Welcome

Every Dead End Road is the title of my upcoming book about Ecclesiastes. This book will help you understand the sometimes confusing content of that Bible wisdom literature. Properly understood, Ecclesiastes will keep you from wasting your life chasing that which can't satisfy. 

I wrote my previous book, Biblical Bible Study, alone in my office. I sent completed chapters to beta readers for review. For this book, I'm posting content as I write it. It won't be perfect--it's a work in progress. I invite you to read and comment on each section as I it publish it. You're input will make the final version of the book a greater blessing to others to the glory of God.

Thank for you interest and input,

Keith Gardner

Product Problems

 As we discussed in the previous chapter, Solomon’s research methods were flawed. It’s not surprising, then, that some of his conclusions are also flawed. “Wait,” you object, “it’s in the Bible, so it must be true! Are you saying there are errors in the Bible?”

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable (2Ti 3:16). What the Bible records is accurate, but it’s not all true. For example, God said:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:17)

The serpent said:

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (Gen 3:4)

Both Bible verses are accurate, but only the first is true. The second is an accurately recorded lie. You see the same thing in the Book of Job. I still remember reading it for the first time. I underlined, highlighted, and wrote notes about the statements of Job’s three friends. Lots of great stuff. But then I read this in the last chapter:

And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.  (Job 42:7)

I had to review my notes! Some things Job’s friends said resonated with me because I had the same wrong view of God they did. I had to compare their statements with Job’s, and with the Bible as a whole, so I didn’t come away with the wrong idea.

We need to be careful about what we embrace in Ecclesiastes, too. Some of Solomon’s conclusions from his experience, experiments, observation, and contemplation are just wrong. We’ll touch on that from time to time throughout the book. Here, we’ll point out two of the more obvious errors.

Men are Beasts

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? (Ecc 3:18-21)

Solomon’s conclusions in this passage are based on observation. “My dog, Spot, died. We dug a hole and plated her in the ground. My uncle Jacob died. We dug a hole and planted him in the ground.” It’s all the same. The word beasts here isn’t an insult, it’s a synonym for animals. “What God’s trying to teach us,” Solomon said, “is that we’re beasts.” This is the conclusion of evolutionists and atheists, too.

“There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their ability to feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery”—Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man

“We admit that we are like apes, but we seldom realize that we are apes.”—Richard Dawkins, The Ancestor’s Tale

“We are not the end product of a purposeful process. We are a tiny, late-arising twig on the enormously arborescent bush of life”—Stephen Jay Gould, Ever Since Darwin

That’s an easy conclusion to arrive at if all your data comes from your observations and deductions. But let’s compare Solomon’s conclusions to God’s Word.

• They have all one breath
• And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen 2:7)
• God doesn’t say this about any beast.
• They themselves are beasts / A man hath no preeminence above a beast
• And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen 1:26-27)
• When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: (Psa 8:3-6)
• All go unto one place
• For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. (Job 19:25-27)
• Even Job knew that death isn’t the end of man’s story.
• If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (1Co 15:19)
• Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward
• This is, in fact, a question. Who knows if the spirit of a man goes up. We say that, but we can’t observe it. It’s nothing we see under the sun.
• We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2Co 5:8)
• For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1Th 4:16-18)

Life’s the Worst!

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. (Ecc 4:1-3)

Solomon witnessed the tears of the oppressed in his land. They were powerless and comfortless. Here’s how Solomon rank contestants in the Oppression Olympics:

• Bronze: the living, who have to endure such oppression
• Silver: the dead, who have escaped oppression
• Gold: the unborn, who have never been exposed to such injustice

Solomon concluded it’s better not to be born, than to live in a world like ours. What if the Jews in Egyptian bondage embraced Solomon’s philosophy? Here’s what life was like for them:

And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. (Exo 1:13-14)

Living Jews would have ended their lives to escape the grinding oppression of Egyptian bondage. Prospective parents, like Amram and Jochebed, would have said, “We can’t bring a child into a world like this.” And Moses wouldn’t have been born to lead Israel out of Egypt. Taken to its logical conclusion, the Jewish nation would be gone. God’s plan to bring His Son into the world to save us would have been thwarted.

