QOHELET
Teacher, Preacher, literally ‘one who gathers’

HEVEL
- lit. smoke, vapor, mist (used 38x)
- fig. vanity, meaningless, futile, enigma, absurd
- that which cannot be grasped or contained, fleeting

THE BIG QUESTION:
Is anything not hevel?

THE JOURNEY
- to find the meaning of life
- to discover what the human condition is all about

PROBLEMS:
- When have you ever learned enough?

- You can see and understand the problems better, but are still unable to make a real change.

- “Ignorance is bliss”

- Failing upwards / rising to the level of one’s incompetence

- Death is the great equalizer.
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THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE & POSSESSIONS

PROBLEMS:
- Enjoyment is its own reward, and it never lasts.

- Laughter, alcohol, sex, entertainment - all mindless activities to numb the pain. It’s all hevel.

- Attempting to recreated Eden (Gen. 1-2) apart from God and under the reality of the Fall (Gen. 3) with no moral boundaries – it’s all a hollow shell.
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THE PURSUIT OF SUCCESS & LEGACY

PROBLEMS:
- What’s it all for?

- Everything we work for will ultimately go to someone else. Succession and inheritance are a gamble.

- Stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, isolation – is it worth it?
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Purpose isn’t found.
Purpose is created.

There is nothing better than a life lived with God.

1. It involves a right, harmonious relationship with God and delights in his service.

2. It involves right relationships with others and delights in community.

3. It involves a right relationship to nature and delights in the creation.
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Stop working to earn the gift God has already given.