When I see God someday, there are a few things I'd like to ask Him.
Some of my questions are silly (like "Why mosquitoes?") and others are much more serious ("Why did you allow my mom to die so 'early'"?) But more than likely when I see Him face to face for the first time, asking questions about this life will be the furthest thing from my mind during those first few minutes in eternity.
But I think it's safe to say that we all have a large amount of things we don't understand about life on this Earth.
Where is God when bad things happen? (i.e. natural disasters, school shootings)
How can I keep from becoming bitter toward God for not stopping these things?
How do I deal with the uncertainty of life?
What do I do when I'm not sure of God's will?
When bad things happen to me, is it because I don't have enough faith?
Are Christians supposed to have fun?
Well, guess what I'm learning. God answers all of those questions for us in a book called Ecclesiastes...and that is the book I'd love for us to journey though next to start 2013!
Ecclesiastes is written most likely by King Solomon (the same man who wrote Proverbs and Song of Songs/Song of Solomon). He loved God, but during a period of his life, he decided to find meaning apart from God. If any man could do it, it would be Solomon because he had it all in terms of intelligence, industry, and accomplishments. He sought to accumulate great wealth, discover knowledge, and experience pleasure -- in excess. But even still, he was not able to discover the secret to this life on Earth...apart from God.
What I also learned about this book is that Solomon uses the word God (the Sovereign One) rather than the personal name of God, Yahweh. Some scholars believe this is because he was writing this as much to non-believers as he was to the believers.
It's quite a piece of literature, too. Solomon uses personification to portray Biblical wisdom as "The Teacher" or "The Preacher" (depending on your version of the Bible) throughout the book, and unlike the linear writing of our Western culture, Solomon writes in a spiral form as he continually comes back around to the same points. So don't be confused when it seems that he's jumping from one thing to another with no rhyme or reason -- just remember, he's spiraling.
Life is messy. It doesn't make sense to us much of the time. And even those who love God don't end up with all the answers to their questions. But this book, Ecclesiastes, will show us how to make it when God doesn't always meet our wandering and deviant expectations.
Now, I know you're busy. But on Sunday, I read through the entire book of Ecclesiastes in one sitting, and it was wonderful! It's not a very long book at all (took me about 30 minutes), and I really think it would give you an overview (as it did me) of what this book is going to be about. So, if you can, grab a Bible sometime today and read it. Or, here it is for you online: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201-12&version=NIV
Also, to help in this study, I will be using parts of the book The Problem of Life with God by Tommy Nelson. The book is all about Ecclesiastes.
Well, we didn't get into the actual verses today, but I sure am excited to read this one! I have never studied this book before in depth, and I can't wait to see what we learn!
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