Yet in the face of seemingly hopeless oppression, “the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” (Exo 1:12) Getting up tomorrow is an act of faith. It says, “It’s hard now, but God is, so there is hope. Hope of deliverance. Hope God will work in and through the struggle.”

Christ’s offer of abundant life (Joh 10:10) is the antidote to despair. It reveals the Father’s heart—His desire for us to live life as He intended. There may be dark days, but our pain has purpose.

These are two cases where Solomon’s faulty process produces a faulty product. We’ll return to these and identify others as we move through Ecclesiastes. Throughout our journey, we’ll compare Solomon’s conclusions and recommendations with the rest of Scripture. (This is a good general Bible study principle. Compare Scripture with Scripture to be sure you’re interpreting it properly. That’s especially true in the Bible’s historical accounts. Often the Bible reports people’s deeds without providing God’s judgment about them. It’s up to us to search the Scriptures to confirm our understanding.)

Process Problems

 Solomon’s process for learning to live a meaningful life is flawed in several ways that we’ll explore in this chapter. They are:

• He had no prophet or counselor
• He neglected God’s Word
• He mentioned no prayer
• He relied too much on his heart and mind.
• He conducted sinful experiments

What’s Missing?

You may not notice as you read Ecclesiastes, but several elements you’d expect to find are missing. Their absence is significant because they’re keys to living a meaningful life.

No Prophet or Counselor

When King David considered building a Temple for God, he talked it over with Nathan the prophet (2Sa 7:1-17). God sent Nathan to correct David when he sinned with Bathsheba (2Sa 12:1-14). He was instrumental in Solomon’s ascension to the throne (1Ki 1). He also wrote a biography of Solomon that’s not included in the Bible (2Ch 9:29). That means he was around when Solomon pursued his quest for meaning. The verse mentions the prophets Ahijah and Iddo ministering during his reign, too. King Solomon also had counselors, whose advice his son, Rehoboam, ignored (1Ki 12: 6-8; 2Ch 10:6-8).

Yet in Solomon’s quest for meaning, which took years, he mentions no prophet or counselor. He talks to himself multiple times. But he doesn’t appear to have discussed this important issue at all. He records no conversations with, or contributions from, anyone. Solomon reached all his conclusions by experience, observation and contemplation. That’s especially surprising because Solomon repeatedly told his son the importance of good counsel.

• …in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. (Pro 11:14; 24:6)
• …Every purpose is established by counsel… (Pro 15:22; 20:18)
• Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. (Pro 19:20)
• The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. (Pro 12:15)

That last verse is especially on point. Counsel is useful because we’re all inclined to think we’re right. Then we look for evidence to support our opinion and ignore contrary data. (A logical fallacy called confirmation bias [ “Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.” (Wikipedia, 2024)].) That is Solomon’s point in Proverbs 18:2.

A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

No matter how smart, educated, or wise you are, it’s almost always a good idea to get input from others to avoid confirmation bias.

No Scripture

God commanded Israel’s kings to hand write a personal copy of the Scriptures and read it all their lives:

And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: (Deu 17:18-19)

But Ecclesiastes isn’t a meditation on Scripture. Solomon didn’t read the creation account and ponder what it meant to be made in God’s image and likeness. Ecclesiastes contains ideas presented elsewhere in God’s Word. But there’s no “as it is written” or “thus saith the Lord,” which appear so often throughout the Bible. God’s Word is as basic to spiritual life as bread is to physical life. 

But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  (Mat 4:4)

Trying to find life’s meaning and purpose without Scripture is a mistake.

No Prayer

In the face of life’s most challenging situations, men of God took their complaints and questions to Him in prayer. When Solomon’s father, David, faced the vanity of life, he expressed it to God in prayer.

LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.  (Psa 39:4-7)

Yet Solomon doesn’t record or recommend pray at all. Prayer should be a key part of tackling important life issues. Don’t follow Solomon’s example here.

Objection Answered

You may object to my three previous points. “Hold on,” you say, “it doesn’t say he didn’t seek counsel, search Scripture, and pray. You’re arguing from silence, Mr. Avoid Logical Fallacies!” I see your point but consider what Ecclesiastes is. It’s a record of Solomon’s research and a summary of his findings. He details what he did and how he did it. Despite the level of detail he provides, all three elements are (mostly) missing.

