Dale Ridge church of Christ

              Last Thursday, we looked at a brief introduction (along with crossword puzzles to chapters 1, 2, and 3) to this unique little book in the Old Testament.  As was noted, the book is about an argument (if you will) that Solomon makes as he shows us, through his God-given wisdom, how to find true meaning in life.  Solomon says that all is hebel (or “vanity”).  As is demonstrated in the book, this does not mean that life is meaningless.  Rather, to live life in a certain way (that is, living life from a worldly point of view) is “vexation of spirit” or “striving after the wind.”  In other words, trying to find true meaning in life with our affections set in the world and not above in heaven (Colossians 3:1-2) is impossible. 

                Finding our way through this unfamiliar book is at times like someone trying to navigate a boat through the difficult waters of an unknown lake.  In order to make his way safely through, he must pay careful attention and correctly read the markers showing where shallow or dangerous waters lie.  In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has set up “markers” along the way (Ecclesiastes 12:10-11) to help us properly navigate through his line of reasoning in discovering real value in this life (Ecclesiastes 1:3).  Some of the main “markers” within the book come in the form of conclusions he draws from experiments or experiences which he had in his life.   The first three of these “markers” are somewhat similar and might be thought of as semi or partial conclusions (Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 5:18-20; Ecclesiastes 8:15).  The final “marker” is identified as “the conclusion of the whole matter” and is the one that is most familiar to us (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14).  Recognizing these “markers” helps us better to understand the context of various statements in the book and to follow the line of argumentation that Solomon presents.  Below is a crossword puzzle for Ecclesiastes chapter 4.

Here is an interactive version of chapter 4 ecclesiastes_chapter_4.   Just click on the section of the puzzle you want to work on, read the question and write the answer in the blank.  When you’re ready to insert the answer in the puzzle, just click OK.  Or, if you prefer, you can download and print out a copy of chapter 4 ecc_chap_4.

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Filed under: Devotional, Michael Carter on September 13th, 2008