My husband counts Ecclesiastes among his favorite books of the Bible. It's Solomon's frank admission of the failure of worldly wisdom and pleasure-seeking. If you read his story in 1 Kings you'll find he learned these lessons the hard way. There's a tinge of sad pleading for us to heed the words, as well as a knowing resignation that most of us won't.
What to look for as you read Ecclesiastes-
Key words –
- Vanity (or meaningless, emptiness, or pointless depending on your translation) – What does Solomon label as vain?
- Under the sun – (This indicates the natural activities of life, not necessarily evil, but not especially God-centered either) What happens "under the sun"?
- I saw – Take note of Solomon's observation's and commentary
- Profit – What things are worthwhile and which aren't
Questions to consider-
- What is the central question Solomon tries to answer?
- Where does Solomon try to find meaning? What results does his search produce?
- What conclusions does he reach?
Now here's a tough application question-
Have you ever looked for answers or meaning apart from God and His ways? How did it work out? What advice can you give as a result of your experience?