What’s Mistaken?

Two aspects of Solomon’s approach are wrong. He did things that you as a believer shouldn’t do.

Follow Your Heart

Solomon looked to his heart to guide him and to evaluate his experiences.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven… (1:13, 17; 2:3; 7:25; 8:9, 16)

• I communed with mine own heart… (1:16)
• I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee… (2:1)
• …I withheld not my heart from any joy… (2:10)  
• Then said I in my heart… (2:15; 3:17, 18 )  
• …a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. (8:5)
• For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this… (9:1)  

Is that approach reliable? Can we find meaning, purpose, and truth if only we follow our heart? It’s a popular philosophy, but Solomon knew better:

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.  (Pro 28:26)

Our universal sinfulness (Rom 3:23), a manifestation of the wicked human heart (Mat 5:18-19), makes our heart an unreliable guide:

• For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecc 7:20)
• …the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (9:3)

Other Scriptures confirm our heart disease:

• And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen 6:5)
• The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer 17:9)

Unrestrained Desire

Another problem with Solomon’s approach was his unrestrained desire. He said yes to anything he wanted. 

Ecc 2:10  And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

That’s an accurate record of Solomon’s decision making process. “I work hard. Why shouldn’t I enjoy the fruits of my labor and get whatever I want,” seems to be the sentiment. Don’t follow his example! I can’t imagine any pastor telling a church member, “If you see something you really want, go for it! You deserve it.”

This is a problem on several levels. First, you don’t need personal experience to confirm God’s commands. For example, God commanded His people not to intermarry with their heathen neighbors:

And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. (Exo 34:16)

The wisest man on the planet couldn’t violate God’s Law and avoid the predicted outcome (1Ki 11:1-4). Solomon didn’t need a sinful experiment to confirm God’s command.  You don’t need to practice evil to discover that it’s bad. God’s boundaries are for our protection—trust Him.

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. (Deu 6:24)

Second, it’s ironic that Solomon tried everything so he could tell us what’s good and bad for us. He took no one’s word for it. He tested everything personally. Then he said to his readers, “There’s nothing you can do that I haven’t already done. Don’t waste your time going down that road.” He was telling them that they didn’t have to make every mistake themselves. They could trust his experience and evaluation. If you’re going to take someone’s word for it, let it be God’s Word.

Finally, we’re inclined to consider experience the measure of all things. But a hundred variables, many beyond our awareness, impact our experiences. Our judgment of what made things turn out as they did may be wrong.

For example, our culture puts too much stock in success stories. We look to the business tycoon, the star athlete, or the gold medalist. They usually cite preparation, dedication, courage and passion as keys to their success. Undoubtedly, others execute the same steps, with equal dedication and passion, but don't win. How many Olympic athletes pour their lives into their pursuit of Olympic gold, only to finish off the platform? But winners get to tell their stories, and we codify them into formulas for success.

Being Desire-Driven is Dangerous

Adam and Eve believed the lie that God was withholding something good from them. They gained first-hand knowledge of evil by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6). Their if I want it, I’ll take it thinking plunged the world into chaos. We’re not supposed to live that way. 

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1Jn 2:15-16)

Believers aren’t supposed to let our desires make our decisions.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Rom 13:14)

Giving into lusts (desires) contrary to God’s Word is the heart of sin. You want the wrong thing, you seek it at the wrong time, or in the wrong way. When a sinful desire (lust) meets a sinful opportunity (enticement), they conceive a murderous baby named sin:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (Jas 1:14-15)

Solomon followed a flawed process in his quest for the meaning of life. It’s shouldn’t surprise you to learn, then, that his flawed process produced a flawed product. That is, his limited approach caused him to draw some incomplete or false conclusions. We’ll tackle that in the next chapter.

Purpose and Process

Purpose

Early in Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us what he tried to accomplish.

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. (2:3)

He wanted to find and share the best way for people to live. He repeats this idea later in the book: “For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow… (6:12)?” Solomon wanted to figure out what makes life worthwhile. He could then turn to his readers and say, “Listen, this is how you should live.” 

