Bible study · Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
Ecclesiastes 1: Vanity of vanities
Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 before you meet.
In a few lines
The book's first question, "What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?" (1:3), turns on a word, yitron, found only in Ecclesiastes. And the Preacher calls his search "a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with" (1:13), words he says again in 3:10.
The verse to carry
“What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?”
Ecclesiastes 1:3
To talk about
1. The Preacher asks, "What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?" (1:3). When have you found yourself asking a question like that, and what brought it on?
2. "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing" (1:8). Why do you think seeing and hearing more so often leaves us wanting more?
3. "For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" (1:18). Has understanding something more deeply ever made it harder to carry? What helped you carry it?