Home Page Hard Times Survival Hard Times Recipes Gourmet Recipes Gardening Tips Firearm Facts Economy Book Reviews
Wilderness Survival Christian Poems Bible & Prophecy Bible Truths Other Information Children Stories Product Links Search Website My Books

Ecclesiastes

Copyright © December 1, 2018 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.

All Scripture Verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Holy Bible.


Introduction

The Holy Bible contains the Holy Words of God Almighty.

I do not believe it is appropriate to summarize, condense, expand, or change the Words in the Holy Bible.
The Holy Bible contains God's Words exactly the way He wants them to appear to us.

However, I do think it is okay to discuss the Words contained in the Holy Bible as long as we do not take those Words out of the overall context in which they appear, and we do not try to interpret specific verses in a manner that is inconsistent with the rest of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

At our home each evening after we have eaten supper, and after we have cleared the dishes from the table, we all sit down together. Then my 23 year old grandson, Cree, reads two pages from the Holy Bible to us. A long time ago he started on the first page of the book of Genesis. And Cree has continued reading two pages each day (whenever possible) and he will continue until he eventually reaches the last page of the book of Revelation and then he will start over again with Genesis. When Cree has finished reading each page he briefly summarizes the information on the page he has just read. And I occasionally add a few additional comments in order to show how what Cree has just read is reinforced by other scriptures in other books of the Bible.

In November of 2018 Cree was reading the book of Ecclesiastes to us and as I listened to him read my understanding of Ecclesiastes was enhanced by hearing the words spoken by someone else instead of simply reading the words silently to myself. Therefore I decided to write down my thoughts on the book of Ecclesiastes for my existing family, and for my future descendants. I also decided to add this page to my website.

If you decide to read the following then please keep in mind that I wrote the following in order to help my extended family better understand the Words of God.


Discussion

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 - The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.
    Vanity of vanities, says he Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Comment: The author of Ecclesiastes identifies himself as a son of David and as the king of Jerusalem. He then immediately proclaims that everything we do is vanity. As he continues to write the book of Ecclesiastes he gradually explains what he means by "vanity."

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 1:3 - What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
    Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 - I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live,
    also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil -- this is God's gift to man.
    Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 - Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink
    and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.
    Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil -- this is the gift of God.
    Ecclesiastes 8:15 - And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
Comment: Whatever work we do should provide us with a reasonable income and therefore we should be thankful for our jobs. We should also enjoy our meals (food and drink). This represents the proper balance between work and pleasure.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 3:1 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
    2 - a time to be born, and a time to die,
    4 - a time to weep, and a time to laugh,
    7 - a time to keep silence, and a time to speak,
    8 - a time for war, and a time for peace.
Comment: There will be ups and downs in our lives, and we should be prepared for things to change with the passage of time.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 - For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so does the other.
    They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
    All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
    Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
    Ecclesiastes 5:15 - As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.
    Job 1:21 - Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return.
    1 Timothy 6:7 - for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
    Ecclesiastes 7:2 - It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,
    for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
    Ecclesiastes 8:8 - No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death.
    Luke 12:33 - Sell you possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, they will your heart be also.
Comment: All the creatures on this earth eventually die, including people. When the author of Ecclesiastes wrote these words he did not know if the spirits of people and animals went to the same place when they died or if they went to different places. However, when death claims us we cannot take anything tangible with us from this world into the next life. We should keep this fact in mind as we live our lives. Many centuries after Ecclesiastes was written, Jesus told us that when we give to people who are in need we accomplish two things: (1) we help to relieve the suffering of other people in this life, and (2) we will accumulate treasure in heaven that will be waiting for us when we get there.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 5:2 - Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God,
    for God is in heaven and you are on the earth.
    Therefore let your words be few.
    Ecclesiastes 6:11 - The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man?
    Ecclesiastes 10:14 - A fool multiplies words,
    Matthew 5:37 - Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil."
    Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Comment: Speaking without thinking (rash words) only exhibits our lack of understanding. Using more words than absolutely necessary also displays a lack of wisdom. When confronted by an angry person we should speak softly with humility because if we respond with anger then we will make the situation worse instead of better.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 5:5 - It is better that you should not vow than you should vow and not pay.
Comment: Throughout the Holy Bible we are told that we should not make promises that we will not be able to keep. It is much better to not make any promises instead of making a promise and then fail to keep it.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 5:10 - He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
    Ecclesiastes 5:12 - Sweet is the sleep of the laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
Comment: A person who is not wealthy has the opportunity to truly enjoy all the important aspects of life on this earth including being able to get a good night's sleep. On the other hand, the wealth of a rich person constantly occupies the thoughts of the wealthy person and he spends a lot of his time thinking about how he can protect and increase his wealth.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 7:20 - Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
    Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Comment: In simple terms, "sin" is not obeying God. No matter who we are, every one of us has disobeyed God at one or more times during our lives. Ecclesiastes does not provide an answer to the sin problem of mankind. However, other books in the Holy Bible do explain a permanent solution to our sin problem -- Jesus' death on the cross was accepted by God as the full and final payment for the sins of every human being: past, present, and future. However, in order to receive God's forgiveness of our sins we must believe in Jesus and confess Him as our Savior.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 8:11 - Because the sentence against an evil deed in not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
Comment: When true justice is delayed then evil increases. This is one of the reasons why crime continues to increase in the United States of America. The punishment does not match the crime (murderers receive a life prison sentence instead of being executed). And frequently when a criminal is caught he is simply released so he can repeat his evil deeds again and again.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,
Comment: Regardless of what your task may be, do it promptly to the best of your ability.

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 9:11 - Again I saw under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor the bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.
Comment: Time and chance are also important factors that can impact the outcome of any event.

* * * * * * *


Conclusion

* * * * * * *

    Ecclesiastes 12:13 - The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
    For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Comment: The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is that even though there is "vanity" in this life, we will all eventually die and be judged by God Almighty for all the deeds we did while we were alive here on this earth. Therefore an intelligent person will fear God and we should attempt to always obey God's rules while we are still alive.

* * * * * * *


Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com

Home Page Bible Topics