Both passages use the phrase all the days of his life. Solomon wasn’t looking for hacks that might improve life under certain circumstances. He sought a unified theory of life, a human heuristic [A commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem.] everyone could apply. Put another way, Solomon wanted to know what would profit people. That question permeates Ecclesiastes. 

• What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? (1:3) 
• For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart… (2:22)
• What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? (3:9)
• …what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind? (5:16)

Solomon tells us about his servants and cattle (2:7), silver and gold (2:8), and how he increased more than all who were before him in Jerusalem (2:9). We’d say Solomon’s ventures were profitable. But that wasn’t Solomon’s idea of profit. We know that because he tells us none of it profited him:

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. (2:11)

Solomon sought fulfillment, meaning and purpose. He was asking, “What makes life worth living?” Clearly, his answer wasn’t more stuff. That tracks with what Jesus said. Christ’s offer of life more abundantly (Joh 10:10) wasn’t a promise to load us up with material possessions. That’s not abundant life according to Jesus:

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (Luk 12:15)

Process

How did Solomon try to figure out life’s meaning? What tools and techniques did he use to reach his conclusions? Knowing Solomon’s research methods helps us see what’s profitable and what’s problematic. (We’ll consider the problems in the next chapter.) In summary, Solomon used:

• Experience and Experiment
• Observation
• Contemplation and Reason

Experience and Experiment

Much of Solomon’s data comes from personal experience. Here are examples from chapter two that reveal how much his own experience factored into his quest (2:4-8):

• I made me great works; 
• I builded me houses; 
• I planted me vineyards
• I made me gardens and orchards
• I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits
• I made me pools of water
• I got me servants and maidens
• I had great possessions of great and small cattle
• I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings
• I gat me men singers and women singers

As we all do, Solomon drew conclusions about life from personal experience. He considered the meaning of his experience up to that point. But some proposed pathways to purpose remained to be explored. 

So Solomon also did things outside his normal experience to see if they had value. He sought first-hand experience of everything. He tested every idea practically. He tried new things:

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. (2:1)

I will prove thee with mirth, was future tense. That is, he would do in the future what he hadn’t done in the past. He did this with other experiences.

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. (2:3)

The phrases give my self unto and lay hold on speak of experiencing these things personally and fully. He asked, “What happens if I let wine flow freely in my life?” “What happens if I behave foolishly? Maybe being open to anything, no matter how foolish it seems, is the path to purpose.” Maybe those who say, “If it feels good, do it,” are onto something. He decided to find out for himself.

Solomon put every theory to the test, no matter how unlikely it was to produce a positive outcome. No one could tell him, “Don’t knock it until you try it.” He could honestly reply, “Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.”

Observation

I don’t have to run with the bulls at Pamplona to decide it’s a bad idea. Seeing participants trampled and gored tells me all I need to know. Solomon didn’t have to learn everything the hard way. He was wise enough to leverage the experiences of others. He learned by seeing what they did and how it turned out. Phrases like I have seen, I saw, I looked, or I beheld appear twenty-seven times over twelve chapters. Solomon leaned hard on what he could observe.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecc 1:14)

He records what he could see under the sun. The phrase appears twenty-seven times in Ecclesiastes and refers to what is observable. Nothing done in darkness. Nothing of the spirit realm here. Every time he uses this phrase, Solomon is basically saying, “If you don’t believe me, see for yourself. The evidence is there for anyone willing to look.”

Contemplation and Reason

Solomon thought deeply about the significance of his experience, experiments, and observations. Self-talk and contemplation abound in Ecclesiastes.

• And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven… (1:13)
• I communed with mine own heart, saying… (1:16)
• And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived… (1:17)
• I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee… (2:1)
• I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things… (7:25)

Solomon brought impressive tools to bear on the question of meaning. His unparalleled wisdom, wealth, and power positioned him to fully explore the human condition. He was ideally equipped to discover the secrets of living with purpose. Despite his supreme qualifications, though, his approach had limitations and problems. We’ll consider those in the next chapter.

Author's Qualifications

Knowing it was Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes helps us understand why God inspired him to write this book. He was perfectly positioned to travel every road that promises pleasure and purpose. More than anyone on the planet, he could fully test every theory. Let’s consider Solomon’s situation as recorded in 1st Kings 4:

King of a Thriving Nation

(20) Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.  (21) And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 

Solomon ruled over a large, thriving kingdom. It was the biggest and best in Israel’s history. 

