1. What is life to you?
2. Why is there life given on earth?
3. Why ‘Faith' (why having to live life by something called ‘faith')?
4. What do you consider important? Why? Is it temporal or Eternal?
a. How does the author approach life in? (does he have the world's perspective? (or like some Christians)? Cynical? Pessimistic? Optimistic? Fatalistic? Was he away from God or just reflecting on life and what it is without God?
b. Be sure to look/discern what statements he makes that are "correct" or incorrect".

5. Repeated themes/words:
6. Vanity = 37x's (Because he says everything in life is meaningless)
a. The sun/under the sun = 35x's
b. Wisdom/wise = 52x's
c. Time = 15x's+ many other references to ‘time'
d. Rhetorical questions = 33

7. What is "Wisdom"?
a. Some say (Man's) understanding that comes from life [experience].
b. Contrast-between man's & God's wisdom.
c. Wisdom comes from above-God.
i. How do we know? Because the author says all is meaningless without God. There is no point or purpose to life if there is no God.
d. Wisdom is knowing-and choosing to live out the right life...live life rightly-godly.
e. Fear of the Lord = Wisdom
i. Not memorizing Bible, studying... etc... (To gain Fear of Lord)
ii. To Fear the Lord...you have to know (the person-the Lord)
iii. We need to know Who He is
iv. Know His character...which then draws us to make godly choices
v. Know what He expects from us
f. Someone has said, "Wisdom is not learning from my mistakes, but learning from someone else's, and me not doing the same!"

8. What have you ‘broken' (ie. Mindsets etc. that people have been doing for generations?
9. What have you done that will be left behind??
10. What motivates you to live daily life?
11. What rewards do you expect? Will they be momentary or lasting?
12. Do possessions own you or do your own them-loose grip? People live for what they have.
13. (1) Do you have specific possessions that you would never consider giving away to anyone?
14. (2) Do you have certain possessions that are important in establishing your identity among your friends and in your community?
15. (3) How do you define success? To what extent does a certain level of income or net worth enter into your definition?
16. (4) How many of your major decisions are calculated largely by their financial impact on you and your family?
17. (5) Is it easier for you to buy "luxury" items than it is to give money to your church, world missions, or a charity?
18. (6) Do you have any friends that could be considered poor? If not, why not?
19. (7) How do you measure self-fulfillment? How do you know when you are happy?
20. (8) How important is it for you to outdo your parents' level of financial achievement?
21. (9) Do you measure your progress in life by whether you made more last year than the year before?
22. (10) Do you think your financial success has any impact on the poor and needy in your community, or elsewhere in the world? -WIL Comm.
23. 5:1-6-Making vows-
a. Be real when you come to God.
b. Don't try to sneak something past Him.
c. Because when listening-you are open and trusting what He would do or say-therefore you won't be with an agenda or pre-supposing with a "buying your way through" mentality, which won't do.
d. What does "better not make vow..." imply?
i. There needs to be actions with their words spoken. People learn of integrity...or what God is like through their own lives. Anyone can rattle off words, but to follow through with commitment & action is different!
1. Why? Because shows fear of God present or absent.
24. 5:15-17-Naked you came-naked you leave the same. (in-CORRECT)
a. It is true and false...materially yes, but spiritually, psychologically & mentally false.
b. How they live their life effects, infects & affects others. For the better or
worse or nothing as they may have lived only for themselves.
25. Its not how you start, but how you finish...but the challenge is I don't know when I am ‘finished'= called to eternity!
a. How many Christians start out as a blaze, and go out with a puff!
26. What Man schemes up and manipulates!
a. Anything thought up to avoid pain, suffering, or disappointment, depression, anything to prolong life...even at the expense of others.
27. "A sharper ax cuts more wood"-Jack Crabtree (see 10.10)
a. More can be accomplished with less stress, strength and the like with a sharp edge.
b. With God as the source, much is fruitful-gain is greater.
28. Do you take risks in life? Foolish risks or calculated risks?
29. 12:13-14-The end-fear God
a. Solomon's View: (CORRECT). God is the way to go. He has the answers. It's okay to question but not to remain in the same place. Where they are and/or make excuse for living in the various ways the book describes.
b. GOD's DOING: In His time He will bring to account EVERYTHING anyone does. Nothing slips by His eyes.
c. Original Reader? Following this thought for sure, will bring fulfillment to them (and us). All is indeed meaningless without God. But it means all the more with Him.
30. Author begins with a problem, and ends his writing with the answer (Ch. 12.13-14).
31. Pleasure can be a delightful servant-if it is dedicated to God-but it makes a horrible master.
32. Which master do you serve? What drives you? Are you squandering your future on short-term delights? Or are you building for eternity? -WIL Comm.
33. Do you enjoy yet with purpose & meaning; life?
34. Do you Enjoy God & love Him fully?
a. Why created? To love God & enjoy Him forever!
35. God's sovereignty-Do you accept that??
36. Do you have unrealistic expectations of life, meaning, and fulfillment?
37. Do you live ‘carefully'? (Before Him & because we fear the Lord?)
38. Carpe diem = Seize the day.

Without God ...... ultimately leads to ...
Learning         =  Cynicism (1:7-8)
Greatness       = Sorrow (1:16-18)
Pleasure         = Disappointment (2:1-2)
Labor               = Hatred of life (2:17)
Philosophy     = Emptiness (3:1-9)
Eternity            = A lack of fulfillment 3:11)
Life                   = Depression (4:2-3)
Religion          = Meaninglessness (5:7)
Wealth             = Trouble (5:12)
Existence        = Frustration (6:12)
Wisdom           = Despair (11:1-8)

 

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