“THE WORDS OF THE PREACHER, THE SON OF DAVID, KING IN JERUSALEM.” A definite message is in the mind of the writer and these are the words of the Preacher. Therefore I'm not comfortable with the view that Solomon isn't the real writer, but rather someone is impersonating him and his experiences. The... [ Continue Reading ]
"VANITY OF VANITIES" SAYS THE PREACHER, "VANITY OF VANITIES!", ALL IS VANITY"."VANITY OF VANITIES" -"Utterly vain, utterly vain, everything is vain!" (Mof); "Emptiness, emptiness…all is empty" (NEB); "Futility of futilities" (Ber). "A wisp of vapour,. puff of wind,. mere breath-nothing you could get... [ Continue Reading ]
"WHAT ADVANTAGE DOES MAN HAVE IN ALL HIS WORK WHICH HE DOES UNDER THE SUN?"WHAT ADVANTAGE" -"lasting advantage" (Sept). Carefully note this isn't. statement issued by. lazy person,. teenager trying to get out of their chores, or someone who is against commercialism, private enterprise or capitalism.... [ Continue Reading ]
"A GENERATION GOES AND. GENERATION COMES, BUT THE EARTH REMAINS FOREVER.""One generation enters as another exits, the tragedy manifests itself when men, the highest of God's creation and made from the earth, continually pass away as the earth remains" (Kidwell p. 20). "REMAINS FOREVER" -which doesn'... [ Continue Reading ]
"ALSO, THE SUN RISES AND THE SUN SETS; AND HASTENING TO ITS PLACE IT RISES THERE AGAIN"."THE SUN RISES" -Even the powerful sun is caught up in this treadmill of vanity. The word "hastening" means to breathe hard, pant, as one in haste. The sun and the wind (Ecclesiastes 1:6) are in constant motion b... [ Continue Reading ]
"BLOWING TOWARD THE SOUTH, THEN TURNING TOWARD THE NORTH, THE WIND CONTINUES SWIRLING ALONG; AND ON ITS CIRCULAR COURSES THE WIND RETURNS." Someone might say, "But what is freer than the wind?" But even the wind finds itself on. monotonous cycle. What Solomon says above is also scientifically true.... [ Continue Reading ]
"ALL THE RIVERS FLOW INTO THE SEA, YET THE SEA IS NOT FULL. TO THE PLACE WHERE THE RIVERS FLOW, THERE THEY FLOW AGAIN." Job had noted the same truth (Ecclesiastes 36:27-28). Solomon recognized the basic mechanics of the water-vapor cycle. Aristotle (350 B.C.), long after Solomon is accredited as bei... [ Continue Reading ]
"ALL THINGS ARE WEARISOME; MAN IS NOT ABLE TO TELL IT. THE EYE IS NOT SATISFIED WITH SEEING, NOR IS THE EAR FILLED WITH HEARING."ALL THINGS ARE WEARISOME" -But what is true is nature is also true among mankind. "All things are unspeakably tiresome" (Ber). Without God factored in, nature, is routine,... [ Continue Reading ]
"THAT WHICH HAS BEEN IS THAT WHICH WILL BE, AND THAT WHICH HAS BEEN DONE IS THAT WHICH WILL BE DONE. SO, THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN." Points to Note: Solomon isn't denying advances in technology or human creativity. But basically, nothing is new. "For example, man's journey to the moon and... [ Continue Reading ]
"IS THERE ANYTHING OF WHICH ONE MIGHT SAY, 'SEE THIS, IT IS NEW'? ALREADY IT HAS EXISTED FOR AGES WHICH WERE BEFORE US."SEE THIS, IT IS NEW" -Such. statement only proves the point being made in Job 1:11. Our memories are short-lived. What we think is new is only new to us. And it is very easy to see... [ Continue Reading ]
"THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF EARLIER THINGS; AND ALSO OF THE LATER THINGS WHICH WILL OCCUR, THERE WILL BE FOR THEM NO REMEMBRANCE AMONG THOSE WHO WILL COME LATER STILL."NO REMEMBRANCE OF EARLIER THINGS" -But some people pin their hopes on posterity. They say, "But we will live on through our children... [ Continue Reading ]
"I, THE PREACHER, HAVE BEEN KING OVER ISRAEL IN JERUSALEM." The word "have been", is also rendered by some, "I have been king thus far, and am one still". "Over Israel", the whole of Israel, and points to. period before the division of the kingdom. "He has been King over. great, peaceful united peo... [ Continue Reading ]
"AND. SET MY MIND TO SEEK AND EXPLORE BY WISDOM CONCERNING ALL THAT HAS BEEN DONE UNDER HEAVEN. IT IS. GRIEVOUS TASK WHICH GOD HAS GIVEN TO THE SONS OF MEN TO BE AFFLICTED WITH."SET MY MIND" -This will be no half-hearted attempt. Solomon is determined, he has mentally prepared himself. "TO SEEK AND... [ Continue Reading ]
"I HAVE SEEN ALL THE WORKS WHICH HAVE BEEN DONE UNDER THE SUN, AND BEHOLD, ALL IS VANITY AND STRIVING AFTER WIND."I HAVE SEEN" -This book will mention many of the things which Solomon had observed in life. And be impressed, this isn't the language of some country bumpkin, this is the language of. ma... [ Continue Reading ]
"WHAT IS CROOKED CANNOT BE STRAIGHTENED, AND WHAT IS LACKING CANNOT BE COUNTED."WHAT IS CROOKED CANNOT BE STRAIGHTENED" -(Ecclesiastes 7:13). We already know that man isn't born crooked, so Solomon isn't talking about some sort of human sinful nature. But many "crooked" circumstances and situations... [ Continue Reading ]
"I SAID TO MYSELF, 'BEHOLD,. HAVE MAGNIFIED AND INCREASED WISDOM MORE THAN ALL WHO WERE OVER JERUSALEM BEFORE ME; AND MY MIND HAS OBSERVED. WEALTH OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE." It appears that here we find. sober reflection, almost. frustration. Here is. man who had outstripped all his forerunners and... [ Continue Reading ]
"AND. SET MY MIND TO KNOW WISDOM AND TO KNOW MADNESS AND FOLLY;. REALIZED THAT THIS ALSO IS STRIVING AFTER WIND." "to know wisdom" -Like many people, Solomon first tried to find meaning in intellectual pursuits. Will stimulation of the mind, learning, acquiring knowledge bring happiness? And when S... [ Continue Reading ]
"BECAUSE IN MUCH WISDOM THERE IS MUCH GRIEF, AND INCREASING KNOWLEDGE RESULTS IN INCREASING PAIN."BECAUSE" -this is one reason why intellectual stimulation, academic pursuits fail to bring lasting happiness. There is. small amount of truth in the statement that ignorance is bliss. The more Solomon l... [ Continue Reading ]