15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is…
A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Eccl. 7:1-2 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he…
7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 8 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity sand a…
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil…God is the one you must fear. – Eccl. 5:1,7b Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in…
7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. 9 Two are…
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die… — Eccl. 3:1-2a What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also,…
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. 18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun… – Eccl. 2:17-18a 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This…
And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. – Eccl. 1:17 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. – Eccl. 2:1 Having introduced himself and given an overview…
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. – Eccl. 1:3-4 Over the past two weeks we have considered both the overall message of Ecclesiastes as well as the life story of its author, Solomon. As…
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Eccl. 1:1 The book of Ecclesiastes cannot be properly understood apart from the OT account of the life of Solomon which itself cannot be fully appreciated apart from the wider OT story of kingship within Israel. As we come to the first verse…