If there is no God to judge the world, then human existence is a pointless litigation that ends in meaningless despair. The teacher who wrote Ecclesiastes would have agreed. From the beginning of his book he has been saying that if there is no God, there is on meaning. Nothing matters. But that is not the conclusion that the teacher comes to. Instead, he concludes that there is a God who will judge, not only the world, but everyone who lives in it, and if that’s the case far from life being “meaningless” every single breath we breath and action we take is filled with eternal meaning and significance.
As the Teacher takes stock of all he has observed he reminds all of us, but particularly the young, to hold two realities in tension. First, we should enjoy the good things in life that God gives us, but as we do so we need to remember that All of life is to be lived in light of the fact that we will each die and stand before God to give an account.
As the Teacher takes stock of all he has observed he reminds all of us, but particularly the young, to hold two realities in tension. First, we should enjoy the good things in life that God gives us, but as we do so we need to remember that All of life is to be lived in light of the fact that we will each die and stand before God to give an account.
Living in a world filled with uncertainty can end up making us tentative and cautious. It makes us wonder whether the wisest way to live is to play it safe, but the Teacher tells us that in light of the uncertainty of this world, the wise way forward is to live lives of measured risk because ultimately the risks and investments we make in this life not only bear returns in the here and now but for eternity.
Living in a world filled with uncertainty can end up making us tentative and cautious. It makes us wonder whether the wisest way to live is to play it safe, but the Teacher tells us that in light of the uncertainty of this world, the wise way forward is to live lives of measured risk because ultimately the risks and investments we make in this life not only bear returns in the here and now but for eternity.
How do you navigate a world where the only two certainties are uncertainty and death? The answer, the Teacher tell us, is with wisdom. In this section The Teacher seeks to show us why wisdom is so valuable and offers us some ways to live with wisdom in the areas of leadership, speech and decision making.
How do you navigate a world where the only two certainties are uncertainty and death? The answer, the Teacher tell us, is with wisdom. In this section The Teacher seeks to show us why wisdom is so valuable and offers us some ways to live with wisdom in the areas of leadership, speech and decision making.
There is one thing that is true for every single one of us, no matter how good or bad a life we live, one day we will die. That is a thought that in our culture we tend to run away from, but it is critical that we acknowledge it because knowing that we will die, says the teacher, ought to shape the way that we live.
How should we respond to authorities? What should our posture be towards those who are in authority? Is there ever a time to rebel against the authorities that God has placed over us? These are some of the questions The Teacher seeks to answer in this section. One thing we can know for certain, no matter who appears to be in charge in this world, God alone rules over all things and even though we may not always be able to see of understand what He is doing, we can trust Him.