Ecclesiastes

Date Written: Around 935 B.C., late in Solomon’s life

Author: Solomon

Setting: Solomon was looking back on his life, much of which was lived apart from God. He had everything – wisdom, power, riches, honor, reputation & found it to be empty. As he looked back over his life, at all he had & all he had done, it seemed meaningless. He came to the conclusion that the only thing that had true meaning in life was to fear God & to keep His commandments.

Key People: Solomon

Purpose: To spare future generations the bitterness of learning through their own experience that life is meaningless apart from God.

Key Verses: Fear God & keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 12:13-14

Chapter Outline:

1-2 Solomon’s Personal Experience

3-5 Solomon’s General Observations

6-8 Solomon’s practical counsel

9-12 Solomon’s final conclusion

Importance of reading Ecclesiastes:

What we read: Solomon searched for satisfaction in life. Through his searching & having everything, he found that life without God will not bring enjoyment, meaning nor fulfillment. He found that true happiness & joy isn’t found in the things you have, the people you know or the power you have. What we can learn: People are still searching today for answers. Nothing in this world can fill the void we have in our heart. It may for a moment, but then that moment is gone & we are empty again. True joy, happiness & meaning is found in the Lord.

What we read: Solomon shows how empty it is to pursue the pleasures that life has to offer rather than a relationship with an eternal God. Nothing in the world can fill the emptiness & satisfy the deep longings in our restless hearts. What we can learn: The cure for emptiness is to center on God & surrender your whole life to Him.

What we read: Chapter 7:2, Solomon reminds us that we should remember we will die. Death will come to each of us. What we can learn: As long as we are alive, there is time for change, time to examine the direction of our lives & time to confess our sins & find forgiveness from God. Because everyone will eventually die, it makes sense to plan ahead to meet God. Today is the day of salvation. No one is promised tomorrow & we none know when our last breath will be.

What we read: Chapter 8:16-17, Solomon is saying that no one can fully comprehend God & all that He has done, no matter how much wisdom one has. There will always be more questions than answers. But the unknow shouldn’t lessen your joy, faith, or belief because we know that God is in control & we can trust Him. What we can learn: You may have questions that you never get the answer to. Don’t let what you don’t know destroy the joy & love God wants to give you. Don’t let it be a barrier between you & God.

Thing to think about as you read Ecclesiastes:

• Where have you been searching for the meaning of life? Reflect on what you’ve been pursuing in order to find fulfillment or happiness. Has it worked?
• According to God, where can the meaning of life be found? Where can’t it be found?
• The author of Ecclesiastes is Solomon, David’s son, who was the richest & wisest of men. What can you learn from his experience that can help you?
• Think about all you learned about God from this book. Since God is going to bring every act to judgment, even those of Christians (II Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10), what are you doing that you should continue to do what do you need to stop doing?

Song of Songs

Date Written: 900 B.C. – 500 B.C.

Author: Solomon

Setting: In Israel in the Shulammite woman’s garden & the king’s palace.

Key People: King Solomon, the Shulammite woman, friends

Purpose: To tell of the love between a bridegroom & his bride, to show the sanctity of marriage & to picture God’s love for His people.

Key Verses: I am my lover’s & my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies. 6:3

Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. 8:7

Chapter Outline:

1-2:7 The Wedding Day

2:8-3:5 Memories of Courtship

3:6-5:1 Memories of Engagement

5:2-6:3 A Troubling Dream

6:4-7:9a Praising the Bride’s Beauty

7:9b-8:4 The Bride’s Tender Appeal

8:5-14 The Power of Love

Importance of reading Song of Songs:

What we read: God is affirming the love between a husband & wife. What we can learn: God endorses sex but restricts it to those committed to each other in marriage. The purity & sacredness of love represented here are needed in our day where Satan has twisted people’s attitudes about love & marriage.

What we read: This book is about a husband & his wife, from their meeting to their marriage. What we can learn: Sometimes in the Bible, God is spoken of as a husband & Israel as a wife. He courts her & marries her at Sinai when the covenant is established. When Israel goes after other gods, she is described as an adulteress. Being a Christian is more than going to church or reading your Bible; being a Christian is loving the Lord & being in relationship with Him. In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter 3 times if he loved Him. He asks us the same thing.

What we read: Chapter 2:7, feelings of love can cause you to have desires that overpowers reasoning. What we can learn: Lasting relationships aren’t built on feelings. Feelings alone aren’t enough. This verse is saying not to let the feelings of love grow faster than the commitment needed to make love last. Let love & commitment develop together.

Things to think about as you read Song of Songs:

• There are many different interpretations in respect to the meaning of this book. Does it speak only about the emotional & physical relationship of love & marriage? Or does it symbolize something such as Israel’s relationship to God, or the church’s relationship to Jesus, their heavenly bridegroom, or the individual’s devotion to Christ? Consider that it goes beyond the natural to the spiritual. What would you see that you might apply to your relationship with the Lord?
• From the aspect of the book relating to the physical & emotional bonds of marriage, what do you learn from it that you might apply to your relationship with your spouse? Think about the way the bride & bridegroom communicated with each other, what they shared, what their physical relationship was like, what caused problems & how they solved them.
• If you are single, what can you learn that would help you prepare for marriage? What can you learn about understanding yourself, your future mate, & the importance of intimacy, purity & physical oneness?
• What do you think an adulterous relationship would do to the intimacy between a husband & wife? Now think about it spiritually. James 4:4 tells us that when we become friends with the world, we are committing spiritual adultery. What does this do to our intimacy with God? Read II Corinthians 11:2-3.

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/Bf5hjQA-aMA?si=H_ziz5C3McFzcJS-

Blessings,

Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry