Troy Mills Christian Church

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 32:3-4 “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright, and just is he.” (NIV)

Text: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Strengths of Solomon:

• Third king of Israel, David’s chosen heir
• The wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 4:30-31)
• Writer of Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, many of the Proverbs, and a couple of Psalms
• Built God’s temple in Jerusalem
• Diplomat, trader, collector, patron of the arts

Weaknesses of Solomon:

• Sealed many foreign agreements by marrying pagan women
• Allowed his wives to affect his loyalty to God
• Excessively taxed his people and drafted them into labor and military force

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Verse 2—Vanity of vanities

• Meaningless; hollow; futile; vapor; breath

Verse 3— “under the sun”

• Our work is not intended to bring meaning and purpose
• Our wealth is not intended to bring meaning and purpose
• Our trophies are not intended to bring meaning and purpose
• Relationships are not intended to bring meaning and purpose

Verses 5-7—Busyness does not bring meaning and purpose

• Mere activity in and of itself produces nothing of ultimate value

Verses 8-11—Nothing new under the sun

• What is not “new” is that anything aside from a relationship with God will not produce meaning or purpose in our life.