Finding Fulfillment
Recommended Reading: Ecclesiastes 1 and 12
One of my favorite books in the Bible (I think I have 66 of them) is the book of Ecclesiastes. The etymology of the word Ecclesiastes is fascinating; it carries the idea of an assembly or a collection. Many scholars refer to the “Ecclesia” as an assembly of people or the “church.” In Hebrew, the word for Ecclesiastes is the word Qoholeth, referring to a preacher, an assembler, or a collector of words. A preacher is one who assembles God’s words together and then communicates the truth of those words to an assembly.
If you study the book as a whole, you will see that the “assembly” or “collection” is in reference to the author’s “collection” of Words. Now, let’s drill down and see if I can make this easy to understand. You may have heard me say that you can’t understand what the Bible means until you know how it means. When I say that, I am referring to the structure, style, repetition, poetry, narration, syntax, lexical meaning, context, and so much more. When studying the Bible from all angles, you will see that the Bible always interprets itself.
Therefore, when we begin to study the book of Ecclesiastes or the “Preacher’s Collection,” it is important to consider how the book is organized. Let’s begin!
The first verse starts with, “The words of the Preacher.” The second verse starts with, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Already, right from the start, God is speaking volumes!) If you miss the words of the Preacher, then life is going to be vain—meaningless! And many readers of Ecclesiastes do just that…because they miss the first five words of the introduction. Instead, they focus on the repetitious phrase of “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” And that is exactly what life is like for those who miss the important nature of the words of the Preacher. Stay with me…I know this isn’t clear just yet.
In the last chapter, Solomon closes this book with—guess what!—the same words that we have in the introduction:
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (1:2).
“Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity” (12:8).
Now, if the Bible always interprets itself, then I am pretty confident that somewhere in the concluding words we will find “the words of the Preacher/Collector.” And sure enough, in verses 10 and 11 we have: “the Preacher sought to find words of delight, words of truth, and words of the wise.” Notice how this frame encircles vanity with words:
“The words of the Preacher.”
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (1:2).
“Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity” (12:8).
“The Preacher’s words…”
If we were to frame the structure for the entire book, it would look like the following. Please study this structure carefully. The structure itself tells a story:
Isn’t that beautiful? The structure above represents a fair understanding of the book of Ecclesiastes, but it is by no means exhaustive. In fact, I’ve only scratched the surface. The basic idea is that if we give heed to the “words of the preacher” we will avoid a vain and meaningless life. In the center of this structure, the word for find/found appears 9 times. Mankind is searching, trying to find meaning, but if they don’t heed the words of the Preacher, they will find only emptiness. Outside the protection of the Preacher’s Words, the temptress (found in the center of the book) is seeking to enslave the foolish and unlearned with her snares and nets. However, meaning and fulfillment will be found when we find and follow the Words of the Preacher.
The book of Ecclesiastes presents mankind with a quest. What are you searching for? What are you finding? Solomon found that all of his pleasurable pursuits left him empty and unfulfilled. Yet, through his failures, he left us a treasure map to true meaning and fulfillment. If you follow the words of delight, truth, and wisdom, you will find and enjoy the treasure. Anything beyond these, Solomon writes, “Beware!” Follow the Words and you’ll find fulfillment!
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading and Listening:
Joseph’s Shield: book
The Basket of Flowers: book and audio drama
A Peep Behind the Scenes: book and audio drama
Jessica’s First Prayer: book and Jessica’s Journey audio drama
