How does he say that can only be changed?

C. Comment :

Having just been thinking about both the wise and foolish having to die, Solomon naturally flows on in his thinking to consider other aspects of death.

Consider, he says, after death all you have worked so many years for is just passed on to someone else who has not lifted a hand for it - and they may be a fool! What do you actually get doing work? Just stress or strain as you work and anxiety as you think about it at night, and that it just pointless. Is that all that life is about?

Having given this, obviously, a lot of thought, Solomon's conclusion bears some consideration: the best you can hope for is to just get on with it and look to God to give you satisfaction in what you do. We have to work to provide food, shelter and clothing for ourselves and our families. That cannot be avoided but, he says, God can give wisdom, knowledge and happiness in what we do.

Here is that same thought again, that without God life (work) is meaningless and a drudgery, but with the Lord it can be transformed into something meaningful and fulfilling.

D. Application?

1. Whatever your work is, offer it to the Lord and ask Him to bless it and give you a real sense of fulfilment and joy in it.

2. God is concerned with EVERY aspect of our lives.