Small Group Bible Study: Ecclesiastes Introduction (from IVP Press) Like an apple tree in the middle of an orange grove stands the book of Ecclesiastes among the other books of the Bible. At first glance, it just does not seem to fit. What place does a book which flaunts the daring assertion "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless" have in Scripture that intends to reveal the saving work of God? Along with the book of Job, Ecclesiastes reminds us that God is bigger, and our life in this world more unpredictable, than we might think. The book invites us to take a realistic tour of life. The sightseeing stops will likely leave those who enjoy nice tidy answers a bit perplexed, if not downright frustrated. Our guide for this adventure is introduced by the Hebrew title qoheleth. The title, which translated into Greek is ekklesiastes, comes from a Hebrew word for assembling. It suggests a type of office-bearer. Thus we have such translations as "the Preacher" (KJV, RSV, NASB), "the Speaker" (NEB), "the Philosopher" (TEV) and the one used in the NIV, "the Teacher". The Teacher identifies himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem" (1:1). Such an identification naturally links him with the wisest of all Israel's sages, King Solomon. Many commentators, however, believe that the Teacher was not actually Solomon but someone who wrote in the tradition and from the perspective of Solomon. (For a full discussion of Ecclesiastes' authorship, as well as other related issues, including background and date, see Michael Eaton, Ecclesiastes, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1983], or Derek Kidner, The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes: An Introduction to Wisdom Literature [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1985]. Two other helpful commentaries on Ecclesiastes are Charles Swindoll, Living on the Ragged Edge Bible Study Guide [Fullerton, Calif.: Insight for Living, 1986], and Derek Kidner, The Message of Ecclesiastes [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1976].) The depth of insight found in the book would certainly argue for an author endowed with the kind of wisdom God granted to Solomon (see 1Ki 3:5-12). If the Teacher was not actually King Solomon, he surely qualified as a star disciple of this master sage. As a wise man, the Teacher represented a group whose influence and prestige grew to virtual equality with Israel's prophets and priests. Israel's wise men closely observed the interworkings of nature and human experience. From this storehouse of wisdom they made general pronouncements concerning life's most perplexing issues and counseled people who faced difficult decisions. The three most notable works of Israel's wise men include Ecclesiastes, Job and Proverbs. Their mark on Old Testament literature may also be seen in the Song of Solomon, Lamentations and a number of the psalms (such as 1, 37, 49, 73, 127, 133). This body of writing, called wisdom literature, has a strong influence on portions of the New Testament. Jesus frequently quotes proverbs and uses wise sayings. Paul often talks about the wisdom of God (see 1 Co 1:18—2:16 as an example). And the book of James provides counsel in a style similar to Old Testament wisdom literature. The Teacher's message seems particularly aimed at the secularists—those who seek to find life's meaning outside of a practical faith in God. With despairing perception, the author explores a grim reality he calls "life under the sun"—life outside of God's control and goodness. He addresses some of life's most sensitive questions: Where can we find satisfaction? Who is really in control? What does it take to be content? How do we live wisely? Much of the time God is left out of the discussion. But when he is introduced, everything changes. "Life under the sun" becomes "life from the hand of God." Chasing after meaning is transformed into the pursuit of God. This exploration of life's meaninglessness outside of knowing God thus becomes an invitation to know him. In its own unique way, Ecclesiastes is
ultimately an introduction to the One who "came that we might have life abundantly"—Jesus Christ himself. It highlights the dilemma voiced by Peter but faced by all of us: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:68). Week 1 Opening Thought: Are you a pessimist or optimist? Ecclesiastes can be a difficult book to read for some people because it feels like it is such a “downer”. The teacher begins by talking about the meaningless nature of the things in life. The reality is that after sin came into this world everyone becomes frustrated by the lack of fulfillment they find in materialistic things. The “gap” or empty feeling is a direct result of trying to find joy/happiness in something else besides God. In the end it is God who fulfills and the things of this earth are just tomorrow’s garage sale items. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the “stuff” God provides for us. By all means enjoy, but it has to be threw a Godly lens knowing that the happiness we feel is just temporary and will not complete us. God completes us. Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 Questions: 1-‐ In all probability who is the Author of this book? a. Read 1 Kings 2:1-‐4 – What final charge did David give Solomon? b. What did God promise Solomon and why should we pay attention to what he wrote? (Read 1 Kings 3:1-‐14, 4:29-‐34) c. Read 1 Kings 11:1-‐6 – How did Solomon do? Why he fail so badly and why is this a warning to us? 2-‐ In verse 2 the phrase meaningless is used 38 times in this book (could also be translated vapor or utterly absurd). What does he say is meaningless or absurd? a. How does this phrase make you feel? Is it true? 3-‐ How would you answer the question in verse 3? a. Does this mean you can be lazy? Why or why not? i. What good comes from our “toil?” ii. What does Jesus say about it in Mark 8:35,36? b. If you were on your deathbed what do you think you would say? What would you want to tell other people and why? 4-‐ What is he saying in verse 4-‐6? a. Does history really repeat itself? 5-‐ In verse 8 the teacher references the fact that we are never satisfied with what we see or hear. Is this true of you? a. Why do you think this is at work in all of us? b. How does culture say you take care of it? What do you think the Bible says?
