H2H26 Mon- Meaning & Meaninglessness

Intro

would you rather- these tell me something about you, but ultimately they’re just silly

what do you want to be when you grow up?

its time to start asking yourself the bigger questions; who are you? and what do you want?

what are you after and moving towards when you get up in the morning?

what gives you reason to get out of bed and keeps you up at night when the day is done?

purpose and meaning are tricky concepts and yet they seem to be ingrained in us

everyone wants to solve the answer to life, the universe and everything in it but the truth is complicated

why do we want purpose and meaning? I don’t want to waste the time I’ve been given because I know I’ll run out

Ephesians 5:16

the writer of Ecclesiastes tries to help us frame our mind so that we can look for answers in the correct way

The Gatherer

Qohelet- teacher, preacher, gatherer- as in of knowledge

son of David and king

a book often attributed to Solomon but it was likely someone later than him who compiled wisdom and gave themself a title that everyone would recognize the authority and gravity of

in a moment we see that it must have been someone who had great wealth and authority or one close to such a person

1 Kings 3:12-13- the gift given to Solomon for his devotion to YHWH

whatever the case, someone we ought to listen to if we want to find the answers to meaning and purpose we are after

Vanity/Meaningless/Futile

Ecc 1-11

different translations

what’s the idea of these words?

the Hebrew helps us understand what seems a little contradictory to the idea of the rest of the bible

Hebel- breath- something that is gone quickly

the same root that gives us the name, Abel

who in the perspective of the reader, lived and died so quickly even though he was righteous

what do you think the writer means now that we understand that?

God’s creation was here long before you and I and it will be here long after us

in light of the vastness of eternity, we are just a breath

Striving After Wind

what would you do if you had the time and resources to do everything you wanted?

the Qoheleth claims to have been able to deny himself no pleasure

Ecc 2-

after attaining everything a man could ever want and looking out over all of his wealth and glory and achievement, he compares it all to chasing after wind

catch the wind in a jar

what do you think that phrase means?

you can’t ever be satisfied by things that don’t last just as you can’t catch the wind in a jar

babel if we have time

Application

if life is a breath or a vapor and I understand that, then what can I do that will last?

what towers to nowhere am I building with my life that I ought to let go of? - maybe something to think back on later in your life as 9th graders

later in the week we will talk more on this, but what am I doing that is just striving after wind?

work toward things that will last, build loving relationships that will bring people to eternity