And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. (25)

From Dan (at Israel’s northern border) to Beersheba (at its southern border), Jewish citizens enjoyed extraordinary security and prosperity. In the U.S. we’d say from sea to shining sea. That is, they enjoyed peace and prosperity throughout the land. There weren’t pockets of peace and prosperity mingled with regions of peril and poverty. “Every man under his vine and under his fig tree,” is a vivid way of describing the prosperity and tranquility of the period. How good was it? Well, that’s how the prophet Micah describes life on Earth when God’s sets up His millennial kingdom:

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. (Mic 4:3-4)

A Peaceful Reign

Neighboring nations were at peace with Israel (24), paid tribute to and served Solomon his whole life. His reign was free from civil unrest, without external hostilities, and well funded. Solomon wasn’t fighting to survive. This allowed him to pursue life’s deeper questions. You and I may struggle to do the things we’d like to do because we’re too busy dealing with life’s chaos. Solomon had that covered.

Popular and Famous

(22)  And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,  (23)  Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.

Solomon was one hungry fella! Kidding. This was the food prepared daily for him “and all that came to Solomon’s table (27).” This tells us He entertained an enormous number of citizens and international visitors. People came from around the world to meet this extraordinary man (34). The Queen of Sheba’s visit with Solomon left her breathless (1Ki 10:1-9). Reality surpassed the stories she had heard about him. Imagine having that many people wanting to be with you every day! To say he was popular is an understatement.

Wisdom

What attracted people to Solomon was his extraordinary wisdom. He was wiser than all men. That exceptional wisdom, used to lead a nation, produced unparalleled peace and prosperity—manifestations of his wisdom.

(29)  And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.  (30)  And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.  (31)  For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.  (32)  And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

Wisdom was God’s gift to Solomon in answer to prayer:

And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. (2Ch 1:11-12)

Riches and Wealth

Solomon was fabulously rich! 1st Kings 10:14-29 catalogs his wealth. We won’t go into detail here, but I’d encourage you to read it. In summary, it says:

So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. (1Ki 10:23-24)

There are some things I’d love to do, but I can’t afford. That’s probably true for you, too. It wasn’t for Solomon. Literally, money was no object for him.

Unchallenged Authority

God made Solomon Israel’s king. He was the nation’s highest authority. His word was law. He ordered his brother, Adonijah, executed for trying to usurp his authority (1Ki 2:24). He removed Abiathar from being High Priest (1Ki 2:27). He had Israel’s commanding general, Joab, executed and replaced him with Benaiah (1Ki 2:28-35). He ruled over Israel’s religious leadership. He ruled over Israel’s military. Imagine having the power to eliminate any adversary; to enact any rule, or embark on any project. You may lack the power to pursue your goals. Solomon didn’t. No one stood in his way.

Women

Solomon didn’t long for female companionship. He had an incredible number of wives and concubines:

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1Ki 11:1-4)

His many mates foreign wives violated God’s command not to take a mate from outside the Jewish nation (Exo 34:16). God also explicitly commanded Israel’s kings not to multiply wives:

Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deu 17:17)

Wisdom is not substitute for obedience. Solomon got this wrong. Even so, companionship and sexual satisfaction were abundantly available to him.

Summary

Solomon had more of everything that promises pleasure and purpose than you’ll ever have. He fully explored every promising path so you wouldn’t have to. There’s no need to waste your life, only to find out he was right. That’s his point here when he asks “…what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. 2:12”

Who Wrote Ecclesiastes?

Introduction

Ecclesiastes is part of the Old Testament’s wisdom literature. It’s a record of the author’s investigation to “see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.” (2:3) He wanted to figure out, for himself and others, the best way to live life. 

Before we review his findings, let’s decide if he’s worth listening to. Has someone given you advice and you thought who is this guy, why should I listen to him? Fair question. Before we take the author’s advice, let’s figure out who he is and consider his qualifications.

