A Layman’S Guide to Ecclesiastes: An Inquiring Mind Looks at Life

By Dr. David R. Brown

The book of Ecclesiastes was written three thousand years ago, but it reads like it was written for twenty-first-century men and women. Why dont pleasure and wealth bring lasting satisfaction? Is life really worth the hassle? No matter what you accomplish or how wise you are, isnt the end game always the samedeath? A Laymans Guide to Ecclesiastes helps you work through these and other questions the author of Ecclesiastes ponders.
A Laymans Guide to Ecclesiastes differs from other books on Ecclesiastes. It is written from a laymans point of view; the author is an astronomer, who nevertheless has gained a deep appreciation for Ecclesiastes during his fifteen-year period of study. A Laymans Guide to Ecclesiastes is not restricted to one point of view on a passage. The author presents his view but also includes the thoughts of other commentators covering a wide spectrum of interpretations, so that you can come to a solid understanding of the issues on your own.
Young or old, skeptic or believer, wise or searching for wisdom, let A Laymans Guide to Ecclesiastes assist your search for understanding in your life experiences, whether they are mundane, extraordinary, or seemingly inexplicable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449764838

Dr. David R. Brown

Dr. David Brown studied astronomy at the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona, before receiving his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. He taught undergraduate astronomy and physics courses for ten years and worked in satellite control for twenty-five years, including support for scientific satellites at NASA Goddard. He has experience dealing with theological topics from a layman’s viewpoint; he has led Bible studies on most New Testament books and several Old Testament books, including Daniel, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes. His teaching experience enables him to bring academic rigor to his Bible studies. He is married, retired, and lives in Wheaton, Maryland.

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Copyright © 2012 Dr. David R. Brown

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King James Version-Public Domain

LXX (Septuagint)-The Koine Greek version of the Jewish Bible translated between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC

Masoretic Text-the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible translated by the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th century AD

The New English Bible-© 1961, 1970 by the Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press

Revised Standard Version-© 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-6483-8 (e)

For my children and grandchildren, I hope that the joy of studying the Bible permeates your lives.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. — 2 Tim. 3:16–17 (NASB)

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Ecclesiastes 1    I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

Ecclesiastes 2    My Stuff Doesn’t Make Me Happy

Ecclesiastes 3    God Has Made a Time and Place for Everything, Hasn’t He?

Ecclesiastes 4    Is Life Really Worth the Effort?

Ecclesiastes 5    Approaching God and Using Money—The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Ecclesiastes 6    Don’t Expect Much Out of Life and You Won’t Be Disappointed

Ecclesiastes 7    Surely You’re Kidding, Mr. Preacher

Ecclesiastes 8    Wisdom Is Good, but I Still Don’t Get It

Ecclesiastes 9    Enjoy Today, No Telling What’s Coming Tomorrow

Ecclesiastes 10    To Spot a Fool, Just Stop, Look, and Listen

Ecclesiastes 11    Sow Good Seed and Harvest a Good Life

Ecclesiastes 12    Old Age Isn’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be

Discussion Questions

Leader Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

No book is written in a vacuum; many people have contributed to the writing of this commentary. Thank you to Dr. Glen Wolfe and Mr. J. Lyndale Shiery, who provided helpful comments early on in the writing of this book. Also, I want to thank my sons, Mr. Robert Brown, who provided very useful comments regarding the editing of this book, and the Rev. Paul Brown, who provided comments, both for editing and content. I am greatly indebted to the Rev. David Galletta, who took precious time away from work on his PhD dissertation to provide insightful comments during the later stages of this writing. And finally, thanks to my wife, Peppy, who has provided comments and much encouragement along the way.

Introduction

The book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most overlooked books in the Bible. It is rare to hear it preached in church, and it is not high on the list of books to study in Sunday school or small-group Bible studies. Nevertheless, it is a book worthy of serious inquiry.

Ecclesiastes can appeal to people in many different walks of life. It has something to say to the person going through a midlife crisis as well as to the young rebel. It has something to say to the person who has it all but who realizes, in his dissatisfaction, that he doesn’t really have it all—something is missing. And it has something to say to the young person exploring life’s possibilities (Eccl. 11:7–10) as well as to the person approaching the end of life (Ecclesiastes 12).

