Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
ECCLESIASTES STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What did you find new, encouraging, or convicting from studying Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 this week?
Wisdom literature does not follow a straight line. Instead, it spirals, revisiting themes from new
and different angles. What topics does the Professor revisit in Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 and 18-23?
In Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 the Professor concludes that wisdom is better than folly, comparing it to the advantage of light over darkness. How does the light/ darkness metaphor hint at the Professor’s true intentions and illustrate the value of wisdom (cf. Prov 4:18-19, Psalm 119:105, and John 8:12)?
Even though wisdom is better than folly, death comes to us all (Ecc 2:14-16). Why does the brevity of human wisdom and human life strike the Professor, and why does he want us to wrestle with it?
What does the Professor lament regarding achievement and possessions in Ecclesiastes 2:18-23? Why is the Professor disheartened by this? Does this dishearten you? Why or why not?
How is God’s good gift of work in Genesis 2:15 reversed as a result of the Fall of Man (cf Gen 3:17-19)? How does Genesis 3:17-19 explain the Professor’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 2:23? How do we experience this today? How does having God change this perspective?
Is the Professor’s response in Ecclesiastes 2:24 to throw in the towel, throw caution to the wind, and eat, drink, and be merry? Or is he pointing us to something more? Where do the gifts of food and drink and enjoyment come from? Where does the ability to even enjoy something come from?
If Ecclesiastes 2:23 depicts the results of the Fall, what do you think the Professor is calling us to in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26?
Read the following verses: Job 28:28, Psalm 19:9, Proverbs 10:27, 14:27, 22:4, 28:14. How do these verses help us understand the wisdom we read in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26?
What hope is there for those who please God? What point does the Professor reiterate for sinners (cf. Ecc 2:26)? Who is the one who pleases God (cf. Matt 3:17)?
How can we be found pleasing to God according to the Bible? Whose work are we intended to drink in, feast on, and enjoy? How does the work of Jesus contrast with our finite and fleeting work?
Based on Ecclesiastes 2:24b-25, how can we experience the simple things of life with joy instead of feeling like they are meaningless? How can we enjoy possessions without being possessed by them? How does Paul’s wisdom in 1 Corinthians 8:9 and 1 Timothy 6:17-19 help?
What will you take away and apply this week from our study in Ecclesiastes 2:12-26?
