Objectives:

1. The students will discuss why in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

2. The students will know and discuss what is meant by "there is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time."

3. The students will know and discuss the vanity of riches discussed in chapter 5.

4. The students will discuss and explain the difference between the "living" and the "dead" and what should be the attitude of the"living."

5. The students will discuss what we are told in chapter 9 to do with all our might. The students will discuss why were are told to do this.

6. The students will know and discuss why we are told to remember God in our youth.

7. The students will know the purpose of the preacher as it is explained in Ecclesiastes 12: 9.

8. TLWBAT tell the whole duty of man as described in Ecc. 12: 12, 13

Timeline: if written by Solomon as is usually believed, written before Solomon's decline into sensuality and materialism, around 900 B. C.

The textual story:

I. Life is meaningless if we live it without God. Ecclesiastes 1.

II. The vanities of pleasure, wealth, earthly wisdom, and toil. Chapter 2.

III. The best times for everything (Chapter 3)

A. Time for everything (3: 1-9)

B. Uselessness of human striving (3: 10-15)

C. Making the best of the present life (3: 16-22)

IV. The disappointments of earthly life (Chapter 4)

A. Oppression makes life a dubious blessing. (4: 1-3)

B. Life's trials better faced by partners than alone (Eccl. 4: 4-12)

C. Instability of earthly fame (4: 13-16)

V. Futility of the self-seeking life.

VI. Ambition and desire frustrated (Chapter 6)

VII. Counsels of prudence in a sin-corrupted world (7)

VIII. Expediency in an imperfect world (Chapter 8)

A. Acceptance of authority (8: 1-9)

B. The judgment of the wicked (8: 1--13)

C. Injustices in this life (8: 14- 15)

D. The ways of God are inscrutable (8: 16-17)

IX. Making the best of this life

X. Folly is hurtful and wisdom is helpful

XI. How to invest a life (chapter 11)

XII. Living life above the sun (chapter 12)

A. Effects of aging

1. Desire fails

2. Vision dims

3. Teeth fail

4. Hearing works only at certain frequencies

5. Terrors of falling

6. Gray hair

7. Walk is slower

8. At death the spinal cord is severed

9. Cranium is broken

10. Heart (pump) no longer works

11. Dust to dust (the human body is composed of the same elements as dirt).

B. What really matters: "Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole ______ of man."

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