The Philippians of the Old Testament, Traditions (3)

In one paragraph

This message was the third in a series on Ecclesiastes, and it traced the arc of Solomon's life from his anointing through his wisdom and wealth, his ignored warnings, and finally his regret, all to help make sense of why the book was written and what it is actually asking of us. Pastor Mike used that arc to argue that Ecclesiastes is not a depressing book but a purposeful one, written by a man...

Read together

1. Ecclesiastes 1:2 quoted as 'vanity of vanities, says the preacher' and examined in Hebrew as the opening of the book
2. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 quoted as the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, keep his commandments, God will bring every work into judgment
3. Ecclesiastes 12:11 quoted on first day of seminary: the words of the wise are like goads, words of scholars like well driven nails given by one shepherd
4. Ecclesiastes 12:12 quoted immediately after 12:11: of making many books there is no end and much study is worrisome to the flesh
5. 1 Kings 2:1-4 David's solemn warning to Solomon to walk in God's ways and keep His commandments so the throne would endure
6. 1 Kings 8:46 quoted from Solomon's temple dedication prayer: there is no one who does not sin
7. 1 Kings 11:1-3 Solomon loved many foreign women who turned his heart away after other gods; he had 700 wives and 300 concubines
8. 1 Kings 9:1-9 God appears to Solomon a second time after the temple and palace are finished, warning him to walk before Him or be cut off
9. Psalm 72 identified as written by Solomon; his name shall endure forever like the sun and all nations shall call him blessed, referenced as pointing to Jesus
10. Psalm 127:1 quoted: unless the Lord builds the house the builders labor in vain, unless the Lord watches over the city the guards stand watch in vain
11. Psalm 51 referenced as David pleading that God not remove His Holy Spirit after his sin with Bathsheba
12. Nehemiah 13:26 quoted to confirm Solomon's foreign wives led him into sin: there was no king like him but even he was led into sin by foreign wives
13. James 4:17 referenced as: to know to do right and not to do it, that is sin
14. Matthew 6:29 referenced as Jesus saying Solomon in all his splendor was never arrayed as the lilies of the field

Talk about it

1. The pastor opened with the idea that Ecclesiastes can be read as 'the Philippians of the Old Testament,' full of golden nuggets rather than just discouragement. What has your own experience been reading Ecclesiastes, and what has made it feel like ore to dig through or gold to find?
2. David warned Solomon to keep his heart toward God, and then God repeated almost the same warning after the temple dedication. Solomon heard those warnings clearly and still turned away. What do you think made it so hard for Solomon to obey what he already knew to be true?
3. The pastor drew a distinction between someone who says 'do as I say, not as I do,' which is hypocrisy, and someone who says 'do as I say, not as I did,' which is a teacher speaking from hard experience. How does seeing Ecclesiastes as Solomon's honest look back at his own failures change the way you read his advice?
4. The imperative verbs the pastor pulled from the later chapters of Ecclesiastes, enjoy what God has given, rejoice, do whatever you do with all your might, live generously, remember your Creator, all point toward a fully engaged life. Which of those feels most challenging or most neglected in your own life right now, and why?
5. The pastor closed by saying the message of the sermon is not condemnation but grace, and that knowing what is right has to be followed by actually doing it. Where in your life do you sense the gap between what you know God is calling you to and what you are actually living out?