We humans typically and often subconsciously, seek to find meaning in all the wrong places. The teacher in Ecclesiastes walks us through some of idols he pursued to bring meaning to his life: pleasure, relationships, work, control, etc. His conclusion? “Everything is meaningless!” In other words, the teacher systematically topples every idol he raises. The beauty of Ecclesiastes is that is urges us to lose our faith in our idols by exposing how they inevitably fall short.
The teacher does not close the debate on the issues he raises, but rather, opens the debate. And therefore, as we journey with the teacher we will seek to enter into his wrestling with faith, feeling his agony, as we identify with him. Ultimately, we will ask how the gospel of Jesus Christ informs our search.
March 22, 2015
The Idol of Control
Ecclesiastes 9:2-12
9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them…3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.
March 15, 2015
The Idol of Relationships
Ecclesiastes 4:1-12
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone;
March 8, 2015
The Idol of Work
Ecclesiastes 4
4:4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
March 1, 2015
The Idol of Wisdom
The teacher in Ecclesiastes, on his relentless search for meaning, tries to pursue wisdom. But, as is the case with the others, his pursuit leads him to frustration because he is searching “under the sun”. Here too, his conclusion is ‘it’s meaningless to chase after wisdom’.
February 22, 2015
The Idol of Pleasure
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.
"I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless"