Ecclesiastes - the beginning

As we begin the study of Ecclesiastes today, our desire is talk a bit about who the author was and the significance of this book. I appreciate what the Holman Concise Bible Commentary by D.A. Garrett has to say: "Many Christian readers are troubled by Ecclesiastes. From the very beginning, where it declares that everything is meaningless (1:2), it seems unashamedly pessimistic and negative on life. Some wonder why this book is in the Bible. But if we carefully examine its background and message, we discover that Ecclesiastes confronts us and drives us to God in a way that few books do. Ecclesiastes tells us it was written by a son of David who was king in Jerusalem over Israel (1:1, 12). This points to Solomon since he alone, after David, ruled both Judah and Israel." The commentary goes on to say: "Christian readers, after they have shaken off the initial shock of reading Ecclesiastes, have often described it as a defense of the faith or even an evangelistic work. Ecclesiastes shows that many of the pursuits of life, including wealth, education, and power, do not really fulfill. In that way Ecclesiastes shows that life without God is meaningless and drives the reader to faith." It is our desire to study this book with the intent of applying many spiritual truths to our lives. We are going to see that as Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." We pray that you will join us as we study through this book. Please ask questions and comment about how God is using His word to help you in your daily walk with God.