#YOBL Ecclesiastes

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Week 24: Eccelsiastes

1 . Daily Reading for Week

Proverbs 22-24, Psalm 5

Proverbs 25-27, Psalm 6

Proverbs 28-31, Psalm 7

Ecclesiastes 1-4, Psalm 8

Ecclesiastes 5-8, Psalm 9  

Ecclesiastes 9-12, Psalm 10  

Song of Songs 1-4, Psalm 11

Resources for Week

Read Scripture Video: Ecclesiastes

Read: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 and Ecclesiastes 12

2. FOCUS OF TIME TOGETHER

To hear the unique perspective that Ecclesiastes offers, compare the different worldviews presented to us in the Wisdom Literature, and receive Ecclesiastes’ invitation to reflect on our life and death.

3. CONNECTION AND UNITY EXERCISE (MUTUAL INVITATION)

In one minute, share a time in your life that felt particularly meaningful or meaningless.

4. OPENING PRAYER

Read Psalm 90 together.

5. INTRO TO DISCUSSION

Read Scripture Video: Ecclesiastes

Read: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 and Ecclesiastes 12

“If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:32

The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most confounding and strange books in the entire Bible. It’s constant refrain of “meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless” seems to stand in contrast to the rest of the narrative of Scripture (which suggests that humanity was created by a loving God for a purpose, and the things we do in this life deeply matter). What are we to make then of such a different perspective and odd book as Ecclesiastes? There are two distinct voices in Ecclesiastes: Qohelet, which is typically translated as “Teacher,” whose teachings are presented in Ecclesiastes 1:12-12:7, and a second wise man who introduces Qohelet’s teachings at the beginning (1:1-11) and offers comments at the end (12:8-14). The thrust of Qohelet’s teaching can be summed up by the above Nas lyrics and verse from 1 Corinthians. Basically, life is hard and then you die, so carpe diem, because death will swallow the wise and the foolish alike. Yes, there are better ways to live than others, and we should be aware that God gave us life and He rules the universe, but ultimately we all will die. It is a shockingly nihilistic sentiment. Robert Alter, professor of Hebrew and comparative literature at UC Berkeley, suggests Qohelet is a “literary persona of a radical philosopher articulating… a powerful dissent from the mainline Wisdom outlook that is the background of his thought.”

Qohelet’s famous opening words “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless” are regularly repeated and eventually close his teachings, and they beautifully encapsulate his message. In Hebrew, the word translated “meaningless” is “hevel” and literally refers to the thin, flimsy vapor that comes out of your mouth on a cold or foggy day before immediately disappearing. “Hevel” stands in contrast to the Hebrew word “ruah” or life-breath, the eternal substance that God breathed into humanity in Genesis 1-2. Qohelet’s suggestion is that not only is life meaningless but it is insubstantial, elusive, and ultimately quickly forgotten. True, there is some temporary meaning and substance to life, but as the beautiful and haunting Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 poetically suggests, God gifts us with a short, fleeting life. Our bodies will decay and we will grow old and die.

This leaves us with an interesting dilemma. Are we to take Qohelet’s message at face value and live as if life is ultimately meaningless? Do we hold his teachings alongside the other wisdom literature as well as the prophets and Torah which suggest that our lives are not insubstantial “hevel” but that God has breathed his “ruah” into humanity and given us a purpose? Much of your interpretation of Ecclesiastes will depend on how you view the closing verses of the book. In Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, we find another wise man (NOT Qohelet) suggesting to his son,

  “Now all has been heard;    here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments,    for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment,    including every hidden thing,    whether it is good or evil.”

Some scholars believe this closing section is a pious attempt to deflect readers from the potentially uncomfortable skepticism and nihilism consistently repeated throughout the book. Other scholars, such as our recent lecturer Tremper Longman, believe this section at the end of book is the ultimate message of Ecclesiastes. Yes, life is hard and yes, you will die. In light of this, fear God and keep his commandments. Regardless of how you interpret its closing, Ecclesiastes is a beautifully original book that invites us into deep contemplation about God, life, purpose, meaning, reality, and our place in it.

6. LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION

Questions for Basic Understanding:

These questions are to help us interpret and understand the text as it was intended to be interpreted and understood.

Think back to the other Wisdom Literature books we have read:

As a group, try to sum up Job’s message/perspective.

Next, sum up the message/perspective of the Proverbs.

Finally, have someone sum up the message/perspective of Ecclesiastes.

Why do you think these three different perspectives are presented alongside each other in the Old Testament?

Questions for Listening to Scripture:

These questions are to help us be affected by Scripture in the way it was intended to affect us.

When you hear Qohelet’s repeated refrain of “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless!” how do you respond?

Ecclesiastes, and especially the beautiful poem about dying in chapter 12, invite readers to reflect on the seeming futility of life and inevitability of death. How might thinking about these things invite us into interaction and dialogue with God?

Questions for Interacting with Scripture:

These questions are to help us slow down to taste and notice Scripture, savor its richness, and meditate on its complexity of meaning.

When you read Ecclesiastes, do you find its nihilism depressing, strangely comforting, or both?

How might “meaningless, meaningless” coexist with the rest of the story of Scripture, which says our lives are deeply meaningful to God? How have you seen this tension lived out as you reflect on your own life?

7. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

Questions for Self Examination:

These questions are to help us look at ourselves, be aware and honest about who we are in light of our interaction with Scripture, and consider any appropriate action.

Sit for 3-5 minutes in silent prayer. Imagine that you are seventy-five years old and dying. See the events of your life flash before you.

For what are you grateful?

What would you hope would have been true of your life?

What do you wish you had done differently?

Pay special attention to the years between your present age and your death.

Does the Book of Ecclesiastes offer you anything as you imagine these things?

Share your responses with one another.

10. CLOSING

End your time together by offering a prayer that confides in God about aspects of life that feel meaningless. But also in your prayer, seek to articulate hope, bringing to God the things from your small-group reflection time which you hope will be true of your life.

For example: “God, I acknowledge the way ___ feels meaningless, and I turn to you in hope for beauty and purpose in ___.”

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Week 29: A New Way: Ezekiel Part 2

1. RECAP & PREPARING FOR CG Daily Reading for Week

Ezekiel 31-33, Psalm 40

Ezekiel 34-36, Psalm 41

Ezekiel 37-39, Psalm 42

Ezekiel 40-44, Psalm 43  

Ezekiel 45-48, Psalm 44  

Ezra 1-3, Psalm 45

Ezra 4-7, Psalm 46  

Resources for Week

Read Scripture Video: Ezekiel 34-48

Read: Ezekiel 34, 36:22-37, 37, 39:25-29, 47:1-12

2. FOCUS OF TIME TOGETHER

To identify the promise God made to Israel through Ezekiel and other prophets of bringing about a new, mysterious way for Israel to faithfully follow their covenant with Him. Also, to reflect on the implications of this promise for all humanity.

3. GROUND RULE / GOAL / VALUE FOR THE WEEK

Goal: Our goal this week is to act as priests towards one another, being aware of ways we can thoughtfully invite others into interaction and dialogue with God.

4. CONNECTION AND UNITY EXERCISE (MUTUAL INVITATION)

Share which of the recent books we’ve read in YOBL over the last month that you enjoyed the most and why (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel).

5. OPENING PRAYER

Read Ezekiel 34:25-31 aloud.

6. INTRO TO DISCUSSION

Great deathly powers have passed: The black and bitter cold, the wind That broke and felled strong trees, the rind Of ice that held at last Even the fleshly heart In cold that made it seem a stone. And now there comes again the one First Sabbath light, the Art That unruled, uninvoked, Unknown, makes new again and heals, Restores heart’s flesh so that it feels Anew the old deadlocked Goodness of its true home That it will lose again and mourn, Remembering the year reborn In almost perfect bloom

In almost shadeless wood, Sweet air which neither burned nor chilled In which the tenderest flower prevailed, The light made flesh and blood.

