A proper understanding of the language, message and purpose–together with its role and place in the Bible–teaches us that Ecclesiastes is focused on life in this fallen world, but in light of and with a view toward eternity.  Here is a biblical worldview/theology of life—one that is characterized by the fear of the Lord and obedience to his commands, and that leads us to contentment in this life and hope for after life.

Several years ago, when my wife and I were vacationing in the Dominican Republic, we rented a car to visit a dear friend who lived on the island—several hours away from where we were staying.  But when we were set to return back to our resort, our friend told us about an amazing scenic drive back—the directions were allegedly simple, and the view would make it worth the “slight” detour from the main route. However, at some point on that scenic detour, we found ourselves in the middle of a city that was a sprawling gridwork of bustling markets and side streets teeming with people and quickly became lost in a maze-like labyrinth of confusion and chaos. We had no map, no phone, and quickly realized that communicating in frantic sign language and broken Spanglish was not a good solution to our situation.  Somehow, I still don’t quite know how, we made it out of there and eventually meandered our way back to the safety of our resort.  Needless to say, not only could we have used a map, but even a basic understanding of the language would have come in pretty handy and saved us a lot of confusion.

The book of Ecclesiastes can be a little bit like that experience.  It can seem confusing and foreign, perhaps even a little scary in places; it’s easy to take wrong turns galore if we don’t understand the language or the layout. Sadly, quite a number of commentators give the reader a map that is upside down. Many have been left scratching their heads in what appears to be a disorderly and confusing book.

A proper understanding of the language, message and purpose–together with its role and place in the Bible–teaches us that Ecclesiastes is focused on life in this fallen world, but in light of and with a view toward eternity.  Here is a biblical worldview/theology of life—one that is characterized by the fear of the Lord and obedience to his commands, and that leads us to contentment in this life and hope for after life. Doug O’Donnell, summarizes the exhortation of Ecclesiastes in the following way.: “Those who, in the midst of all the hard truths and awful troubles of this fallen world, come before the Lord with trembling trust are given by him the gift of grateful obedience, steady contentment, and surprising joy.”  As he goes on to succinctly capture it: Ecclesiastes is “our guide to enjoyment east of Eden.”

With that in mind, here are three prominent features of divine wisdom in Ecclesiastes to help believers benefit from its wisdom:

1. Ecclesiastes is Spiritual Wisdom for Believers.

Wisdom literature is a particular genre of biblical literature that teaches us covenantal wisdom through the vehicles of riddles, metaphors, proverbs, and questions. Many of the verses in Ecclesiastes are not verses you would expect your kids to learn at a Vacation Bible School. Wisdom literature sometimes wades through deep and turbulent waters for extended lengths in order to come out the other side with clearer understanding.

Biblical wisdom is not merely a behavioral code–some tidy little box in which everything that happens fits in a way we fully understand. Although it certainly gives us moral guidelines and boundaries, biblical wisdom is as much a posture as it is anything else. Ecclesiastes reminds us that we are finite, but that we have an infinite God. It reminds us that we don’t have all the answers; but, that its alright for us not to have all of the answers, because God does.

Ecclesiastes teaches us that biblical wisdom is, in part, simply understanding that ultimately the answers lie with and in God.  The fear of the Lord is a prominent concept that all wisdom literature continually drives home. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon is ensuring that we understand—like Job, that God is God and we are not! This is a good and right thing; and, properly understood it frees us to be content in our finiteness, looking for a far greater hope—and Wisdom—for this mortal life and that which is to come.

For the Christian, wisdom literature–and especially the message of Ecclesiastes–leads me to walk by faith in that God who has redeemed me and has promised me his care forever. He is in the process of making me holy in Christ and is bringing me home to glory. Therefore, I can live with joy in this often bleak and brief world b/c of my relationship with God in Christ.

Read More