Encountering Ecclesiastes: A Book of Our Time

This is another book that is part of the class on Moral Formation and Wisdom Literature. This book is enlightening on the nature of this style of wisdom. From earlier impressions of Ecclesiastes, it seems to be a depressing book. The author has a negative view of life. He always harps on "Hevel" which is the Hebrew word for "vanity." "Hevel" rhymes with "Level." But really the book is full of wisdom for modern society. It provides a balanced perspective in life. Life is vanity, but the author does not tell one to reject this world for the world to come, but rather informs the reader to embrace life while you have it. It really provides some counter wisdom. It counsels the young man to life it up in his youth, but always remember God is watching. It tells the man to eat, drink, and be merry. This little book should be preached in a lot of joyless congregation. It encourages the Christian to enjoy life. In fact, I liked the book so much I am going to be preaching a series of lessons from it for the congregation and for the class at Harding Graduate. If you want to preach on Ecclesiasties, read this book first.

The book is too short, but it contains some great thoughts.The author has a very "earthy theology" and he pulls on some very good letters from Bonhoffer to underline his understanding of Ecclesiasties in this respect.He also deals with how our attitude toward life should be in the face of death. I recommend this book to anyone meditating on Ecc. Its not a verse by verse commentary really nor does it seek to give a systematic theology of the book. But, I think the author captures the spirit of the book well and presents us with very readable musings ont he book.

A very readable and contemporary take on the Book of Ecclesiastes, written from a Christian perspective. Limburg sees the book and its writer in an ultimately positive light, counselling us to enjoy our God-given life even in the midst of confusion and aging. He discusses workaholism and Bonhoeffer in thoughtful ways.This is a good basic introduction to the book, the prose flows very well. No index. For a fuller, more scholarly, and very insightful read on Ecclesiastes, I recommend Jacques Ellul. Reason for Being: A Meditation on Ecclesiastes

James Limburg’s Encountering Ecclesiastes: A Book for Our Time is designed to make the message of Ecclesiastes accessible to Christians today. The title introduces Limburg’s contention at the outset that the issues and concerns of Ecclesiastes are alive and well in churches and classrooms today. He is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and incorporates his experience teaching undergraduates into the book. But he is also a churchman, and references his personal experiences as a Christian (e.g., at confirmation and at a funeral). Limburg agrees with Luther that the purpose of Ecc. is to “drive away anxiety and worry and to encourage a life of happiness enjoying the things that are present as God’s gifts being involved in the activities of public life, and not worrying about what may come in the future,” (20). The book is appropriate for college or seminary use, but is also written with the pastor in mind.In the introductory chapter 1, Limburg, following von Rad, describes hevel as a pedal point (12-13). A pedal point is a low, sustained note running through an organ composition. The word hevel runs throughout as the Teacher labels different things. He then goes through the text of Ecclesiastes section by section making the title of each section (chapter) a question. Chapter titles include Is That All There Is? (Ecc. 1-2), Who Knows? (Ecc. 3), Who’s Been Working the Hardest? (Ecc. 4), What About God? (Ecc. 5), What About Death? (Ecc. 6-7) and So How Should I Live My Life? (Ecc. 9, 11, and 12.1-8). These titles clearly point toward contemporary questions, and Limburg brings out this connection in each chapter. For example, in listing the accomplishments of the Teacher (Ecc. 1.3-10), Limburg masterfully compares the Teacher to the rich, famous, and accomplished, concluding that Qohelet is “Bill Gates, Tom Cruise, and Hugh Hefner all rolled into one,” (31)Limburg acknowledges that Ecc. does not express the central message of biblical faith,” but he points out eight themes of the book that are echoed in the New Testament (129-132). If it were not already clear that Ecclesiastes is asking questions similar to those many are asking today, Limburg ends by pulling out themes that connect to modern life. His conclusion is that although hevel is the pedal point heard throughout the book, the counterpoint, the enjoyment of life, is the real message of the book (137).One way Limburg works to make the book accessible and contemporary is by bringing in references to popular culture. Pete Seeger’s song Turn, Turn, Turn popularized by The Byrds was low hanging fruit, almost obligatory (36-37). But Limburg goes beyond the obvious, quoting Peggy Lee, his students, Old Man River, and tombstones (22, 26, 84). Although the book was published in 2006, his cultural references were somewhat dated. It seems unlikely that undergraduate students today would be familiar with Pete Seeger, The Byrds, or Rabbi Kushner. If I were writing in 2006, I may have connected these themes to 9/11 (permission to doubt and question), the 2004 tsunami that left tens of thousands dead (life is hevel), or the dotcom bubble (the desire for more).One academic strength of the book is Limburg’s careful scholarship. He is deliberately not writing a verse-by-verse commentary, but rather an academic/pastoral book. Although he approaches the book from a pastoral direction (“A Book for Our Time”), he interacts with leading scholarship in the field. He has done his translation homework (see comments on 2.11, p. 31). He has read and understood Luther.One pastoral strength of the book is giving Christians permission to question and doubt. Limburg points out Qohelet’s repeating refrain, “Who knows?” and describes him as “agnostic about the future” (chapter 3, 129, 134). True to his pastoral instinct, Limburg finds Ecc. particularly helpful to share with those who are struggling with faith (2).This book is a solid, scholarly look at the text with an eye toward teaching and preaching. Limburg has taken this often neglected book of wisdom literature and used it like a sage to answer questions of the age. I would not recommend the book as a stand-alone work for an academic study of Ecc., but I would recommend it alongside a more traditional commentary. I would recommend this book for preaching Ecc. or teaching in a mature Bible class setting or leading a small group study.

There are many books which I purchased in Seminary which I later returned. This was one of the few that I kept. Ecclesiastes is one of the smallest books in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it is one of the most soulful, wisdom filled books we have. For a world today, which does not find itself with much wisdom, Encountering Ecclesiastes will help you figure out how this biblical book can speak to us today.Highly Recommend.

Wisdom for our time.

I am using this commentary to help me slog through Ecclesiastes. The language is simple enough for a lay person to understand.

Ultimately this book disappointed me so deeply that I almost feel angry. It could have been SO good, if it had just kept up the momentum of the early chapters.For those few chapters, I was totally caught up. I saw Ecclesiastes in a whole new light. I just couldn't put the book down.Because of those few chapters, I still think the book is worth buying. In fact, as I was reading those chapters, I was tempted to immediately dash to Amazon and leave a 5-star review.I'm glad I didn't, because then things started to go astray. First occasional verses, then whole vast chunks of Ecclesiastes were passed over in silence. And by the final chapter, the author was merely repeating what he'd previously said - it didn't even feel like part of the book, but like a paper or lecture in which he went over the exact same comments and insights.I repeat - for anyone interested in exploring the message of Ecclesiastes, this book is still worth buying. However, I've just finished reading  Against the Grain: Unconventional Wisdom from Ecclesiastes . I think it's a MUCH better book, written with the same quirky outlook, but engaging with the whole text of Ecclesiastes. Against the Grain: Unconventional Wisdom from Ecclesiastes