Join me on this is mini-series of the book of Ecclesiastes.

The book was originally thought to be written by King Solomon; however, that may not be the case. Some scholars are of the opinion that this book was written a considerable time before that and then later amended with chapter 1:1, 1:12, and chapter 12 being added; thus, there is literary fiction of royal authorship in the book. I shall refer to the author or teacher as we go through this book. Putting the above aside, let us have a look at the message of Ecclesiastes.

On face value, when you read Ecclesiastes, you could almost want to just dig a hole somewhere, climb in and pull the soil in over you. However, that is not the case; there is much that we can glean from its writings.

Ecclesiastes ultimately leads us to hope and salvation that is to be found in Jesus Christ. It warns us of the perils of taking matters of life into our own hands. For many of us, believing the decisions we make will bring a sense of worth to life, but in the end, it leads to nothingness, death.

The author depicts an impersonal view of God, which is nothing short of what the world’s population thinks in any case. The book is simply filled with a doom-and-gloom outlook and therefore invites us to pursue a systematic methodology of looking after oneself, your life, your way. Thereby gain wealth, materialistic things, fame and the all the pleasures this world has to offer while you can.

Well, why not? You only live for so long, and then death comes to get you.

Life is not fair, right! The wicked are not always brought to justice. Many governments deceive the people. Lying, cheating, and stealing are seemingly the order of the day. We are going to age and become frail. There is no available rewind switch.

BUT

The author does not give up completely; he knows that there is a greater purpose.

It is to this greater purpose we are called. We know that Jesus is calling us; we know that the Father knows our names, for He created us. We know that we should be living a life sold out to Jesus, for then we shall have eternal life and not be sent to live eternally in hell.

Stay with me through this mini-series as we look at what the teacher is saying.