Pastor Alex taught us last week that “Wisdom is the art of skillful living.” At the same time, cause and effect is all around us. God is a God of order and if we do steps 1-3, then the outcome will be determined. BUT…we all know that life is a bit more chaotic than that. Ecclesiastes has a different picture of the world. It shines a light on brokenness and chaos. We all ask the question, “Where are we and what is going on in this world.” This morning our Connections Pastor, Josh Fairbaugh, taught us through this book.

Structure of Ecclesiastes:

Prologue       Ch.1:1-11       Narrator

Body             Ch.1:12-12:7  Preacher

Epilogue       Ch. 12:8-14    Narrator

The Narrator has collected a collection of teachings from the preacher and only shares a couple of thoughts. The bulk of the book comes from the writings of the preacher.

3 things that haunt the Preacher:

1. Chance – The race isn’t always won by the fastest man. It is the thought that we cannot control the outcome. The world doesn’t follow the rules of Proverbs.

2. Death – Death is the great equalizer, and a reality that we must deal with. Everybody dies.

3. Time – Time goes on. Time erases everything. We don’t care about those that went before us, and those that come after us won’t care about us.

The teacher asks the question, “Why does everything feel so meaningless?”

The Narrator’s Thoughts:

1. The narrator doesn’t argue with the preacher. He lets the reality of brokenness stay. The Goad is a spear that shepherds use to prod cattle. These words should prod you somewhere…

2. Fear God and keep His commandments. The brokenness and confusion of the world will increase your faith in God.

3. There is one Shepherd. He references the word “chasing” which means shepherd. “Our incapacity to shepherd or control reality should bumble us in a way that generates a righteous fear of the One who has been effectively shepherding all things for all time.”

The narrator is pointing us to the gospel. You can’t outrun time, outlive death, or outwit chance. The gospel speaks to you when you see the brokenness of the world.