What Do You Do When Conventional Wisdom

Fails?

Lou Di Lorenzo

1st Jan 2012

Ecclesiastes 1

Introduction

• Ecclesiastes means one who addresses an assembly, as a preacher

• Author - An unknown narrator writing for king Solomon or narrator writing Solomon’s wisdom in his own words and style

• Journal a man's search for meaning. Much happens apart from God. Conclusionthat life apart from God is empty

Ecclesiastes 1

Introduction

• Book seeks to answer; ?

• All is meaningless under the sun (1:14; 2:17) • It doesn’t matter what you do, achieve or

accumulate in life. Death robs it all • Fear God, keep his commandments, this is

the whole duty of man (12:13)

Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes

“I would say that Ecclesiastes is the greatest single piece of writingI have ever known, and the wisdomexpressed in it the most lasting andprofound.” Tom Wolfe - American 20th Century novelist

Ecclesiastes 1

Cycles Of Life•Monotonous nature of life (1:4-7)•Continuing Nature of the Earth (1:4)•Rising and Setting of the Sun (1:5)•Regular weather patterns (1:6)•Cycle of evaporation and condensation (1:7)•Cyclic motions of futile activity•Meaning of life not in creation

Ecclesiastes 1

WisdomThe wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ecclesiastes 1

Wisdom

Spiritual requirements for Gaining wisdom: • Humility (Prov 11:2, 15:33)• Teachability (Prov 9:9, 15:31)• Diligence (Prov 8:17, 2:4-5)• Uprightness (Prov 2:7)• Faith (James 1:5-8)

Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1

All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance. T.S. Eliot