6-‐ In verses 9,10 what is he trying to say about new “stuff?” 7-‐ In verse 11, what is he trying to get across here? a. So in the scheme of things we really aren’t that important? (how many of us think about our great great grandparents?) Why is this important to acknowledge? i. Is this depressing or is there a larger more comforting, purposeful thought here? Prayer Focus: Clarity about the purpose of life, getting rid of foolish things Week 2 Opening Thought: Where do you gain your perspective on life from? Why is it important to understand the limitations of that? We all think we know a lot. And some times that can be true but most of the time we speak out of a very limited world view. Our perspective is built up on a lot of things in life and we express our thoughts and live in a certain way because of it. But the Teacher here wants to push us on expanding our horizons a little bit and not have tunnel vision. Read Ecclesiastes 1:11-2:11 Questions: 1-‐ What is the Teacher setting out to do & what has he personally achieved? a. What does he find out in the end? 2-‐ Why do you think he describes this task as a “heavy burden?” 3-‐ Picture yourself chasing after the wind as the Teacher says in verse 14. Why is this ridiculous? a. How can you apply this practically to your life? 4-‐ In verse 15 he says what is crooked cannot be straightened. Is this true? Look around at what is happening in this world. How are we doing with our own human effort? a. Why is it always important to bring things back to a conversation about God? 5-‐ He says in verses 16-‐18 that he gained much more wisdom. Why can gaining wisdom be a good thing? Is it possible it’s a bad thing too? a. Christians can some times be painted as lacking a strong world view or “happy idiots” because we rely on God. Read 1 Corinthians 1:20-‐31. Why does Paul say this happens? 6-‐ In verses 1-‐11 in chapter 2 the Teacher lays out all of the ways he was chasing after meaning in life. What are they and give a current example of each. a. Are all of these things bad? b. Are we not supposed to have fun?
