I tried everything

• Having a good time doesn’t satisfy the soul ( 2:1-2)
• Wine doesn’t satisfy (vs 3)
• Owning buildings and property doesn’t satisfy (vs 4-6)
• Employing lots of people doesn’t satisfy (vs 7)
• Wealth doesn’t satisfy (vs 8)
• Music doesn’t satisfy (vs 8)
• I had everything; I did everything; nothing satisfied me (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
• Wisdom is greater than folly (vs 12-14); but
• fools and the wise alike die (vs 15-17).
• Why work hard so that you can leave it all behind to a fool? (vs 18-21)
• Life is difficult (vs 22-23)
• It really doesn’t matter what you have or what you’ve done, as long as you enjoy it (vs 24-26). To enjoy life is a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:13).
• There is a time for everything (3:1-8).
• Work and beauty are gifts from God, too (vs 9-12)
• God’s work is eternal; there’s nothing new (vs 14-15)
• Judicial corruption exists (vs 16-17)
• Men live and die; animals live and die (vs 18-21)
• Enjoy life. That’s what I say. (Ecclesiastes 3:21, 13; Ecclesiastes 2:24)

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Vanity of Vanities

The theme and conclusion of the book: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8).

• What profit is there in life’s pursuits? (Eccl 1:3. Cf. 2:11; 3:9; 5:9, 16; 7:11; 10:10). Indeed, what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mark 8:36)? (vs 3)
• Do all you can, get all you can. Life goes on. (vs 4)
• Things around us keep changing (vs 5-8);
• yet there’s nothing new (vs 9-11).
• So I, the preacher-king of Israel, set out on a quest to understand life (vs 12-18).

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The dark spot on Solomon’s reputation

Solomon loved women, foreign women, women who didn’t love God (1 Kings 11:1).

God warned Solomon not to associate with unbelieving women; but he chose to love them anyway (1 Kings 11:2).

As predicted, these unsaved women turned Solomon away from God (vs 4-8).

The LORD was angry with Solomon for his sin, and He announced that the kingdom would be divided (vs 9-14).

God raised up two adversaries to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite (vs 8:14), and Rezon (vs 8:23).

When God announced that the divided kingdom would be in the hands of Jereboam, Solomon himself made Jereboam his adversary (vs 8:40).

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• The shepherd/king’s description of his love continues (7:1-9).
• She wants the two of them to run away (7:10-13); and
• she dreams of their being together (8:8:1-3).
• The attendants imagine her returning with her beloved (8:5a).
• The bride vows eternal love (8:6-7).
• Her friends would improve her looks (8:8-9).
• She agrees with their assessment of her beauty (8:10).
• When her friends speak of Solomon’s vineyards (8:11),
• she asserts that a thousand vineyards could not replace her true love (8:12).
• The two exchange parting thoughts of their love and desires (8:13-14)

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