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Getting Started: Ecclesiastes

Jeremy Meeks

RESOURCES
Commentaries and Other Reading [pdf, 353kb]
Sermon Series Suggestions [pdf, 66kb]

OVERVIEW
Introduction
Hello, I’m Jeremy Meeks, director of the Chicago Course on Preaching for the Charles Simeon Trust. Today we’re going to talk about the book of Ecclesiastes—because getting started right will help us “cut it straight.”

Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the Bible. It’s strange, uncomfortable, and sometimes unsettling—but if we’ll listen carefully, it is also supremely helpful. It forces us to wrestle with the biggest questions of life:

  • What are we doing here?

  • Does anything matter?

And while it doesn’t answer everything neatly, it helps us learn how to live wisely in a world that doesn’t always make sense.

Context in Wisdom Literature
Ecclesiastes belongs to the wisdom literature, a remarkable yet varied collection. The late British commentator Derek Kidner once compared Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes to three different houses:

  • Proverbs: the grand, prosperous house. It paints a world where living wisely tends to go well.

  • Job: the wrecked house. It shows that even if you live rightly, suffering can undo everything.

  • Ecclesiastes: the decaying house. It reminds us that everything was once beautiful, that beauty still remains—but it is fading.

This “decaying house” perspective makes Ecclesiastes unique and deeply relevant.

Audience and Authorship
Who is Ecclesiastes written for? In one sense, everyone. Believers and unbelievers alike—anyone willing to listen long enough to learn from its wisdom. Still, it is particularly aimed at God’s people, offering truth to those willing to receive it.

Who wrote it? Chapter 1:1 introduces us to “the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” That sounds like Solomon—but the details complicate things. For example, Ecclesiastes 1:12 suggests the Preacher was king, as though no longer ruling, which doesn’t match Solomon’s life.

The best way to understand this is that the author has created a Solomon-like figure—someone with access to all the world’s resources and experiences, who nevertheless discovers truths that even a poor man could grasp. Throughout, I’ll simply refer to him as “the Preacher.”

The Preacher is not so much a public proclaimer as a gatherer—of observations, experiences, and people who will listen. What he offers us is wisdom, but held loosely. Like sand slipping through one’s fingers, he knows the truth but acknowledges its limits.

Structure of the Book
Ecclesiastes often feels structurally elusive. Ten scholars will give you thirty different outlines! The best advice is: embrace the weirdness. Still, a broad shape is clear.

  • Introduction (1:1–11): The narrator introduces the Preacher, his central conviction—“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (1:2)—and his guiding question: What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (1:3).

  • Main Body (1:12–12:8): The Preacher speaks directly, exploring life’s enigmas, contradictions, and fleeting joys.

  • Conclusion (12:9–14): The narrator returns, affirming the Preacher’s wisdom and summing up: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13).

That final verse is vital, but we must resist the temptation to use it as a shortcut—to dismiss the messy middle. The narrator himself insists that the Preacher’s words are wise, truthful, and worth wrestling with (12:9–10).

Themes
Ecclesiastes swings between two poles:

  1. Life feels meaningless—dark, tragic, and frustrating.

  2. Life is wonderful—joyful, delightful, and worth savoring.

The book never settles at either extreme. Instead, it moves back and forth, often within the same passage—just like our lives.

The key word here is “vanity.” But “meaningless” is not the best translation. The Hebrew word hebel is closer to vapor, breath, smoke—something real but fleeting, mysterious, and elusive. My favorite summary word: enigmatic.

Ecclesiastes teaches us to live with that tension: life is both bitter and sweet, meaningful yet fleeting, beautiful yet fading.

Gospel Connections
How does Ecclesiastes connect to the gospel? Carefully. The goal is not to erase the Preacher’s message but to let the gospel deepen it.

Take Ecclesiastes 3:1–15—the famous “time for everything” poem. It celebrates the seasons of life, but it also confronts us with the problem: we don’t control time. God does. And he has placed eternity in our hearts, leaving us restless because we cannot grasp it fully.

The Christian knows more than the Preacher did. In Christ, we see that God governs time perfectly—“when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Gal. 4:4–5). The cross itself happened at exactly the right time. That doesn’t erase our struggles in time, but it assures us that even our confusing seasons fall under God’s good plan.

Poor gospel connections, however, ignore the Preacher:

  • “There’s a time for everything—so today is the time to get saved.” True, but not what the text is teaching.

  • “Eternity in our hearts means longing for Jesus.” Comforting, but opposite of the text’s point.

  • “The Preacher was wrong because he wasn’t a Christian.” That dismisses the whole book.

Instead, start with what the Preacher is truly saying—and then see how Christ fulfills and strengthens that wisdom.

Conclusion
Ecclesiastes helps us live wisely in a world that is both beautiful and broken, fleeting and meaningful. It is for:

  • unbelievers wrestling with life’s contradictions,

  • new believers learning to trust God’s wisdom,

  • and seasoned believers striving to finish well.

Life isn’t easy. Ecclesiastes won’t make it simple, but it will help us face reality with honesty, humility, and faith in the God who rules over it all.

So dig into the book. Live with the Preacher. Let his words shape you and your people. Because while living isn’t easy, Ecclesiastes shows us how to live as wisely—and faithfully—as possible.