Here is the direct link to this week's study:

http://www.ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/07a/less02.html

Let the discussion begin.

I suppose most English tranlations of the Bible follow the KJV in naming the book we are studying "Eccesiastes". In several other languages this book is called "The Preacher" as he is also called in v. 1.

If all is vanity, and nothing is new under the sun, why should the preacher preach? What else can he say?

Is going out in nature to see the beauty of creation the main solution found in the text - in the midst of vanity?

What is vanity today, and what is our solution?

Why does the word Preacher begin with a capital letter? Is it simply to denote a name or title?

Sunday's section says, "The word commonly translated "preacher" here, kohelet, is from the Hebrew root kahal, which means "to assemble," "to gather." In Greek, kohelet is translated into a word similar to the Greek word for "church," ekklesia; from this, of course, we get the name Ecclesiastes. The Jews just called the author, and the book, Kohelet."

I would therefore say that the name of the book is based upon the Greek word rather than on the Hebrew word, which I find interesting, seeing that it was orginally written in Hebrew.

The quoted text in Monday's section says, "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity" (Eccles. 1:2).

What does the Preacher (Solomon) mean by "all is vanity"???

And yes, as Pastor Johann also asked, what is vanity today?

And then, as Pastor Johann also asked, what is the/our solution?

Let me go a step further by asking:

1 - Is worshiping God vanity?
2 - And once again, as Pastor Johann also asked, is going out in nature to see the beauty of creation vanity?

Strong's defines the Hebrew word hebel (Strong's 01892, used 5 times in Ecc 1:2) as:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/strongs.pl?strongs=01892&page=1

From the lexicon:


It looks to me like hebel is used for things which are not lasting. Surely we can find many things, then and now, that fit the bill.

The solution is to focus on that which is lasting. What's the only thing that we can take from this world into the next one?

As the sun was setting Ida and I took a ride to the local waterfalls to see the cascades once more. In the future all that amount of water, 360 square meters a second, might be running through a tunnel in the ground. A couple of kilometers farther down it all runs into the ocean where there is no such power left, or is there?

Just a small creek compared to the Niagara falls between two great nations. 50 years ago we went underneath there where we saw the great powers.

What is the preacher referring to in Eccl. 1:7? Vanity?

Pastor Johann,

I didn't quite understand what you were saying about the falls. What "power" are you talking about? Power generators in the falls?

I think Ecc 1:2-11 is a lament about the lack of purpose or meaning in the various events around us. The water cycle has been that way for a long time, and it will continue that way for a long time. But in and of itself, it has no meaning; it is hebel.

For anything to have real meaning, we have to get past the temporal, and see how they impact the eternal. Consider the sun's rising and setting. I enjoy studying physics and how it keeps the solar system running smoothly. But if I just studied gravity and momentum and how they make the planets move, it would be pretty meaningless. Only as they point me to God do they have true meaning.

Tuesday's section asked an interesting question in relation to what is being posted here.


1 - What point was Solomon making? My answer is that the verses basically says that the living come and go as a vapour, but all else is repetitious, the sun, the wind, the rivers, the water falls, etc.

2 - How accurate were his conclusions? My answer is that what I do not agree with is that the living are not forgotten by God. They may be forgotten by future generations, but they are not forgotten by God. A day is coming when the dead will live again. Those in Christ will live forever. Those not in Christ will die again, but it will be the second death from which there will be no return. There is, therefore, something new under the sun, when all the redeemed will live again for all eternity.

I agree. "There is nothing new" only applies to temporal matters. But if we see through God's eyes, it's a whole new ball game.