Trying to Make Sense of Things – Without God
ECCLESIASTES: A WORD TO THE WISE
LESSON FIVE: TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THINGS – WITHOUT GOD
Text for This Study: Ecclesiastes 7:1 – 8:17
1. In this video, a dark and confusing list of proverbs and wisdom sayings is explored – with the obvious disclaimer that many of them are simply false! Remember: This is a man who does not know the True God and who is trying to understand life out of his own experience, intellect, and received wisdom. Why do you think the Bible includes this type of material that clearly contradicts the affirmations of Scripture and sometimes even contradicts itself?
2. Suppose we separate physics, biology, psychology, political science, and the other traditional categories of modern education from God. What sorts of false, confused, and misleading theories would emerge? Have you ever known this to play out in reality? Can you name some of the troubling ideas that arise when God and revelation are excluded from our exploration of these disciplines?
3. What are the two most helpful and positive insights you found in these two chapters? Can you show that they are consistent with biblical teaching?
4. What are the two most offensive and negative statements you found in these chapters? Can you show they are false by measuring them against biblical teaching?
5. Spend some time reflecting on the dismal conclusion of this section at 8:16-17 – that nobody can really discover the meaning of life, that even “the wise” (by under-the-sun insights) have no idea of how we should live. In view of The Teacher’s pessimistic summation, contrast what the narrator of Ecclesiastes will say at 12:13-14.
Gordon Fee reminds Bible students of this: “Ecclesiastes is a wisdom monologue that often puzzles Christians, especially if they read it amiss and assume that because it is Scripture everything said here is from God’s perspective.” This section of the book requires that we keep in mind that Qohelet is not speaking for God, but giving his own “best insights” about life in a series of proverbs of knew.