IV. ECCLESIASTES

A. The writer(s), the place, and the time: Although this book does not clearly name Solomon as its author, and although many Bible readers attribute its authorship to other people, yet according to the contents of the entire book we can say with certainty that Solomon wrote it. We can say this because the author was:

1. A son of David (1:1).
2. A king in Jerusalem (1:1).
3. A man of great wisdom, above all that were before him in Jerusalem (1:16; 1 Kings 3:12).
4. One who had done great works and built houses (2:4; 1 Kings 7:1-2).
5. Possessor of many wives and concubines (2:8 (Darby); 1 Kings 11:1-3).
6. One who had gathered to himself silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces (2:8; 1 Kings 9:28; 10:10-11, 14-24).
7. One who had set in order many proverbs (12:9; 1 Kings 4:32).

In the Bible, no other person meets all the above qualifications except Solomon; therefore, no one else could possibly have written this book.

This book was written in Israel during Solomon’s later years.

B. The subject: A living and seeking apart from God can never lead to true satisfaction.

C. The background: The Holy Spirit selected Solomon to write this book because he had been through a time of failure. God had established him as king, and had granted him great wisdom. At first, he used this wisdom to take care of God’s people, but later he became proud of his great wisdom and followed his unbridled lusts, rebelling against God and seeking earthly luxuries. God had commanded concerning kings, “Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses: forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way” (Deut. 17:16), but he “had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen” (1 Kings 4:26), “and the horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt” (1 Kings 10:28). God had made another commandment regarding kings: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away” (Deut. 17:17), but he “had seven hundred wives...and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart...after other gods” (1 Kings 11:3-4). Another commandment that God had given concerning kings was: “Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold” (Deut. 17:17), but he had a tremendous amount of gold, and “silver...was nothing accounted of” and “as stones...for abundance” (1 Kings 10:21, 27). All the commandments concerning kings were broken by Solomon. He had the highest position, the greatest wisdom, and the top endowments. One could say that no other person under the sun was more qualified to seek after earthly education, renown, enjoyment, and pleasure. He obtained them all, but still these were not able to satisfy him. Eventually, he reached a point where he could only say, “Vanity of vanities...vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (1:2). So, we can also say that there is no other person under the sun more qualified to write the book of Ecclesiastes than Solomon.

In Solomon’s later years, after his recovery, the Holy Spirit moved him to write the book of Ecclesiastes, reminding him of how the time that he had spent apart from God seeking the world had caused him to become disappointed and dissatisfied, resulting in pessimism and disillusionment. Then, after he had been fully recovered, the Holy Spirit moved him further to write the Song of Songs, expressing the true satisfaction which he had achieved only after returning to the presence of God.

D. The central thought: A man may attain to all the education, knowledge, treasures, riches, renown, position, enjoyment, and pleasure that the world has to offer, yet if he does not have God, it is still all vanity, because the end is “once to die, and after this judgment” (Heb. 9:27).

E. The general sketch: The author uses several experiences to prove his point:

1. The study of natural phenomena results in disgust, causing one to feel that all is tasteless and nothing is new (1:4-11).
2. Pursuit of wisdom and knowledge is also vexation of spirit (1:12-18).
3. Pursuit of mirth (2:1-11)—pleasure (v. 1), wine (v. 3), houses and gardens (vv. 4-6), possessions (v. 7), music (v. 8), concubines (v. 8), treasures (v. 8)—is also eventually just vanity.
4. Wisdom excels folly, but the two have the same result, which is still vanity (2:12-26).
5. Fatalism still does not satisfy (3:1-15).
6. Becoming pessimistic, disillusioned, and vexed, one is still unable to be satisfied (3:16-4:16).
7. Performing all the religious rituals, one still feels that God is far away and unreachable (5:1-8).
8. Pursuit of wealth and riches cannot satisfy and is also vanity (5:9—6:12).
9. Pursuit of greater wisdom and higher virtues and ethics (7:1—12:12) results still in “vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (12:8).

F. The sections: 1) title (1:1-3), 2) experience (1:4—12:12), and 3) conclusion (12:13-14).