Ecclesiastes Slide Deck

Solomon, Hebel, Qohelet, and Chapter Overview

Solomon’s Life

• Solomon begins his reign with genuine devotion to God.
• He asks for wisdom; God grants wisdom, wealth, and honor.
• His judgment becomes legendary (two women and the baby).
• He built the Temple.
• His compromises grow: wealth, wives, idolatry.
• Ecclesiastes reflects an older Solomon looking back.
• Life apart from God is empty; life with God is meaningful.

Introduction & Outline

• Ecclesiastes examines life “under the sun.”
• Tests work, pleasure, wealth, wisdom, legacy.
• Conclusion: None of it satisfies without God.
• True meaning: Fear God and keep His commandments.

Outline

1. Prologue (1:1–11)
2. Experiments (1:12–2:26)
3. Life Under the Sun (3:1–5:20)
4. Frustrations (6:1–8:17)
5. Uncertainties (9:1–11:6)
6. Final Counsel (11:7–12:8)
7. Epilogue (12:9–14)

Word Study: Hebel (“Meaningless”)

• Literal: vapor, breath, mist.
• Conceptual: fleeting, elusive, frustrating.
• Not “life has no purpose.”
• Life cannot be secured or controlled apart from God.

Word Study: Qohelet (“Teacher / Preacher”)

• Hebrew: קֹהֶלֶת — “assembler,” one who gathers people.
• Not a formal religious office.
• Translations:
• Teacher — NIV, ESV, CSB, NRSV, NET
• Preacher — KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV
• Speaker — NJPS (Modern Jewish Translation)

Chapter 1

• Thesis of the book.
• Life is repetitive; nothing truly new.
• Human striving cannot change reality.
• Solomon intentionally studies life’s meaning.
• Wisdom is valuable but limited.

Chapter 2

• Solomon tests pleasure, wealth, projects, wine, laughter.
• Finds it all “chasing the wind.”
• Wisdom is better than folly, but both end in death.
• Work is frustrating when its results pass to others.
• Meaning comes only from God’s gift of enjoyment.

Chapter 3

• Life has God‑appointed seasons.
• God placed eternity in our hearts.
• We cannot grasp God’s full work.
• Best response: enjoy God’s gifts.
• All return to dust.

Chapter 4

• Oppression fills the world.
• Envy drives achievement.
• Companionship is better than isolation.
• Leadership is unstable and forgotten.

Chapter 5

• Approach God with reverence.
• Guard your steps in worship.
• Wealth never satisfies.
• Contentment is God’s gift.

Chapter 6

• A person may have everything yet enjoy nothing.
• Desire is endless.
• Fulfillment comes only from God.

Chapter 7

• Hardship teaches more than comfort.
• Wisdom is valuable but limited.
• No one is fully righteous.
• Meaning remains elusive.

Chapter 8

• Wisdom helps navigate authority.
• Injustice persists.
• Those who fear God fare better.
• God’s work is beyond comprehension.

Chapter 9

• Death comes to all.
• Life is unpredictable.
• Enjoy simple gifts.
• Wisdom can save a city but be ignored.

Chapter 10

• A little folly outweighs much wisdom.
• Fools reveal themselves through words and actions.
• Life is unpredictable.
• Wisdom helps but cannot control outcomes.

Chapter 11

• Live boldly but wisely.
• Take risks; don’t wait for perfect conditions.
• Be generous; sow widely.
• Youth should rejoice but remember judgment.

Chapter 12

• Poetic description of aging.
• Remember your Creator in youth.
• Life fades; death returns us to dust.
• Final conclusion: Fear God and keep His commandments.