What Is the Meaning of “Vanity” in Ecclesiastes?
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“The overall message of Ecclesiastes is not that life is absurd, or that it is temporary, but that humans must live with many questions that they cannot answer.” - Word by Word
Ecclesiastes on X: Why we’re not satisfied, even if we should be.
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“On the other hand, a different doom and gloom, the kind reflected in the X post above, still resonates with many. In fact, it sounds a bit like a work of poetry written almost 3,000 years ago by a man of wealth and power who learned that ‘having it all’ isn’t all it is cracked up to be.” - Breakpoint
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Old Age, Death, or Something Else? The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 12:1–7
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“My preference is to read the poem as a series of metaphors for death—together with its individual, communal, and cosmic implications—drawn from the created order, domestic life, commerce, and warfare.” - DBTS Blog
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Ecclesiastes in Context: Reclaiming Qoheleth’s Canonical Authority
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“The profound message of Ecclesiastes is needed today more than ever. Yet much recent evangelical scholarship has accepted and assumed critical views of Qoheleth the speaker and his speech, rendering almost the entire book practically useless to Bible teachers and preachers.” - Themelios
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“Ecclesiastes reminds us that joy is possible in a fallen world”
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“Repeatedly, Solomon encourages us first to find and take joy in these ordinary aspects of life. And second, he urges us to recognize that these are good gifts from God” - Ligonier
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How to Enjoy Your Crazy Life
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“Enjoying the fruits of your labor is a godly approach, not a godless one. Why? Because it recognizes that God himself gave you your income and material resources for this purpose.” - Thomas Overmiller
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Life Is Not ‘Meaningless’ in Ecclesiastes
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“Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End is by David Gibson, minister of Trinity Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. It’s a poignant and powerful exposition of the message of Ecclesiastes.” - TGC
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From the Archives: The Dignity and Vanity of Labor
I’ve always preached that all honest work is God-glorifying and that the opportunity to engage in labor and reflect God’s character through it is a great privilege. Over the years, I’ve also emphasized that if you’re doing the work God wants you to do, however “secular” it may be, you shouldn’t stoop to do anything else. Even vocational ministry is a demotion if it’s not what God wants you to do.
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All Fun and No Funerals Makes Jack a Dumb Boy
Death is an occasion and funeral homes are a place marked by much sadness and grief. And yet, according to Holy Scripture, there is something potentially beneficial about such an occasion and such a place. As the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting” (7:2 NIV). To paraphrase, “Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties” (NLT). Why would the Bible make such an assertion? What is this passage teaching us?
What the Text Isn’t Saying
To begin with, let’s consider what this passage is not teaching:
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