Kootenai Church: Ecclesiastes

Solomon’s assessment of his own writing and a clear statement on the purpose of the book. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 12:9-14.

Solomon offers an honest and poetic description of old age and death. He encourages us to remember our Creator while we are young. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 12:1-8.

Solomon offers advice to the young and the old on rejoicing in this life under the sun. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 11:7-10.

Solomon encourages a bold, faithful, active life even in spite of all that we do not know about the future, the outcomes, or the secret workings of God. And exposition of Ecclesiastes 11:1-6.

Solomon contrasts a foolish and wise king and then applies wisdom to the king and the citizens. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:16-20.

Solomon contrasts the words (speech) of the wise man with the speech of a fool. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:12-15.

Solomon applies wisdom to our labor to show the advantage that wisdom can bring. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:8-11.

Solomon tells us how to deal with a foolish ruler and what happens when foolishness is exalted in a nation. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:4-7.

Chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes contrasts wisdom and folly as Solomon seeks to prove that wisdom is better than strength, shouting, and weapons of war (9:16-18). In the first three verses, Solomon describes the weight of folly, the source of folly, and a demonstration of folly. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:1-3.

In the light of life’s uncertainties, Solomon commends the path of wisdom. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 9:11-18.

In light of the reality of death (see 9:2-6) we should live life to the fullest, enjoying God’s good gifts to us as a preview of the glories to come. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 9:7-10.

Solomon takes up the subject of death once again. He shows us that death is indiscriminate in its selection, deserved because of our sin, and destructive because of what it steals from us. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 9:2-6.

Ultimately the secret workings of God’s providence and sovereignty are beyond human understanding. Certain things are not revealed to us. Solomon encourages us to rest in God’s sovereignty and take comfort with the fact that we are in the hand of God. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:1.

Solomon laments the praise that is given to the wicked in this life and reminds us that there is justice to come in the next. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 8:10-15.

Solomon commands obedience to the King and gives a number of reasons for obeying authorities. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 8:1-9.

Solomon searched for the meaning behind all reality. What he discovered was not what he expected. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:23-29.

Solomon’s answer to the common mindset he described in 7:15-18. A look at the universal condemnation of all men as “unrighteous.” We hear some wisdom for interpersonal relationships. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:19-22.

Sometimes the righteous perish and the wicked persist. This observation leads some to question the value of wisdom. This message is an examination of the most difficult to interpret passages in Ecclesiastes. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:15-18.

Solomon describes the benefit of wisdom and speaks of living in a bent world under the sovereignty of God. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:11-14.

A sprinkling of proverbs dealing with a variety of subjects. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:5-10.

We learn more from a funeral than we will from 1,000 parties. Solomon encourages us to learn the lessons that death wants to teach us. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:1-4.

We apologize in advance for the poor audio quality on this recording due to a technical glitch. Solomon summarizes the first half of Ecclesiastes and introduces us to the wisdom of the second half. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 6:10-12.

An examination of someone who is given riches, wealth, and honor but not given the ability to enjoy those riches. Solomon’s concluding thoughts on wealth and riches. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 6:1-9.

Solomon encourages us to enjoy the simple and everyday gifts that God has given to us. This enjoyment is the reward for our toil and a gift from God. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:18-20.

Solomon describes two grievous evils: riches hoarded and riches lost. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:13-17.

Vanity vexes the rich as well as the poor. The rich have their own problems and Solomon describes some of them. Riches fail to provide satisfaction, security or sleep. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:10-12.

Solomon observes that the poor are oppressed by government officials who are protected by yet higher and higher levels of government officials. Indeed, everyone in the administration has a vested interest in taking from others. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:8-9.

Wisdom from Solomon on a third aspect of worship – making and keeping vows. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:4-7.

Solomon warns us about approaching God flippantly in prayer and using meaningless words or being unnecessarily verbose. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:2-3.

Solomon offers wisdom on how we approach God. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:1 and introduction to 5:1-7.

We get to the heart of Solomon’s contrast between loneliness and companionship with the proverbial statements of vv. 9-12 and the illustrative story of a lonely king in vv. 13-16. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 4:9-16.

Solomon provides two examples of lonely work and offers wisdom concerning the balance of work and rest. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 4:4-8.

Solomon laments the evil of oppression under the sun. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 4:1-3.

Solomon laments the lack of justice in the places of justice and then offers two contrasting answers to it. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 3:16-22.

A look at what Solomon says regarding God’s work in time and our response to that work. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 3:1-15.

In part two of our study in this text, we see Solomon speak of the vanity of two things: first, laboring excessively only to lose the fruit of our labor by not enjoying it as the gift of God, and second, laboring with no thought of God to lose it all to the righteous. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:18-26.

Death casts its ugly shadow over the work we do. Solomon could not come to grips with the fact that death would rob him of all he had acquired. Solomon identifies four things as “vanity:” 1. Laboring to lose it to another who may be a fool (vv. 18-19), laboring to lose it to someone who does not deserve it (vv. 20-21), laboring excessively and losing it by not enjoying it (vv. 22-25), and laboring with no thought of God and losing it all to the righteous (v. 26). In part one, we look at the first two of these vanities. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:18-26.

Solomon lives under the cloud of death. Having failed to find any meaning in pleasure, Solomon realized he could not commend it to his son/successor. So he turns to wisdom to find that wisdom does provide an advantage in this life, but fails to deliver us from death. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:12-17.

A look at Solomon’s assessment of his pursuit of pleasure and an overview of a Christian perspective on pleasure and enjoyment.

A look at Solomon’s pursuit of pleasure through wine, works, wealth, and women. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

After an intellectual search for meaning, Solomon turns sensual and describes his attempt to find meaning in pleasure. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:1-2.

Solomon turns his attention to study wisdom, madness, and folly. This too is vanity. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.

Solomon the “philosopher” describes his attempt to find meaning and purpose using human wisdom. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 1:12-18.

Solomon observes that in spite of all our effort and toil, nothing is new and nothing is remembered. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 1:8-11.

Solomon answers the question of v. 3, “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” by examining the work done in nature. In spite of all the labor of generations, the sun, the wind, and the water, nothing is changed. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 1:4-7.

Solomon begins the book with a bold proclamation of the vanity of all things and then questions whether there is really any profit to be had from life under the sun. An exposition of Ecclesiastes 1:2-3.

An introduction to our next sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes. What does the word “Ecclesiastes” mean? Who wrote this book? What are its main themes? A look at some of the interpretive difficulties presented by this very odd book. Ecclesiastes 1:1.