The book of Ecclesiastes, as mentioned previously, can be a tricky book to read. The key to understanding it lies in the phrase “under the sun..” When Solomon writes of the world “under the sun”, he is referring to the world from a humanist view; the world without sight of God.
Ecclesiastes is full of a number of pictures and proverbs. These are written to show us where our attention and focus in life should be. A few of these pictures and proverbs are discussed below:
1) The Oppressed and the Oppressors – Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
In this section, oppression is discussed. There are oppressors all around us: wicked governments, greedy businessmen, corrupt bosses, and so on. Oppression is universal in the world, and severe and harsh oppression is not uncommon. The unique thing Solomon points out in this passage is that not only the oppressed need a comforter, but the oppressors do too. The brutal prison guard, for example, is oppressed by his brutal commander. All men suffer, and all are without a comforter from the “under the sun” perspective. It is such a grim existence that Solomon declares that the living should envy the dead, or those who have not existed. Yet this all from the worldly view – there is a Comforter for those who know Christ!
2) The Benefit of Adversity – Ecclesiastes 7:1-6
There is a benefit to adversity. Difficulties can make us sober and rescue us from a life of frivolity. The general attitude of men today is that of children who have never grown up – everything is frivolity, joking, and silliness. But life is serious; the deep questions of life demand our full thought and grave attention.
3) Value in Contentment – Ecclesiastes 8:14-17
Sometimes, the wicked prosper and the good suffer (v14). It can be pointless to struggle against this, or against a great oppressive regime. Also, we cannot know the working of God – we cannot know the future and how all things will turn out. We should live today in God’s providence and be content in it, enjoying the basic happiness that can be found in living life. (It is only by being right spiritually with our Creator that we can life a full and joyous life here on earth.)
4) All Shall Die – Ecclesiastes 9:1-4
As mentioned in the previous chapter, bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. You cannot tell the standing of a person before God by looking at their circumstances (men have incorrectly tried to equate prosperity and rightness with God for centuries.) And there is one thing that happens to both good and bad men – all men die. Verse four reminds us that there is hope while a person is living; after you die your destiny is fixed.
5) Remember Your Creator in the Days of Your Youth – Ecclesiastes 12
This chapter begins with a vivid description of the decay of one’s faculties as he is overcome by age, with a reminder: don’t waste your life! Don’t waste your short time of health and fitness in selfish pursuits, use your life for God’s glory!
To sum up the message of Ecclesiastes, we are all heading to our “long home” – our eternal home. This will be either a place of eternal glory or eternal damnation. Let us keep this future in our minds as we walk this world “under the sun”. Let us be focused on our eternal purpose, rather than consumed by the vanities of a life spend seeking the things of this earth. Let us see (v.11) the strength of the framework laid out by God’s Word and let us seek to live lives based on the principles of His Word, in loving service to Him for His glory!
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