7-‐ What would God say success is? a. Why do we constantly have to remind ourselves of what it means to achieve Godly success? Prayer Focus: New perspective on success and life Week 3 Opening Thought: Have you ever hated life? What caused that emotion in you & how did you respond? Life becomes seemingly impossible when we focus on the wrong things. Relationships aren’t what we want, jobs don’t seem as fun, and even our joyful times of life can seem fleeting. Read- Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 Questions: 1-‐ What is having an “under the sun” attitude like? 2-‐ What is the emotional state of the Teacher at this stage? How has he gotten to this point? 3-‐ What is his view of work at this point? Have you ever felt this way? Why? 4-‐ In verse 20 he says something which is totally opposite to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58. What is the difference? 5-‐ In verse 24 who does he finally mention? a. Why does he mention him now? 6-‐ In verse 25 he lays out the way to find enjoyment. Is this true? Why? a. If it is true, then in what ways do you chase after the opposite? b. Is there a difference between happiness and joy? c. Have you ever felt satisfied with God? How did you get to that point or how could you get to that point? i. Read Romans 1. What does Paul say we exchange? 7-‐ What are some characteristics of a life that is lived in Godly fulfillment? 8-‐ How does the Teacher differentiate between a person who is following after God and one who isn’t? (verse 25,26) Prayer Focus: Attitudes towards the things of this world
Week 4 Opening Thought: What season of life are you in right now? How did you get to this point? Most if not all of us have control issues. For some it is way more evident than others but in the end we all like to have control. We like to know what is going to happen and take the necessary steps to either get there or avoid it. Here in chapter 3 the question that needs to be answered is “Who is really in control?” Read Ecclesiastes 3 Questions: 1-‐ Is living a life following after God some times difficult? Why? a. How do you explain this to someone who is a non believer? 2-‐ Have you ever felt controlled by your season of life? How do you stop this from happening? 3-‐ In verse 11 the word for beautiful is the same word used to describe Abraham’s wife Sarah in Genesis 12. Why do you think it’s important to see things through that lens? a. How doe we encourage others to view life that way without coming off as holier than thou or a snob? 4-‐ What does the teacher say is set within in us in verse 11? Why is this important? a. Does the thought of eternity freak you out at all? b. Having eternity set in our hearts is what makes us feel that death just isn’t right. That this world does not fulfill and that there is no way that we could ever fully understand God. Why should this increase our faith? 5-‐ Something being a gift from God is the same as experiencing God’s grace. In what ways have you experienced God’s grace? 6-‐ In verse 14 we see 3 things that are in God’s will. What are they? (Fear is not terror, so what is it?) 7-‐ What does v16 say about society? How is this true today and what should you be doing about it? a. Does evil end up preparing the way for something else some times? Read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:17-‐35 b. What do you do with the tension between knowing God is in control but yet evil seems to be in so many ways right now? 8-‐ In the future God will bring judgment (v17) but in the present we are being tested. What is the result He is looking for? Prayer Focus: Control issues, Trust in God
Week 5 Opening Thought: Ever been accused of either being lazy or a “workaholic?” As the Teacher looks around he sees oppression everywhere and it forces him to view life a certain way, which is negatively. He also sees how people fight and compete with work and what lack of community does for people. Read Ecclesiastes 4 Questions: 1-‐ What does the Teacher say is the best option to deal with the oppression in this society? a. Why is he taking this view? b. Do you have people in your life that talk about the world in this way? c. How do you deal with people who say they can’t believe in God because of all the oppression that is in the world? 2-‐ In verses 4-‐6 he talks about the main motivation between people working in rivalry and envy. Is this true? What happens when this is the case? a. Why is envy such a bad thing? Are there things in your life that you usually get envious about? b. What does the teacher say is the best way to work? 3-‐ In verses 7-‐12 what is the Teacher talking about? a. Why is community so important? Can you live without it? Why or Why not? b. How have you experienced great community? What makes the biggest difference between a good or bad community and how do you live that our in our own community here? c. How do these verses speak to marriage as well? How should this part of the passage shape who you are looking for as a husband or wife? 4-‐ What is the irony in the rags to riches story in verses 13-‐16? 5-‐ Verse 16 ends with a warning against being overconfident and forgetting to be a life long learner. What are some ways that you can be a life long learner? Prayer focus: humility, right motivation, building of community