Even though Ecclesiastes has been often overlooked, there are nevertheless a number of good commentaries about it already in existence. So the question arises: why write another book on Ecclesiastes? A primary reason I decided to write this book is that the other commentaries tend to look at the multifaceted book of Ecclesiastes from only a limited point of view. Some authors take an almost exclusively positive point of view—they can find something positive in almost every passage, no matter how negative or ironic a literal reading would indicate. At the other end of the spectrum, there are authors for whom finding something negative in a passage or imagining the most negative connotation is almost a badge of honor. In between, there are several commentaries that don’t go to either extreme but still present only a restricted point of view.

For one author, Ecclesiastes was meant to be a book in celebration of joy and God’s good creation and the mood is one of delight (Kaiser 1979, 41–42). For another, Ecclesiastes seemed to have a rather jaundiced view of life (Davidson 1986, 1). For a third author, Ecclesiastes is an essay in Apologetic that defends the life of faith in a generous God by pointing to the grimness of the alternative (Eaton 1983, 44).

Regardless of where the other authors fall on the spectrum, they seem to have a limited breadth. One intention of this book is to explore a range of interpretations to help the reader arrive at his (or her) own interpretation rather than to push one interpretation over another. My desire is that the reader will assess the various interpretations so that he may know what he believes and may have a solid rationale for that belief.

My serious interest in the book of Ecclesiastes began in 1995 around the time I changed jobs. Although I had read Ecclesiastes a couple of times as I read through the Bible, it had little or no impact on me until, all of a sudden, I was surrounded by the book. In short order, I was sitting in a Sunday school class, listening to Bible teachings on the radio, reading Ecclesiastes commentaries, and leading a small group Bible study on the book. As I studied Ecclesiastes more closely, I found it to be intriguing for several reasons, including these:

• There were a wide range of interpretations different commentators found for the book.

• It is a book of the Bible that is unafraid to pose difficult questions obligating Christians to think through difficult concepts they normally don’t consider.

• This book, which certainly has its share of pessimism (vanity of vanities, all is vanity), nevertheless had been instrumental in leading a radio preacher and a well-known NFL football player to make a profession of faith in Christ.

I am writing this book as a layman; I am not a theologian, as a cursory look at this commentary will prove. However, I have gained a deep appreciation (should I say love?) for the book that I want to share with the reader. My fervent hope is that the thoughts contained in this commentary will stimulate interest in Ecclesiastes and encourage the reader to devote considerable energy to rightly divide the word of truth as it is found in this book of the Bible.

I am a scientist, an astronomer, and I realize that a scientist must study a variety of professional journals and books to stay current in his field. The study is consistent; it is done on a regular basis. It is a meticulous working through of the concepts and equations in an article to make sure the scientist has a firm understanding of the material. In a similar manner, I believe that Christians need to engage in earnest study of all parts of the Bible. Among other things, this means:

• Reading and studying the entire Bible. The Epistles, Psalms, and Proverbs are generally very readable and useful for spiritual growth. However, the more difficult passages, such as, Hebrews, the Prophets, and Ecclesiastes are also necessary for spiritual growth. It takes hard work to glean the information, but the hard work is both necessary and beneficial if we are to understand the entire teaching of the Bible.

• Continuing to study the material until we have gained a robust understanding. We should be willing to devote the same energy and intensity to understand God’s Word as we would to understand the documents and processes in our workplace. Our goal should be to master the material of the Bible to the best of our ability!

To support the study of Ecclesiastes, I have included questions at the end of each chapter and several general discussion questions and leader notes at the end of the commentary. My intention for doing this is both to help lead the reader into a deeper study of Ecclesiastes and provide discussion ideas for Bible study leaders and Sunday school teachers.

During a study of Ecclesiastes, the reader will be struck by the words and phrases that are repeated throughout the book, including under the sun, vanity and vanity of vanities, striving after wind, futility, and variations of eat, drink, and enjoy. There are also variations of the theme that we are all going to die, so why bother. The fact that these words and phrases are repeated should indicate their importance to the writer of Ecclesiastes and, hence, to the reader.

A comment about the author of Ecclesiastes is appropriate. Many commentators believe the author is Solomon, but there is no universal agreement, even among those commentators who would be judged to be conservative. The principle arguments