The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. Once Qoheleth has considered the potential sources of fulfillment and has rejected them, he offers an alternate perspective on life. In —15 he advises a moderate course of action:. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
Though nothing can offer fulfillment, one need not adopt a pessimistic, cynical, or fatalistic view toward life. Enjoy life for what it is: a gift from the hand of God. Using pairs of antitheses in —8, Qoheleth begins to address why it is that God needs to be in the center of our worldview.
Stability can only be found in a God-centered approach. The basic worldview of Qoheleth having been set forth, the next sections address the application of that worldview to the situations of life. It is not difficult to apply it when life is going smoothly, but how does it stand up when adversity comes? That is the concern of — Qoheleth considers various situations in life that produce adversity. It is of interest that he focuses on the daily, routine frustrations that are all too frequently our common lot.
If the book of Job were to be criticized, one might complain that the scenario is too artificial. No one we know is the kind of person Job was, and very likely no one we know suffered to the extent Job did. But Qoheleth makes sure that we can identify with the examples he offers. The end result is that frustrations and adversity cannot be avoided. Does your life lack the meaning and purpose you desire?
Hear the words of Solomon that they might encourage you to place your trust solely in the Lord. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Ecclesiastes , which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. Who wrote the book? Where are we? Why is Ecclesiastes so important? What's the big idea? How do I apply this? He encourages humans to enjoy their vain lives and activities to the fullest. He urges young people to remain happy and to follow their inclinations, reminding them to always remember God.
The things of earth are only temporary, and life is a cycle that eventually returns to God The Teacher also warns the reader against heeding too many wise sayings, for the study of wisdom never ends. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Character List God Moses David.
Themes Motifs Symbols. Important Quotes Explained. Three expressions from Ecclesiastes have found their way into the English language: "There is nothing new under the sun" , "To everything there is a season" , and "Eat, drink, and be merry" The book concludes with the recommendation to "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
King James I commissioned a group of Biblical scholars in to establish an authoritative translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other translations at the time, and the work was completed in The original King James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate section. A literary masterpiece of the English language, the original King James Bible is still in use today!
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