Authorship Clues

Ecclesiastes doesn’t name its author, but gives us enough clues to identify him. The first verse gives us a lot to go on:

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (1:1)

The author calls himself the Preacher. The book name, Ecclesiastes, comes from the Greek word for church-ecclesia. It’s a gathering of people; people assembly to hear. The Greek edition of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, calls this book Ecclesiastes. It refers to the Preacher, the caller of assemblies.

The author also tells us he’s the son of David. That limits the pool of possible authors dramatically. David personally had quite a few sons. The Bible names thirteen sons David fathered, and mentions other unnamed sons (1Ch 3:1-6). 

The phrase Son of David also applied to David’s offspring in future generations. God promised David’s house (his future family) an enduring kingdom with his offspring reigning. 

But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. (2Sa 7:15-16)

So, being called son of David was a way to say rightful heir to the throne. The New Testament often uses this phrase about the Lord Jesus, God’s ultimate fulfillment of His promise to David.

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Mat 1:1)

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. (Mat 22:41-42)

And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (Mat 21:9)

So, the Preacher, the son of David, could refer to any of David’s future male offspring. But the author also tells us he was king. David had many male descendants, but most didn't reign. That makes the pool of author candidates even smaller.

Later, He tells us he was king over Israel in Jerusalem (1:12). That nails it down. How many sons of David ruled over Israel in Jerusalem? One. After King Solomon's reign, his son Rehoboam was about to become king. Before his coronation, the people said, “Your father taxed us to death. Give us a tax break and we'll vote for you.” Rehoboam took the advice of the guys he grew up with and answered, “You ain’t see nothing yet.” To which ten of Israel’s twelve tribes replied, “We’re out!” (1Ki 12:1-24)

The ten breakaway Northern tribes were known as Israel. The Southern tribes of Judah and (tiny) Benjamin, were called Judah. Samaria became Israel’s capital, and Judah kept Jerusalem as its capital. After Solomon, no other Old Testament ruler was a son of David who reigned as king over Israel in Jerusalem.

The author’s comments in verse sixteen confirm his identity. He describes himself as someone who had come to great estate and gotten more wisdom than all who came before him in Jerusalem. Any later king would be declaring himself wiser than Solomon. Seems unlikely.

Author Insights from Other Bible Passages

You might ask, “Why not just say Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes?” Fair question. First, it’s not true because I say so. I showed the work so you’d see how I got to the answer. Second, because Ecclesiastes doesn’t name Solomon as its author, some commentators think he didn’t write it. MacDonald mentions this in his Believer’s Bible Commentary:

“The main argument for rejecting the traditional authorship by King Solomon is linguistic. That is, many experts say the book contains words and grammatical constructions that did not exist till the Babylonian Captivity or later.”-- Believer’s Bible Commentary, William MacDonald, p. 876, (1989, Thomas Nelson Publishers)]

Finally, settling the question of Solomon’s authorship of Ecclesiastes makes supporting Scriptures available. 1 Kings 1-11 and 2 Chronicles 1-9 offer background information on Solomon’s life and reign. Solomon contributed three books to the Old Testament’s wisdom literature. We can look to Song of Solomon and Proverbs for his perspective at different times in his life. Most believe he wrote his books in this order:

• Song of Solomon as a young man
• Proverbs in middle age
• Ecclesiastes as an old man

“According to Jewish tradition, Solomon wrote the Song of Songs in his youth, Proverbs in his middle years, and Ecclesiastes in his old age. Thus, he would have written this book about 935 BC.”--Biblestudytools.com, Who wrote Ecclesiastes? Bible Book Author and Meaning, available at: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-wrote-ecclesiastes-bible-book.html?formCode=MG0AV3]

The content of each book supports this timeline. Song of Solomon is a one man, one woman love story. The book doesn’t mention the couple having any children. The bride isn’t vying with 999 other women for her husband’s attention. 

Proverbs is a father’s advice to a son navigating toward adulthood. These are the writings of a man in middle age.

And Ecclesiastes speaks of “an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished” (4:13). In this book, Solomon records experiences that normally take years to live through. The wealth he accumulated and the projects he accomplished also make this the story of an older man. His description of the declines of old age (12:1-5) have the ring of first hand experience. That adds weight to his findings. He had a lifetime to reach these conclusions. We can see what came before and how it played out in his life.