From the "Exploring..." Bible Study Series.

How did such a negative book as Ecclesiastes get into the Bible? Why did Solomon keep talking about things "under the sun" when the rest of the Bible points to things far beyond the sun? Where is the touch of the Holy Spirit in this book?

Ecclesiastes is indeed God's inspired record—God's record of an uninspired man, a king who went flat trying all the world offers. He had ended up on an un-merry-go-round and saw no way in this world to get off. By preserving Solomon's testimony, God seeks to spare us from taking the detour he took. Solomon concluded quite rightly, "Remember now thy Creator" and "Fear God, and keep his commandments."

Read Ecclesiastes with your sunglasses on, since so much of it is under the sun. In other words, filter and evaluate Solomon's words you read. But do not fail to read it. Where it applies to you, apply it. Enjoy discovering an old king's sharp insights and common sense. Above all, look for God's own penetrating observations in this unique, inspired book.

Table of Contents

• General Outline
• Introduction

• Part 1. "The Words of the Preacher"
• Part 2. The Pursuit of Wealth and Pleasures
• Part 3. What God Does Is Right
• Part 4. Some Things Are Better
• Part 5. Life Is a Gift
• Part 6. Life Is Brief and Uncertain
• Part 7. Sundry Observations
• Part 8. Divine Providence
• Part 9. Life Is for Living
• Part 10. Strange Quirks of Life
• Part 11. A Day of Reckoning
• Part 12. A Right Conclusion

• Final Notes
• Suggested Answers to Study Questions