For the past four weeks we have been studying the idea of wisdom as portrayed in the book of Proverbs. There we find wisdom as an attractive woman who is calling men and women to build their lives on wisdom, beginning with the fear of the Lord. Generally speaking, when one orders their life this way, things tend to go well in terms of stability, relationships, and personal identity.

But The Teacher in Ecclesiastes sees life a little bit differently. He's a bit critical of the neat and tidy system that Proverbs provides. His warning, however, is not to abandon wisdom but to adjust our expectations of life because we don't live in an ideal world. We live east of Eden, or as the author puts it, "Under the sun."

The question becomes how do Christians navigate a world where it seems like the wicked are rewarded and the righteous are punished? Throughout this short book the clouds break and we see how the author is trying to get us to look beyond the sun to a greater hope that is to come. A hope that is ultimately wisdom made flesh—Jesus Christ.

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