Wisdom of Ecclesiastes Part 2: The "Teacher" vs. Jesus

BibleProject

BibleProject Podcast

Christianity, Old Testament, Torah, Theology, New Testament, God, Demons, Tim Mackie, Bible Study, Angels, Bible, Jesus, Spiritual Beings, Jon Collins, Religion & Spirituality, Spirit, Satan

4.8 • 18.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 July 2016

⏱️ 67 minutes

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Summary

Hanging out with Ecclesiastes isn’t fun. The book goes on about the endless march of time that results in death for everyone. Everything dies––humans and animals. We can see that all living creatures go to the dirt, and we don’t have any concrete proof of what happens after that. Depressing, right? Yes––it can be. The teacher is trying to shake things up and dismantle the illusions of the reader, but it can be rough to read. The guys will talk about the context of Ecclesiastes, and why we as Jesus followers can see things differently. I n the first part of the episode (02:37-11:14), the guys talk about the “endless march of time.” Ecclesiastes has a whole poem about aging. We are all moving towards old age, and on top of that, life is unpredictable. We can’t guarantee that when we do the right thing it will work out. Where is the hope? In the next part of the episode (11:45-21:37), Tim and Jon discuss the teacher’s warning about being overly righteous. According to the author of Ecclesiastes, it is good to be righteous and strive to live an upright and moral life, but when that becomes our sole focus we can become entitled. In the next part of the episode (22:15-35:38), the guys try to make sense of all of the despair in this book. What are we supposed to do with this? We need to come to terms with our inability to control the circumstances of our lives. Acknowledging this is the secret to enjoying our lives. In the final part of the episode (36:04-1:07:10), the guys talk about how to live beyond all of the hevel of life. The teacher is talking about "life under the sun,” or our metaphor, “life in the fog.” Life still has meaning long into the future even though it can be hard to see in the present. Justice will come, life won’t always be shrouded in hevel, and one day the fog will be lifted. Video: This episode is designed to accompany our video on the book of Ecclesiastes. You can view it on our youtube channel here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeUiuSK81-0 Scripture References: Ecclesiastes Show Music: Defender Instrumental by Rosasharn Music Blue Skies by Unwritten Stories Flooded Meadows by Unwritten Stories

Transcript

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0:00.0	As you read through the book of Ecclesiastes, you're letting the teacher dismantle your
0:10.5	perspective about reality, and it isn't pleasant.
0:14.2	At the conclusion of the book, the author says about the teacher, the teacher's words
0:19.4	are like a goad at the end of a shepherd's staff.
0:23.2	Sometimes they would sharpen it to a point.
0:26.0	It's basically saying it's like a sharp pointy stick and he's jabbing you.
0:29.9	I read a book like this.
0:31.7	Why put it in the Bible?
0:34.0	The whole reason why we're being exposed to the teacher's words is the author thinks
0:38.6	this is really important exercise to have our illusions dismantled.
0:44.6	In order to do this, the author brings up three main points over and over.
0:49.1	The first is death.
0:51.4	There are moments in life here under the sun where it's hard to see if humans are any
0:57.5	different than animals.
0:59.2	And death is one of those.
1:00.7	The second somber drum he sounds is the steady march of time.
1:06.0	What does all of our striving and energy really produce because our life is heaven.
1:11.3	It's here today, gone tomorrow.
1:13.4	And finally, the great equalizer, the randomness of life itself.
1:17.7	Chance.
1:18.7	Death, time and chance.
1:22.2	Just really have a way of putting a wet blanket on your life.
	...

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