Kevin Halloran has an excellent piece called “Why Our Secular Age Needs Ecclesiastes,” where he masterfully applies the wisdom in this book in many specific and practical ways.
This world is desperate for answers to life’s fundamental questions. What is life about? Why is life so unjust? Why does work have to be so toilsome? How can I be happy when the world seems pointless?
The spirit of the age recommends both finding meaning inward, i.e. we create our own meaning in life; and outward, meaning comes from advancing in our careers, accumulating possessions, and pleasurable experiences…
Phil Ryken calls Ecclesiastes in jest “the only book of the Bible written on a Monday morning.” Ecclesiastes at times even seems to contradict other parts of Scripture. (Chew on 1:17–18 or 4:1–3 for a bit.) But what Solomon captures are the paradoxes of living in a fallen world. At the same time, we can enjoy the goodness of God’s creation (Genesis 1:31) and groan as we live in its post-fall futility (Romans 8:20–23).
Our secular world groans as well but doesn’t know where to find hope. Secular solutions only exacerbate the problem, leaving us wanting.
Halloran then walks through the many things addressed in Ecclesiastes that simply aren’t “enough,” so he can lead us to the one thing that is. In the process, Halloran shows us how to apply an Old Testament text to modern people.
Leave a Reply