The Purpose Of The Book Of Ecclesiastes

Purpose and Presence Before taking this class, I had a basic knowledge of the book of Ecclesiastes. I understood from previous readings of the text that God wanted us to enjoy life, but I struggled to reconcile the word ‘vanity’ with God’s intention for us to experience joy. The study notes in my Bible were helpful when I studied Ecclesiastes a few months ago, but I did not realize the richness of the book until I listened to Dr. Miller’s lectures. The true definition of ‘vanity’ and consciously considering the presence of God were the two ideas from Ecclesiastes that resonated with me the most. My Bible translation uses ‘meaningless’ as a synonym for vanity. This is an accurate synonym in most English conversations and books, but it is a poor translation of the word as it is used in Ecclesiastes. I did not realize that in this context, the word ‘vanity’ refers to …show more content…
Learning that this word means “affected by the curse,” rather than “pointless,” completely changed my understanding of the tone and meaning of the book. In fact, this definition makes the book seem more hopeful than it would if the word truly meant meaningless. It is encouraging to know that Solomon did not write the book to proclaim that our lives are meaningless. Instead, he declares that although we were created for a reason, life is frustrating because the world is broken. My new understanding of the text also gave me a better glimpse of the goodness and kindness of God. There have been times in my life when I simply did not want to get out of bed and face another day. During my senior year of high school, I wrestled with depression and wondered why God would allow life to be so painful. It felt as though life was a curse, not a blessing. Although God graciously led me out of that dark season of life, I still sometimes wonder what I