Ecclesiastes 7:1-29
ECCLESIASTES STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What caught your attention from studying Ecclesiastes 7:1-29 this week?
What are your go-to resources and actions for dealing with the difficulties of life? Is God’s word or gospel community one of the places you go first for wisdom in adversity or crisis? Why or why not?
Why is God’s wisdom superior to the wisdom of the world? How does God’s wisdom provide protection/ shade in the scorching heat of life under the sun? Read and reflect on the value of God’s word and wisdom in Jeremiah 17:5-8.
What does Ecclesiastes 6:10, 12, and 7:1-4 teach us about our wisdom?
The Professor says the day of death is better than the day of birth (Ecc 7:1-4). Why is that startling, and how does considering death give us a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:12)? What does death teach us about us, and why is that so valuable?
The Professor says “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecc 3:20). Paul says something almost identical in Romans 3:10. What then is our hope according to Romans 3:20-23?
How does understanding Jesus as the “wisdom from God” change the way we approach life’s challenges (cf. 1 Cor 1:21, 24, 30, Col 2:3)?
Read and reflect on this quote from J. Alisdair Groves and Winston Smith in their book, Untangling Emotions. ”In this fractured life, you will never be completely safe, fully in control, or 100 percent certain of what is coming next. You were never meant to be. Instead, dangers, dependence, and uncertainties are signposts that point us not to a strategy but to a Person: the One whose control and utterly certain character are our only real safety.” How does Jesus’ complete control and utterly certain character give peace and real safety in the face of adversity, suffering, and death?
What is one key takeaway from our study in Ecclesiastes 7:1-29 that we each want to remember and apply this week?
