A Study of the book of Ecclesiastes
A. The title of the Book:
- "Ecclesiastes" a strange title, difficult to pronounce
- Hebrew : 'qoholeth' = to assemble
- Greek : Ecclesiastes = 'out of' or calling
- English : a teacher, or a preacher
*NIV - 1:1,2,12; 7:27; 12:8,9,10
- Found no where else in Bible
- Note: different from Ecclesiastes, Apocryha
B. Who was the Author?
- v1:1 - Son of David, king of Jerusalem
- v1:16 - author's unrivalled wisdom
- v2:8 0 fabulous wealth, acquire anything
- v2:4-6 - extensive building projects
- v12:9 - collection of proverbs and wise sayings
- most probable: king Solomon in his seasons of life
C. Objectives:
- Search for meaning of life
- Search for satisfaction of life
- Record of his search from two perspectives
a) neutral man: unconverted, life without God "under the sun" vanity
b) converted man; sees through God's eyes uses word "God's revelation"
D. Structure:
1. Introduction to the Book (1:1-11)
2. The First Sermon (1:12-3:15)
3. The Second Sermon (3:16-5:20)
4. The Third Sermon (6:1-8:13)
5. The Fourth Sermon (8:12-12:7)
6. Epilogue (12:8-14)
Your Life Satisfaction Score
7... strongly agree
6... agree
5... slightly agree
4... neither agree or disagree
3... slightly agree
2... disagree
1... strongly disagree
Questions:
1. In most ways, my life is close to my ideal
2. The conditions of my life are excellent
3. I am satisfied with my life
4. So far I've gotten the important things I want in my life
5. If I could live my life again, I would change almost nothing
Total score: _______
Scores:
35-31 - Extremely satisfied
30-26 - Satisfied
25-21 - Slightly satisfied
20 - Neutral, Don't know
19-15 - Slightly dissatisfied
14-10 - Dissatisfied
9-5 - Extremely dissatisfied
Online Sermon. All Rights Reserved.