Book of Ecclesiastes Summary

The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon who was the wisest
man in the world, and in fact he was the embodiment of pure wisdom if you
read his story. There was no man better qualified to talk about life, because he
tasted everything in life to its fullest level, he had fame, wealth, power, women,
and everything that any man could ever wish for. He tested out everything in
life both with God and without God, and his conclusion was that everything
"under the sun" is futile, meaningless, purposeless, and empty, without God.
His encouragement is to remember the Lord while you are young, fear him,
obey him, and respect him. This is the true meaning and purpose in life, and
the source of fulfillment.
The word "Ecclesiastes" is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word
Koheleth, or "the preacher." Solomon was the wisest man in the world, people
came from all over the world to hear his wisdom. He built the Temple in
Jerusalem, he was the son of King David, and he was chosen to impart his
wisdom to us in the book of Ecclesiastes.
Solomon had thoroughly experienced all avenues of pleasure, all avenues
of sensuality, all avenues of wealth, honor, folly, and the pursuit of knowledge.
He also sinned in giving way to every excess of life which his position made
possible and comes to the realization of the uselessness of it all. He concludes
that the result of his efforts have been made him empty and that there is
nothing new under the sun, but all is part of the endless, frustrating
circularity. His attitude was spoken in the recurring phrase, "vanity of vanities,
all is vanity, saith the preacher." In Ecclesiastes, the world is convicted of its
vanity by one who has drunk of every spring.
The conclusion which Solomon "the preacher" reaches is that in such an
empty and unsatisfying world where disappointment, trouble and death cannot
be avoided, a quiet enjoyment of God's gifts is the only real wisdom. The man
who is truly wise will "fear God and keep his commandments" (12:13-14),
making the best of things as he finds them and trusting in the providence of
God. This secret should be understood early in life. An understanding of this
will provide one with great pleasure in life. The book of Ecclesiastes profoundly
illustrates the idea that a life apart from God is a life without meaning.
Reflection on the Book of Ecclesiastes
Fearing God doesn’t mean we are terrified of being struck dead at any
moment, although God is the Giver of Life and He can take it away as He
pleases (Heb 9:27), but God desires that we be saved and He is well pleased
when we put our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. You don’t have to read the
wisdom literature to know that every person’s duty is to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 4:12). Otherwise, life really is meaninglessness
and sheer vanity. The message of Ecclesiastes is a message that is much
needed today. That message tells us that our endless pursuit of money, wealth,
and fame, even if we have good intentions, amounts to nothing if it is done
apart from a relationship with God. Solomon warns humanity that the energy,
time, and talents we expend on things isolated from God’s will are a waste of
time. These things might be enjoyable here on earth (under the sun), they
might even be good things, but apart from God, they are merely selfish
indulgences for our own sake and have no eternal value. In a nutshell,
Solomon says that, for anything to be worthwhile, it must be connected to a
living, vital, relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of the universe…God.
All else is ‘vanity and striving after wind’.
The meaning of life in the light of eternity. The book of Ecclesiastes was
given to teach us the meaning of life, which is to fear the Lord and to obey his
word. This encouragement is more valuable than every book they could ever be
written in the whole world by all the wisest men. God will come and his
judgment will be final.