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Study Number Eighteen – Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 v. 1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: v. 2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." v. 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? v. 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. v. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. v. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. v. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. v. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. v. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. v.10 Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. v.11 There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. v.12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. v.13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! v.14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. v.15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. v.16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." v.17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. v.18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. Questions: 1. Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 and in your own words pull out the main thought of this passage. 2. What key question is asked in verse 3? 3. In what ways is nature used in verses 4-11 to illustrate the futility of man"s existence? 4. What word in verse 8 conveys an attitude that contributes to the mid-life crisis? 5. Why doesn"t Solomon view his own life as making a vital contribution in the course of human affairs? (refer to verses 9-11 for your answer) 6. What are Solomon"s conclusions about life as seen in verses 12-14? 7. In your own words, paraphrase Solomon"s reflections in verses 16-18. 8. In your opinion, is there an answer to a meaningless existence? Please explain. 9. What verse in the study has meant the most to you? 10. What lesson have you learned from this study? Lessons from the Passage: What are some of the lessons we can learn from this particular study? LESSON #1: All of life truly is meaningless without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. LESSON #2: Paul says, "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ" (Philippians 3:7). LESSON #3: "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2). LESSON #4: "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men" (Colossians 3:23). LESSON #5: We are losing our lives for something. The question is, "For what?" LESSON #6: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). LESSON #7: The key to overcoming monotony is to keep our eyes on the finish line. LESSON #8: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18). LESSON #9: We may grow weary in His work, but not weary of His work. LESSON #10: The world may forget us and what we have done, but the Lord will never forget us. LESSON #11: "Casting all your care upon Him, because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Additional Notes: |