-Wendell Berry III (1980), from A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems, 1979-1997

Last week, we looked at the first half of Ezekiel and saw the culmination of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness and continued idolatry. Not only were they defeated and sent into exile to live as slaves to first Assyria and then Babylon, but the glory of God left the heart of the Temple in Jerusalem. God’s faithful guiding presence, always with them since the Exodus, picked up and left. Soon after, Babylon burned Jerusalem and the Temple to the ground. The curses which God made clear would happen if Israel was unfaithful to the covenant were now fully realized.

This is the darkest moment in Israel’s history. Israel (and Ezekiel) are left with many questions. What does it mean that they are God’s people if they are no longer in the land, no longer have the Temple to worship in, and the presence of God no longer dwells among them? Was it even possible for Israel to be faithful to the covenant when generation after generation had failed? How is God going to bring about the renewal of the world and the nations through Israel (see Genesis 12) if Israel is utterly destroyed? In the midst of this despair, God’s answer is one of surprising hope. Yes, Israel is reaping the just reward of their evil, idolatry, and covenant unfaithfulness. But God is still faithful to His covenant.

Ezekiel 34-48 are God’s promises of hope and restoration to Israel at their lowest. In Ezekiel 34, He promises to replace their bad leaders and to lead (shepherd) the people Himself back from exile into the land He promised them. In Ezekiel 36, He addresses the inability of Israel to uphold covenant faithfulness. He will purify them, sprinkle them with clean water (language tied to purity laws in Leviticus), and replace their hearts of cold, stubborn stone with ones of warm, responsive flesh. In Ezekiel 37 (the infamous and often misunderstood Valley of Dry Bones, which is not a passage about bodily resurrection), God promises to revive and restore Israel as a nation from a state of complete deadness to one of new, Spirit-breathed life. In Ezekiel 39:25-29, He promises that as a newly renewed nation, Israel will reflect God’s holiness to the nations around them, thus fulfilling the vision of Genesis 12. In Ezekiel 40-48, He promises through symbolic architecture that He will once again dwell among His people. In Ezekiel 43, God’s glory returns to dwell in this newly rebuilt Temple after having left in Ezekiel 10-11. Finally, in Ezekiel 47, there is an Eden-like picture of a river of pure water flowing from the center (where God’s glory dwells) of the Temple outward. Everywhere it goes, this river brings abundant life — even reviving the Dead Sea from a state so salty that no life can exist to a place teeming with fish and life. Israel’s restoration will lead to the restoration of God’s creation itself.

8. LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION

Questions for Listening to Scripture:

Imagine yourself as an Israelite in exile in Babylon. You have heard that the Temple and Jerusalem have been burned to the ground. In light of this reality, what would it be like to hear the promises in Ezekiel 34-48?

Questions for Interacting with Scripture:

We are going to take the next 60 minutes to hear and reflect on the promises of God to Israel in exile. Try to place yourself in the shoes (or sandals) of an Israelite living in exile in Babylon. As each promise is being read, pay attention to the images and language. Feel free to write down any particular phrase or verse that stands out in your mind as particularly beautiful or hopeful.

Have multiple people open to the following passages in the Book of Ezekiel and read:

Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel 36:22-37

Ezekiel 37

Ezekiel 39:25-29

Ezekiel 43:1-9

Ezekiel 47:1-12

Using mutual invitation, invite each other to share your answers to the following questions:

What strikes you about the tone of Ezekiel 34-48 compared with the tone of Ezekiel 1-33?

Which of the images and promises given in Ezekiel 34-48 do you find most striking and affecting? What is it about this image or promise that is connecting with you in this moment?

9. CLOSING

Close your time by identifying and praying for the places in our lives, community, city, and world that most need to see the kind of hope and revival found in the Ezekiel passages we read. Try to use the language of those particular passages to help guide your prayers.