Ecclesiastes Discourse

Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom in the Old Testament ascribed to King Solomon. It is a philosophical essay on the true meaning of life. The title of the book is derived from the Greek word ‘teacher’ or ‘preacher’ (Malick, 2004). Ecclesiastes has four main discourses and 12 chapters that contains a pessimistic reflection on the purpose and nature of life.

First discourse Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26 the author, Solomon insists that all life will lead to futility as it is brief, empty, short and meaningless but man should enjoy the goodness of life as it is a gift from God (Malick, 2004). In his first discourse Solomon relates his experience in life to his search for life meaning.

Second discourse 3:1-22.according to Solomon, God has set contradictory

According to Solomon, when one knows and recognize God as the giver of life he can enjoy life rather than live in fear or despair. The preacher gives practical advice in this discourse related to wisdom and obedience.

Fourth discourse 6:1-12:14. Solomon affirms that there are many aspects of life that are futile from the natural viewpoint, but a divine viewpoint leads one to enjoy life and to value it than death. It also allows one to use life for the benefit of others, to live in obedience to God’s word and to fear God with the knowledge of future judgment that will judge all men (Malick, 2004). This is the conclusion of the book and the author gives his conclusions on destiny and God.

According to the preacher, life under the sun is vanity of vanity. Solomon uses the word vanity 38 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon sought some earthly things to achieve fulfilment in life and his conclusion was that all of it was meaningless. Solomon advises that true happiness can only be found in God. He is qualified to give this lesson on the meaning of life as he achieved most of the things that we as humans seek to find true life satisfaction. He achieved wealth, education, leisure and success (Gottwald, 1997). He advises us to seek God first if we want to find the true meaning of life. According to him, contentment cannot be found in material things or in worldly

In Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, Solomon acknowledges that joyful experiences although they might be fun and pleasure filled do not last. He cites many of life’s pleasures such as alcohol, women, laughter, being waited on hand and foot as not the answer to true life’s satisfaction. According to Ecclesiasts 2:24-26, Solomon advises that we should appreciate and enjoy what we have but also be careful of the purpose, pursuit and parameters of pleasure (Enns, 2011). We can only enjoy life at a greater capacity when we understand that joy is under God’s control. When we acknowledge and seek God as the source of pleasure, then he can give us gifts that satisfy us. However if we focus on acquiring and accumulating worldly pleasures we will lack satisfaction and joy in the