Lessons from Ecclesiastes

I’m sure we’ve all had those moments when we’ve questioned the seeming vanity of life under the sun. It could be the endless pursuit of ever-fleeting satisfaction. Or the mind-numbing monotony of repetitious work. If we’re being honest, I think we can say that the source of this sense of vanity is not the lack of satisfaction or the continual toil, but unbelief. Let’s look at some lessons we can learn from studying Ecclesiastes, the book that wrestles with the vanity of our existence.

These notes were taken from Philip Graham Ryken’s volume on Ecclesiastes in the Preaching the Word Commentary.

Why Study Ecclesiastes?

We should study Ecclesiastes because it is honest about the troubles of life.

Ecclesiastes is so honest that the great American novelist Herman Melville once called it the truest of all books. More than anything else in the Bible, Ecclesiastes captures the futility and frustration of a fallen world. It is honest about the drudgery of work, the injustice of government, the dissatisfaction of foolish pleasure, and the mind-numbing tedium of everyday life — “the treadmill of our existence.” Think of Ecclesiastes as the only book of the Bible written on a Monday morning. Reading it helps us to be honest with God about the problems of life — even those of us who trust in the goodness of God. In fact, one scholar describes Ecclesiastes as “a kind of back door” that allows believers to have the sad and skeptical thoughts that we usually do not allow to enter the front door of our faith.

We should study Ecclesiastes to learn what will happen to us if we choose what the world tries to offer instead of what God has to give.

The writer of this book had more money, enjoyed more pleasure, and possessed more human wisdom than anyone else in the world, yet everything still ended in frustration. The same will happen to us if we live for ourselves rather than for God. “Why make your own mistakes,” the writer is saying to us, “when you can learn from an expert like me instead?”

We should study Ecclesiastes because it asks the biggest and hardest questions that people still have today.

There is some debate as to when this book was actually written. But whether it was written during the glory days of Solomon’s golden empire or later, when Israel was in exile, it addresses the questions that people always have: What is the meaning of life? Why am I so unhappy? Does God really care? Why is there so much suffering and injustice in the world? Is life really worth living?

These are the kinds of intellectual and practical questions that the writer wants to ask. “Wisdom is his base camp,” writes Derek Kidner, “but he is an explorer. His concern is with the boundaries of life, and especially with the questions that most of us would hesitate to push too far.” Nor is he satisfied with the kind of easy answers that children sometimes get in Sunday school. In fact, part of his spiritual struggle is with the very answers that he has always been given. He was like the student who always says, “Yes, but . .”

Ecclesiastes helps us worship the one true God.

For all of its sad disappointments and skeptical doubts, this book teaches many great truths about God. It presents him as the Mighty Creator and Sovereign Lord, the transcendent and all-powerful ruler of the universe. Reading Ecclesiastes, therefore, will help us grow in the knowledge of God.

Ecclesiastes teaches us how to live for God and not just for ourselves.

This book gives us some of the basic principles we need to build a God-centered worldview, like the goodness of creation and our own absolute dependence on the Creator. Then, on the basis of these principles, Ecclesiastes gives many specific instructions about everyday issues like money, sex, and power. It also has many things to say about death, which may be the most practical issue of all.

An Example of How This Book Can Save Your Life

Eutropius had fallen into disgrace. As the highest-ranking official in the Byzantine Empire (late fourth century), he served as the closest adviser to the emperor Arcadius, then ruling in Constantinople. But Eutropius abused his imperial power and aroused the anger of the empress Eudoxia, who orchestrated a campaign against him that resulted in a sentence of death.

Desperate to save his life, Eutropius slipped away from the palace and ran to the Hagia Sophia, where he clung to the altar and claimed sanctuary. Soon an angry mob of soldiers surrounded the great church, denouncing Eutropius and demanding his summary execution. Eventually the crowds dispersed, but the next day was Sunday, so they returned the following morning to see whether the pastor would give in to their demands.

The preacher was John Chrysostom, the famous orator who served as the Bishop of Constantinople. As he mounted his pulpit, Chrysostom could see a church thronged with worshipers and thrill-seekers. They, in turn, could see Eutropius groveling at the altar. The great man had become a pitiable spectacle, with his teeth chattering and abject terror in his eyes.

The dramatic sermon Chrysostom gave that day may have been the finest he ever preached. For his text Chrysostom took Ecclesiastes 1:2 (“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity”), and for his primary illustration he used the decline and fall of Eutropius.

Chrysostom on Eutropius

Here was a man, Chrysostom noted, who had lost everything — position, wealth, freedom, safety. Only days before, he had been the second most powerful man in the world. But it was all vanity, as events had proven, for now Eutropius had become “more wretched than a chained convict, more pitiable than a menial slave, more indigent than a beggar wasting away with hunger.” “Though I should try my very best,” Chrysostom said, “I could never convey to you in words the agony he must be suffering, from hour to hour expecting to be butchered.”

Chrysostom did not stop there, however. His purpose was not to condemn Eutropius but to save him, and also to give his listeners the gospel. To that end, he challenged his listeners to recognize the vanity of their own existence. Whether rich or poor, one day they would all have to leave their possessions behind. They too would face a day of judgment — the judgment of a holy God. Their only hope then would be the hope that they should offer to Eutropius now — mercy at the table of Christ.

The sermon must have hit its mark, for as Chrysostom came to a close, he could see tears of pity streaming down people’s faces. Eutropius was spared — a life saved by the preaching of Ecclesiastes.

By the grace of God, Ecclesiastes can have the same impact in our lives. By cautioning us not to put our hope in earthly pleasures and worldly treasures, Ecclesiastes teaches us to put our hope in God instead. The book also reminds us, especially in its closing verses, that a day of judgment is coming. Like everything else in the Bible, therefore, Ecclesiastes points us to the gospel of salvation. Our only safety is in the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Start Learning Lessons Like These Today with Preaching the Word

The Preaching the Word Commentary is an expositional commentary geared toward helping others understand, apply, and communicate God’s word. Edited by former pastor of College Church, R. Kent Hughes, this series is a great source of faithful teaching. You can learn more about this series by following the link below.