Ecclesiastes (Redesign): Why Everything Matters

The book of Ecclesiastes is, above all else, unflinchingly honest.

Whether wrestling with the tedium of work, the injustices of life, the ravages of age, or the inevitability of death, this enigmatic Old Testament book takes a hard look at the way the world really is. And yet, as Phil Ryken points out in this instructive commentary, Ecclesiastes wisely teaches people to trust God in the midst of such struggles.

Written with pastors and Bible teachers in mind, this commentary will equip readers to better understand, explain, and apply the message of Ecclesiastes, highlighting the book’s enduring relevance as a testament to the ultimate duty of all people: fearing God and keeping his commandments.

Part of the Preaching the Word series.

1. Vanity of Vanities (1:1–2)
2. Same Old, Same Old (1:3–11)
3. Humanity’s Search for Meaning (1:12–18)
4. Meaningless Hedonism (2:1–11)
5. Wisdom and Mad Folly (2:12–17)
6. Working Things Out (2:18–26)
7. To Everything a Season (3:1–8)
8. All in Good Time (3:9–15)
9. From Dust to Glory (3:16—4:3)
10. Two Are Better Than One (4:4–16)
11. In Spirit and in Truth (5:1–7)
12. Satisfaction Sold Separately (5:8–20)
13. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (6:1–12)
14. Better and Better (7:1–12)
15. The Crook in the Lot (7:13–18)
16. Wisdom for the Wise (7:19–29)
17. Command and Consent (8:1–9)
18. Final Justice (8:10–15)
19. The Living and the Dead (8:16—9:6)
20. The Good Life (9:7–10)
21. Man Knows Not His Time (9:11–18)
22. No Foolin’ (10:1–11)
23. A Word to the Wise (10:12–20)
24. You Never Know (11:1–6)
25. Young and Old (11:7—12:7)
26. The End of the Matter (12:8–14)