BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Qohelet, the teacher, was introduced at the beginning and has since been making his case. Today’s first few chapters reinforce his somber thesis that everything is meaningless or vain: “Hevel, hevel! Everything is hevel!”

The cruel snare of catastrophe snaps shut on the foolish and the wise. Jesters lounge on thrones while aristocrats scrub floors. A wise beggar saves his city, and everyone forgets about him by the end of the week.

But Qohelet’s teaching stops before the book’s conclusion. The final verses of Ecclesiastes return to the book’s narrator, who sees humans investing priceless energy and emotion into meaningless things. He suggests Qohelet’s words are like the goad at the end of a shepherd’s staff, a sharp stick Qohelet is jabbing you with. He doesn’t want to hurt you, but he does want to burst your illusions about wealth, accomplishments, and pleasure. The author allows Qohelet to give us an uncomfortable reality check and warns us against taking Qohelet’s words too far.

Only God can understand everything. People are wise to respect their inability to understand everything while also acknowledging their ability to love and bless others as God would. This is what it means to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Ec. 12:13).

Like the book of Job, Ecclesiastes invites us to trust God’s wisdom and justice in a confusing, mysterious world. Watch the video to reflect on the blunt, unvarnished wisdom brought by Qohelet, the teacher from the book of Ecclesiastes.

Reflection Questions

• Qohelet’s discussion about death can feel grim and hopeless. While Ecclesiastes contributes to the Bible’s message, it is not the whole message. Read 1 Corinthians 15 and notice how the Apostle Paul sees death itself in a new light because of Jesus’ resurrection (which happened long after Qohelet was teaching). How does Paul’s reflection on death differ from Qohelet’s? How does Paul see Jesus’ resurrection as the source of real hope in the face of death?
• Meditate on the different perspectives of wisdom you’ve seen in the last three books: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. How does each book relate to your day-to-day life? How might they contribute to your understanding of wisdom as the Bible portrays it?