Mar 28 2014
Life is Meaningless – Do you like it?
Ecclesiastes: the meaning behind the meaninglessness
People like the Queen of Sheba came from far to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and what did he say? ‘Everything is meaningless!’ Well, that’s his claim in Ecclesiastes. Do like it???
A lot of people are put off by the negativity of Ecclesiastes. But that’s a pity, because the negativity is wise negativity composed by one of the wisest men to walk the planet. And further, it is divinely inspired negativity. That’s right God speaks through negativity, and powerfully! Let’s have a closer look.
‘Everything is meaningless!’ What a shocking statement that is – but it would seem that it was designed to be. More
Jan 23 2015
The Source of Meaning
The wise Solomon considers a topic that has baffled many scholars
“Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” These are the words of King Solomon in his book called Ecclesiastes. Is he okay? Is he depressed? Does he need help? No, Solomon is fine; in fact he is brimming with confidence. Well he refers to himself in the book as ‘Israel’s Teacher’ so he must be! But why is he being so negative? It is because in Ecclesiastes Solomon teaches by provocation. He wants to provoke Israel to think. And he is asking them to think of the mother of all questions: What is the meaning of life? And does Solomon then follow up with an answer to the question? Oh no, he just leaves us all hanging. Thanks Solly! But of course that’s all part of his strategy, Ecclesiastes is designed to provoke. More