The Elusiveness of Pleasure and Meaning

Ecclesiastes is one of the most confusing books in the world. It depicts a very disillusioned man. And you may be saying, “Is the Bible really saying all human life is pointless?” 

To understand what’s going on here, we need to keep two things in mind. The author of Ecclesiastes is called qoheleth, which basically means professor. And he’s doing a thought experiment. So Ecclesiastes is a set of thought experiments in which the professor is saying, “Let’s imagine living like this. Does that work?”

If we want to understand what Ecclesiastes is after, we need to look at its thought experiments. So let’s look at it this way: 1) there’s a major thought experiment, 2) with a lesson, and 3) there’s a small thought experiment, and then 4) an arrow or a pointer.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 6, 2013. Series: A Public Faith. Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:9-26.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.