The meaning of life- Ecclesiastes
My church has recently been going through it and I find myself regretting not having studied it years ago. Sure, I'd read bits and pieces. The whole first chapter at one point. But I found myself confused and depressed and I just gave up and moved to another book. However, now that I have grounded myself more firmly in the study of God's Word over the last couple of years, I find that I now understand the book more easily. One key was understanding that when Solomon says "under the sun" he is referring to life apart from God. I now see that there is rich meaning to be found within the book of Ecclesiastes, just as there is in each book of the Bible.
There are so many particular points which struck home for me, it would take forever to discuss them all, and the points may be different for each of you, but I do think there are two things which we can all understand and take to heart. The first is that, if God's glory is not the ultimate motivation for what you are doing, then your actions are meaningless, pointless, - as Solomon says, "chasing after the wind." The other thing is something my pastor pointed out and it really stuck with me. Have you ever wondered, "Does what I do really matter?" , or "Is my life really important in the big scheme of things?" Well, the answer is a resounding YES! As my pastor put it:
3 Comments:
More of a general question than a comment...
"I find myself regretting not having studied it years ago." I brought this up on the Kaleo Forum but no one has replied so far...so, how do you study the word of God? I'm curious what methods people use to study effectively. Do you randomly pick a book to read or dou you look for a specific topic to study or do you just start at the begining and go from there?
By
archshrk, at 11/15/2004 4:49 PM
I've tried all three methods actually. The last (starting at the beginning) being usually employed when I'm feel guilty about there being portions of the Bible which I have yet to read and decide reading the Bible in a year is THE way to go. (Never made it passed Numbers with that method.)
Mostly, something in my life will lead me to certain scripture. For example, a Sunday Sermon, question from a friend, or a remembrance of a verse that leads me into further studying the surrounding chapter. Occasionally I do set out to study a particular book from start to finish, but usually I take things a chapter at a time.
I feel that I'd rather read a little truly understand a little than read a lot and understand little.
Thanks for asking. Hope this answered your question.
By
KMD, at 11/24/2004 3:45 PM
Ugh. That's what I get for trying to post in a hurry. (Can't edit comments after they're posted.) :>
I meant to say "I'd rather read a little and truly understand it, then read a lot and not understand most of it."
However, I do try to focus on one book until I've read through it- I just don't keep exclusively to it. For example, right now I'm really focused on the Psalms, but I don't necessarily read the chapters in order due to the nature of the book, and I don't limit myself. If my interest is peaked elsewhere, I take a detour, and eventually come back to the book I'm focusing on.
And of course there's always crossreferencing which sends me off in all sorts of directions at times.
I hope that clarifies things. :> Hmm . . . sounds a lot less organized when put into words than it does in my mind. Oh well.
By
KMD, at 11/24/2004 6:42 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home