This book forces us to face death and random chance, and the challenges they pose to a naive belief in God’s goodness.
The Book of Ecclesiastes is the critic's response to Proverbs, which states we live a good life when we fear God and follow wisdom.
Wisdom Series
Milestones
Hevel
The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes believes that life is hevel or beautiful and mysterious but unclear, confusing, disorienting and uncontrollable like the fog.
March of Time
Our existence is like a blur or blink of an eye and passes as a shadow compared to the longevity of God's creation and timeline.
We All Die
No matter what we do or who we are, we will die. Death is the great equalizer that renders most of our daily activities meaningless.
Life's Random Nature
Life is unpredictable, out of our control and nonsensical. Good people suffer while evil people live long. We fail if we try to master life.
Fear God
Life is mysterious, but we can fear God, keep His commandments, enjoy the moment and trust His judgment because one day He will clear hevel.
This book's author and the teacher believe that life is hevel, temporary and fleeting like smoke or vapor. We all try to build meaning and purpose in life apart from God, investing in pursuits and things that have no lasting meaning, but time marches on, we all die and bad things happen to good people.
In the end, the key to contentment comes from wisdom, accepting hevel, fearing God, keeping His commandments and putting our trust in Him. We remain puzzled by life's mysteries, but He will bring true justice that fuels our ability to live lives of honesty and integrity.
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Ezra-Nehemiah
Persia finally allows Israel to return to their homeland with hope and renewed purpose in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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