SO BAD IT’S FUNNY. That’s what I think about some of the “wisdom” in a book the writer wants us to believe came from King Solomon—”wisest man who ever lived” (1 Kings 3:12). He doesn’t sound so smart in Ecclesiastes 2:3. And he sounds like he needs medication in Ecclesiastes 1:2.
I GOT RATTLED by the Bible book of Ecclesiastes, while paraphrasing it for the Casual English Bible®.
I’ve been rattled by strange ideas in other Bible books. But never anything like Ecclesiastes, a book by a writer driven to discover the meaning of life—why humans exist.
The short book, written in the genre of Wisdom Literature, has plenty of good thoughts. But it also has advice we shouldn’t take and behavior we shouldn’t copy.
For example, to explore the meaning of life, this gent says he conducted an experiment.
“I decided to drink a lot of wine and make bad decisions—as part of a scholarly study. I wanted to know the best way to spend the short time we have in life: as the rascals or the righteous.” Ecclesiastes 2:3
If that makes sense to you, you’re a rascal. Or a teenager.
I couldn’t pass up creating a short video to help others see how frustrating Ecclesiastes can be, as it bounces back and forth between damaged thinking and great thinking.
It does have great stuff. Most people will recognize this excerpt from a famous Hebrew poem:
“For every event under heaven,
There’s a season.
A time to be born.
A time to die…
A time to throw stones.
A time to pick up the pieces.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Here’s the link to video, Fun with Ecclesiastes.
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