Week 6 Opening Thought- What does it mean to have a relationship with God? At the beginning of chapter 5 the Teacher begins to talk about how we can approach God and why that is important. He finishes by giving a warning about accumulating stuff and being careful as to where we think we will find our joy. Read Ecclesiastes 5 Questions: 1-‐ How does the Teacher say we should approach God? a. Do you see this in your own life? b. Do you approach the “House of God” with reverence? c. Why is it important to approach God correctly? 2-‐ Why is it important to be a good listener and how do we become better at it? 3-‐ What happens if we don’t approach God with gratitude and honor? 4-‐ In verses 2-‐3 what does the teacher say is critical in approaching God? a. What are careless words a sign of? 5-‐ What does the Teacher say about vows? a. Also read Matthew 5:33-‐36…how do these two passages go together? b. Why is it important to be a person of your word (having integrity)? 6-‐ What does he say about wealth in v10-‐12? Is this true? (Also read 1 Timothy 6:9. 17-‐19). 7-‐ Establishing a life of generosity is key to how we handle money. Do you have good generous habits established? What are they? If not, why is it important to start now? 8-‐ What role does God play in our finances/possessions? 9-‐ When we get this concept of gladness in our hearts (v20) being able to do all things through Christ becomes possible. Read Philippians 4:10-‐13 & discuss what it means to you. Prayer Focus: Integrity, how we approach God
Week 7 Opening Thought – What do you enjoy most in life and why? This short chapter 6 continues the focus on making sure we are able to enjoy what we have and find our satisfaction in God. Having the right focus enables us to have a better outlook on life altogether. Read Ecclesiastes 6 Questions: 1-‐ How does God grant us wealth and enjoyment? a. Why is it important to remember that 100% of our money comes from God? 2-‐ Who does the teacher say enjoys the wealth of some people? How does this happen? 3-‐ A big family was considered a huge blessing by God in the Old Testament. What is considered the “good life” now? a. How is it possible that someone with such a big family would not receive a proper burial? (v3) b. What does this say about the family and priorities? c. Do you see this anywhere in your own life? 4-‐ In verses 4-‐6 he compares the man to what? What is the significance of this and how did he get to that point? 5-‐ The teacher lays out several questions in verses 7-‐12. What are they and how would you answer them? a. If someone is a non believer would they answer them differently? Why? 6-‐ In verse 10 he says that something is given a name. Why is it significant to get a name? a. Read Luke 12:7. How does this make you feel? b. If God knows us that well, what does that mean for our lives? Prayer Focus – Understanding our purpose, taking comfort in how God knows us
Week 8 Opening Thought- We all have regrets. What are some of yours? Some times the death of someone we know can lead us to really face some of the issues in our own lives. Wisdom comes from a lot of different ways. Experiences, failures, successes, mentors, and personal study are just some of the different avenues to gaining wisdom. But the most important way is through obedience to God and following what it says in scripture. Read Ecclesiastes 7 Questions: 1-‐ What does the teacher say is better than perfume? a. Why is it important and how do you get a good one? 2-‐ What are some of the ways that the Teacher describes wisdom? a. Are any of them surprising? 3-‐ Read Psalm 90:12. How does this fit in with verse 2? Is it true? 4-‐ The teacher isn’t saying to be down on life or be mopey so what is he trying to get across? 5-‐ What is he talking about in verse 4? 6-‐ In verse 6 the crackle of thorns refers to something that just goes away quickly. Do you agree with him here? a. What are you some ways that you see this in your own life or in others? 7-‐ What are the warnings he gives in verses 7-‐10? a. Read James 1:2-‐4 and Proverbs 16:21, 19:11. What do we learn about patience? 8-‐ Is there such a thing as righteous anger? a. What does non righteous anger lead to? b. What makes you angry and why? 9-‐ In verse 10 he says to not glorify the “good ole days?” Why? 10-‐ Why is verse 14 so important? How do you see this at work in your own life? 11-‐ What warnings does he give in 16-‐18? 12-‐ Why is verse 20 critical to our understanding of God’s grace? Prayer Focus: Patience, controlling anger
