Ecclesiastes As Invitation
This party starts with frustration
The book of Ecclesiastes occupies a unique place in the Bible. It is the only book of philosophy, it is the book that speaks most relentlessly about death, and it is the only book supplying the lyrics to a #1 Billboard song in 1965.1
Ecclesiastes is also brutally honest about life in a fallen world. It is so honest, in fact, that some Christians find its assertions and conclusions difficult to stomach.
But we will make no apologies. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes takes a clear-eyed look at the world around him and reports his often-devastating findings. If we listen closely, these observations ring in harmony with the frustrations we hear from our neighbors, our coworkers, and our own hearts.2
All is Vanity
My neighbors don’t usually use language like “vanity” or “meaningless,” but I catch the sentiment in some of their complaints.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 5, 7, 9)
Perhaps you’ve heard (and thought) it too! I’m stuck, making no progress in my life. I hate doing all of these tasks over and over and over—it seems like I’m never done. I thought we were making progress as a society, but I see the same old things come up year after year.
Ecclesiastes opens with a discussion of the absurdity that gives the book its distinct flavor. Specifically, the first eleven verses of the first chapter provide the book’s most extensive explanation of the word translated “vanity” or “meaningless.” I’d wager that if you haven’t expressed some version of these thoughts, you probably haven’t been honest about your experience of life.3
Return to the Dust
While we don’t often talk about death in casual conversation, everyone knows it’s coming.
I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. (Ecclesiastes 3:18–20)
Given the right setting and a close degree of friendship, we don’t need to scratch too deeply to broach this topic. Almost everyone has had a relative, friend, or pet die. Our lives are inescapably finite, and the Preacher of Ecclesiastes points this out in ways we might resent.
How steep was the fall of humanity into sin? The Preacher says: it was THIS steep—man has no advantage over the beasts. The Fall was devastating, with infinitely many consequences, and the Preacher insists we not look away.4
Injustice
Whether in national headlines or in booths at local diners, injustice is a hot topic.
There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 8:14)
Why do the wicked prosper? Why aren’t good people rewarded? If we’re looking honestly at the world, we need to grapple with these questions and be ready to discuss them with our curious friends, because they surely are thinking (if not talking) about them.
An Invitation to the Bible
Our friends who have little familiarity with the Bible may be surprised to hear that these frustrations are voiced in the Bible. No, it’s not just “a list of rules” or “moral stories.”
Those same friends need to hear that the Scriptures also address those same frustrations. And, when possible, these friends need to hear it from us!
God knows the dissatisfaction and discouragement you feel. It’s in the Bible! Wouldn’t you like to hear the remedy the Bible prescribes?
Many people view Ecclesiastes as a confusing, downer of a book. But if we listen closely to both the Preacher and our neighbors, we might find instead that it is a great start to deeper, spiritually-significant conversations.
Thank you, The Byrds!
I think this may be the point.
The honesty of books like Ecclesiastes and Lamentations quickly shoot down caricatures of the Bible as an ivory tower text.
Part of the discipline required to read Ecclesiastes well is to keep listening to the Preacher’s repeated refrains about death and vanity. My instinct is to nod my head and move on, but we would do well to sit with it until we’re uncomfortable.