Sermon Tone Analysis
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A look at the book
You cannot always tell a book by its cover, and Ecclesiastes is a very rich book that is oftentimes overlooked when looking at the Bible.
There is much wisdom we can get from this book, but it starts with a brief look at the book.
(insert picture Koheleth) - already saved on computer
While the book is one of the most puzzling, but fascinating books in the Bible it is often overlooked for it does not flow the way many of the other books do.
Some consider it just down right depressing while others don’t even think it should be in the canon of the bible and is uninspired.
It is a book that we should not overlook, should not ignore, in our society that is very materialistic it is very applicable today as it was then.
The word Koheleth is the Hebrew word meaning teacher and in the Septuagint (Hebrew Bible) it is defined as one who addresses the assembly of citizens.
The book consists of 12 chapters, 222 verses and 5,584 words.
Name of book derived from word Koheleth
Authorship: credited to Solomon due to (Ecc1:1) implied
There are some factions that believe Solomon as the author and that it was written postexilic (after captivity)
Further evidence of Solomon being the author his wisdom (Ecc1:16; 1Kig3:12); building activities (Ecc2:4-6; 1Kng7:1-12); wealth (Ecc2:7-9; 2Chr9:13-28)
Wisdom
His building of the temple and other building activities
His wealth
On your outline there are some other passages listed outside of ECC that you can look up if you choose.
Date: If Solomon is the writer then it would be around 945 BC
Like all other Old Testament books they are written for our learning (Rom15:4), admonition (1Cor10:11) and instructions in righteousness (2Tim3:16-17)
For our learning
For ouradmonition
For our training
Here is an interesting fact for you, there is no quotes in the N.T. from Ecclesiastes, though there are a couple of allusions to it (Rom8:20; Jam3:14)
The Message: Futility of life “under the sun” (Ecc1:2, 14); importance of serving God through life (Ecc11:9-12:1, 12:13-14)
Life under the sun is futile
Serve God always
Under the sun: Used 29 times in 27 verses: it means from an earthly point of view with no consideration of God.
Other notable things.
written in two opposite views of life.
the Humanistic view with no divine revelation of God; the other as one whom God has revealed Himself too.
Goads and nails (Ecc12:11) - goads to goad the reader to think; nails to anchor the thinking to provide stability
It is believed that Solomon wrote Song of Solomon in his youth, Proverbs in his maturity; Ecclesiastes in his old age after 40 years on the throne
Teachings of the book (in general)
About God: Fear of God and the grace of God
About death; life is short, death is sure
About life: Life is hard and unfair, but joy found in God’s provision
About Christ: Indirectly, Christ is the greatest good; Christ is the One Shepherd.
about 10 vanities found in the book;
Human wisdom and human labor
Human purpose and human rivalry
Human avarice and human fame
Avarice: Extreme greed for wealth and material gain.
Human insatiety; human coveting
Insatiety is unsatisfied desire of clothing that would never be able to have and maintain.
Human frivolity; human rewards
Some of the people that are described, painted
The hedonist (Ecc2:1-11)
The workaholic (Ecc2:18-23)
the plutocrat (Ecc5:8-17)
The fool (Ecc7:1-8)
The unfaithful woman (Ecc7:26-29)
Ecclesiastes is a masterpiece in the describing, critiquing of secular humanism.
The Prologue
As we now start our study, look at Ecclesiastes and the vanity of all things, just tonight we have 3 things to still look at: The assertion (Ecc1:2-3); the illustration (Ecc1:4-8) and the application (Ecc1:9-11)
The assertion (Ecc1:2-3)
Vanity used 39 times and primary definition is “a breath” or a “vapor” similar to the describer used of life in (Jam4:14)
the word shows the fleeting, perishable, transitory frail and unsatisfying of our efforts, our life here.
Man gets little out of the effort, little reward
This is displayed in the negative sense but what he is really portraying throughout the book is if one leaves out the heavenly (spiritual; God) what does he have left in life?
Solomon writing from, what seems to be his own life experiences finding out what vanity truly is and what it did to him when he was away from God (1Kng11:1-13) to then have the return and the sum of all things (Ecc12:13-14)
and the end result
I know that was a long passage but I could not leave it out it helps us to paint the picture so we can get a better understanding of the book we are studying
We see the theme displayed; everything is vanity, futile, useless, meaningless (under the sun that is)
We see the question posed: Why bother, to what profit?
He is setting things up to answer this question from his personal life throughout the book.
This section sets up some of the big questions of life
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here, what am I to be doing since I’m here?
The Illustration (Ecc1:4-8)
Like a carousel horse that is always in motion but never getting anywhere here we see four illustrations of ceaseless, but yet still futile activity
Generation to generation (v.4)
Have you ever seen a 2000 year old man walking around?
Man comes and goes, generations come and Go
(insert generations picture already saved on the computer)
While man may have been given dominion over the earth (Gen1:26) man still is only here for a short time in the scheme of things.
Man replaces man, generation replaces generation.
As man enters grows, impacts and as he is departing the next is entering to take over.
The one constant is the earth, it remains forever (keep in mind this is written from humanistic view with God not in the picture at all)
Rising and setting, rising of the sun (v.5)
(insert Sunrise Sunset picture already saved on computer)
The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West and each day it does it again, and again, a monotonous routine.
Maybe you have said this “As sure as the sun rises and sets I will . . .
“ It does not change, it makes no changes, makes no progress.
The movement, circuits of the wind (v.6)
(insert blowing wind picture already saved on computer)
This powerful force that we cannot see (for most part) it appears to be the freest of all the created things.
Nonetheless it is predictable (for the most part) it has a pattern, it accomplishes nothing.
It repeats itself (for the most part)
The flow of the streams, unending to the ocean (v.7)
(insert stream to the ocean picture already saved on the computer)
The rivers, the streams continue to flow to the ocean but the ocean never fills, is never full.
Teacher (Koheleth) is showing through the illustrations the futility of this world and that it is monotonous, sameness and purposelessness.
It is tiresome to do the work and accomplish nothing.
This is one of his negative items that was introduced in the introduction today.
That can be downright depressing and that now leads to the application section
The Application (Ecc1:9-11)
The more things change, the more they are the same (v.9)
After the illustrations of nature, comes now the point that this transpires with human history too.
Things repeat themselves.
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