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PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

Study 1: 24/03/2009.
Weekly Bible Study – The Book of Ecclesiastes

Tackling the Difficult Questions of Life!

Introduction To The book of Ecclesiastes

One of the books of the bible that has captured my imagination is the book of Ecclesiastes. What has amazed me is how relevant and up to date this book is to the modern world.

Ecclesiastes is part of the Old Testament and was written towards the end of Old Testament history. The exact time of writing or who wrote Ecclesiastes is unknown; but the book fits somewhere between 950 to 200BC.
In this period of history in the Old Testament; there was a lot of interaction with Israel and the nations and empires around them. Ecclesiastes belongs to a collection of books in the Old Testament known as “Wisdom Books” and invites us to reflect on life and the challenges life presents us with.

Books of wisdom were part of other cultures and we have the famous visit of the queen of Sheba to illustrate how that wisdom was shared and known among the various nations of the world at the time. (See also 1 Kings Chapter 4 verses 29 to 34).
Just like we have entered the technological age; the ancient world had a time when wisdom was shared and reflected upon around the world. Interacting with the world gives one an opportunity to judge the merits of each and this is an opportunity I think we need to continue today. I grieve when I hear comments like; all religions are the same, or we basically believe the same thing. No wonder there is so much ignorance today; we should be more discerning than that.

The book of Ecclesiastes is a very practical book dealing with things like happiness, work, profit, vanity, purpose for living, fearing God, toil, wisdom and death.  The writer leaves no stone unturned in his search for life and happiness. 
One of the things I have tried to avoid as a follower of Jesus is to give simple answers to difficult questions about life and God. The book of Ecclesiastes raises many difficult questions and comes to various conclusions; some that will surprise you.
Because Ecclesiastes is very directed and narrow in its content, we need to remember that it is only part of a greater collection of books and needs to be understood with the rest of God’s message in the bible. While Ecclesiastes can leave us somewhat confused about life, it is Jesus who brings the light.

With this background I hope you will find the weekly bible study a helpful journey in exploring in some depth what life is about? First study next week.
Graham Lawrence.

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