In Ecclesiastes, the teacher argued that because sin had so devastated life “under the sun,” or “under heaven,” satisfaction in the daily grind is reserved for those who fear God.…
Month: <span>March 2016</span>
On first glance, the author of Ecclesiastes appears to be a frustrated soul, but the book of Ecclesiastes presents theology in the context of a sin-cursed world. Life is futile,…
Song of Songs is a poetic love story. Since God has ordained the physical expression of love between a husband and wife, one’s sexual activity expresses their spiritual commitments. In…
Song of Songs is a poetic story about the privileges and responsibilities of physical love. The description of physical love expressed by the king and his bride in Song of…
The book of Job reads like a transcript of a forensic trial. Job and his friends carried on in a courtroom where Job was the defendant, claiming righteousness even though…
In Job’s concluding monologue of self-defense, the sufferer maintained that he was righteous before God. Job argued that his suffering was not the Almighty’s retribution for some secret sin he…
Job’s friends were unrelenting in their understanding of spiritual retribution and Job was fortified in his position as a righteous sufferer—a category undefined amongst his contemporaries. Job questioned how the…
In Job 15-21, Job’s three friends each approached with a second attempt at cross-examination. After Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar finished their interrogations, Job replied in kind, stating his innocence and…
When Job was cross-examined by Bildad and Zophar, he replied in kind. Bildad’s first cross-examination (Job 8) reveals less patience and restraint than that recently demonstrated by Eliphaz (Job 4-5).…
Ecclesiastes 10-12
The book of Ecclesiastes is a particular and focused argument. The teacher was rich in good will, desiring his audience to enjoy life to the full. How can one have…
Commentary Ecclesiastes Old Testament