A. Name of the Book:

The name of this book comes from the opening phrase "The words of the Preacher" (verse 1). The English word "preacher" comes from the Hebrew "KOHELETH". When the Hebrew scholars get together in Alexandria Egypt in 265 BC they choose the Greek equivalent for KOHELETH which is "EKKLESIATES". This is how the book comes to be known as Ecclesiastes.

In the Old Testament period a KOHELETH was an official speaker to an assembly of people. Preacher in the Hebrew sense is "a man with a message." Other appearances of the word "preacher" are found in 1:1,2,12; 7:17; 12:8,9,10. The word is not found in any other book.

B. Author:

According to chapter 1:1, the writer was "the son of David king in Jerusalem." This description fits only Solomon. Even though the author's name is not mentioned in the book the internal evidences favor this because they coincide with what is known about Solomon from the historical record of I Kings.

Note the following:

1. Title (1:1)

2. His unrivaled wisdom (1:16)

3. His wealth (2:8)

4. His many servants (2:7)

5. His extensive building projects (2:4-6)

6. His collection of proverbs (12:9)

C. Time of Writing: 965-926 B.C.

D. Style: Didactic Poetry

E. Key Verses: Ecclesiastes 1:1,2; 12:13,14.

F. Key Phrases:

1. UNDER THE SUN (29 times)

God is in heaven above the sun, therefore the outlook of Koheleth is earthbound, temporal, and without God in the picture. He is a believer., he is saved, he is on his way to heaven; but he is out of fellowships.

2. All Is Vanity (7 times- 1:1,14; 2:11,17; 3:19; 11:8;12:8)

Vanity means emptiness, futility, and uselessness. This is human viewpoint thinking. It is the mental attitude of the natural man who does not know God. Believers can very easily fall into the trap of viewing life through the eyes of the unbeliever (I Cor. 3: 1-3 "walk as men").

3. I communed with my own spirit (7-times)

He no longer is operating his life on the basis of faith. He is trying to find happiness and meaning in life apart from God and by so doing he elevates reason.

4. Vexation of Spirit (7-times)

This means "feeding on air". The Koheleth strives, aspires, and desires happiness. In his quest he tries a number of things. They all lead to a blind alley and a dead end. The result is that the things which he thought would bring him happiness turned out to be feeding on ai There was no satisfaction, no happiness, but only sore travail.

G. Key Words:

1. Vanity - 39 times.

2. God (ELOHIM) - 41 times.

3. Wisdom - 28 times.

4 Wise - 25 times.

H. Theme:

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, NO HAPPINESS

APART FROM RELATIONSHIP GOD.

I. Outline:

1. Conclusion: All is futility 1:1-11.

2. First Sermon: 1:12-3:15

A. Futility without God 1:12-2:23.

B. Happiness if you bring God into the picture 2:24-3:15.

3. Second Sermon: 3:16-5-20

A. Futility without God 3:16-4:16.

B. Happiness through fellowship with God 5:1-7.

C. Futility without God 5:8-17.

D. Happiness is a Gift of God 5:18-20.

4. Third Sermon: 6:1-8:13.

A. Futility without God 6:1-12.

B. Happiness through a knowledge of God 7:1-8:13,

5. Fourth Sermon: 8:14-12:7.

A. Futility without God 8:14-9:18.

B. Happiness through trusting God 10:1-12:7.

6. Conclusion: 12:8-14

A. Reinstatement of the Conclusion 12:8.

B. Summary of conclusion 12:9-14.

J. Lessons

1. The futility of pursuing earthly goals, pleasures, and the details of life as an end in themselves:

This is a message for the UNBELIEVER:

Life without God is hopeless, senseless, meaningless, and futile. In other words this book is designed to lead those "under the sun" to the SON. Every pursuit of man is futile if God is excluded.

This is a message to the BELIEVER:

There is no substitute for fellowship with God. True inner happiness and relationship with God go hand and hand; they are inseparable. As a believer you cannot find happiness by pursuing happiness apart from a relationship with God.

2. The principle of personal misery.

It is self-induced misery because you do it yourself without any help from God or others. Solomon, who was out of fellowship, lost the inner happiness that comes from relationship with God. One day he realized how miserable he was. He said to himself "what I need is happiness." Rather than turning to God, he chose to go the way of the world. He made seven experiments. He tried seven things to make himself happy, Each experiment ended in a blind alley and the harder he tried to find happiness the further away from it he became. What did he try: (1) Education - 1:12-18. (2) Pleasures 2:1-11. (3) Children 2:18-20. (4) Philosophy - 3:1-22. (5) Money 5:9-17; (6) Reputation 7:1-22. (7) Sex- 7:26-29.

3. True source of happiness

There are many types of false happiness on the market today. But everyone of them are temporary, superficial, and dependent upon pleasant environment, stimulating circumstances, possession of a number of detail in life, having one's own way, or a number of other factors. Also, many people equate happiness with emotional stimulation. But all of these things are false sources of happiness and are neutralized by suffering, do not sustain us in adversity, and disappear at the first sign of trouble.

The Bible describes the believers happiness as an inner mental happiness which exists in every circumstance. It ranges from tranquility in adversity to ecstatics in prosperity. It is the inner dynamics of the believer filled with the Spirit (Galatians 5:22; Romans 14:17; I Thessalonians 1:6) and intensified by living in the Word (Psalm 1:11.2; Jeremiah 15:16; John 13:17; 17:13 cf. vs. 17; I Peter 1:8; I John 1:4).