Week 9 Opening Thought: Detail a time when you have been in trouble with authority in some way. (Police, At school, parents) Some times obeying authority can be incredibly difficult. We don’t like what they stand for or some of the decisions that are made so we want to take things into our own hands. Of course this is where problems can arise very quickly. But disobeying authority isn’t just on a larger scale. It can be in smaller ways such as speeding, parking where you shouldn’t, sharing information for a test etc… Read Ecclesiastes 8 Questions: 1-‐ Why is the Teacher encouraging the listeners to obey authority? a. Do we just obey no matter what? Is there a time that a believer should not obey authority? b. Why is nationalism (pride in ones country) both good and bad? Do you see ways that it is bad in America? c. Also read Romans 12:9-‐21, 13:1-‐5. After reading this does it change your opinion on anything when it comes to how we view authority? 2-‐ What steps does the Teacher give to show the proper way to handle a “bad boss?” 3-‐ Why do we always have to remind ourselves of the big picture when it comes to organizations? (job or church for example). 4-‐ One of the worst things we can do when being part of a team of people is to constantly make decisions based on our own personal preferences. Why can that be bad for the team? 5-‐ Why is loyalty important? a. Has anyone ever been disloyal to you? How did that make you feel? 6-‐ Why are verses 7,8 important? 7-‐ What is the Teacher mad about in verses 9-‐14? 8-‐ Life stinks some times. That’s just reality. How does the teacher want us to respond in verse 15? Does this make sense to you? Prayer Focus: Obedience, loyalty, perseverance
Week 10 Opening Thought: Do you have any fears or anxiety about death? Typically one of the greatest fears we can have revolves around dying. But the reality is that if we have a good perspective on both life and death, wisdom will come flowing through us because the right things will really matter. It seems as if the Teacher in this chapter is all about despair but he’s trying to send a bigger message. Read Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Questions: 1-‐ How are the righteous and wicked described? 2-‐ In verse 2, why does he say it’s the “same for all?” 3-‐ What do the “living” have and who are the “living?” a. How would your life change if you knew you only had a few more months to live? 4-‐ What are the differences between the living and the dead? a. How do you describe the hope that you have? b. Why does hope & handling life’s circumstances well really attractive to those who don’t believe in Jesus? c. How does the death and resurrection of Jesus bring hope in the future and the present? 5-‐ What command does he give us in vs 7-‐9? a. How do we do that and why is it important? b. Vs 9 can be applied to marriage as well. Why should this deeply affect how we date and our view of marriage? What core things have got to be there in whomever you are with? Prayer Focus: Enjoyment of life, reminder of the hope we have
Week 11 Opening Thought: Who do you look to when you need to make an important decision? Why do you go to them? Time and chance are things that we cannot control in life but we can control our common sense. The decisions we make and situations we get into are shaped by the way that we think. If our faith and trust in God continues to grow then our decisions will be better as well. Read Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20 Questions: 1-‐ What irony do you see in verses 13-‐16? 2-‐ Is our faith and trust in God static? Why is it important that they continue to mature? a. What would change in your life if you fully trusted God? 3-‐ What are some ways that the wise man and foolish man are described? a. Also read Philippians 4:8. List out what wisdom looks like and give an example of each. 4-‐ Can you name someone who had poise? How do you think they got it? What is different about them then other people? 5-‐ What areas of your life need some help with wise judgment? 6-‐ In verses 12-‐14 he talks about our words again. Also read James 3:1-‐12. Why are our words so important? Prayer Focus: What comes out of our mouths, wisdom
Week 12 Opening Thought: When was the last time you did something risky? In the final two chapters of Ecclesiastes the Teachers tone begins to change and he begins to challenge the listener to live a life that is risky. We need to live lives that our wise but aggressive. God has given us incredible strength and opportunity and when we focus on Him the possibilities are endless. Read Ecclesiastes 11 & 12 Questions: 1-‐ What is the Teacher telling us to do in verses 11:1-‐6? a. Why is it important to be so aggressive and not wait? b. How should a believer’s life be “risky?” 2-‐ In 11:7-‐10 what kind of life does the Teacher want us to lead? (Also read 2 Corinthians 9:6-‐11) 3-‐ What warning does he give in vs 9? a. How does this warning affect our thinking? 4-‐ What are some differences between someone who is young vs someone who is old? (see it in 12:1-‐6) a. How do you embrace getting older without losing some of the good things about being young? 5-‐ Who are we supposed to remember? Why? 6-‐ What does it mean to “Fear God and keep his commandments?” 7-‐ Why do you think the Teacher ends this book the way that he does? 8-‐ Summarize the book of Ecclesiastes. a. What needs to change in your life to make sure you are moving towards a truly fulfilled life? Prayer Focus: what it means to focus on our Creator, Risky life
