The more we try to control everything around us, the more out of control everything seems to become. That is because there is no escape from life’s sudden pressures and dangers. Our money, status, even wisdom and righteousness cannot insulate us from all the disasters that happen in the world. We only need to look back to 2020 to find an event that happened unexpectedly and forever changed our lives. Life’s unpredictability humbles us and forces us to acknowledge the limits of our own understanding. God uses time and chance to show us a better way forward than trusting ourselves: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Take-Home Message: Time and chance redirect my trust.

Time and Chance Explained (11-12)

A Biblical Definition of Time and Chance: The unpredictable elements of life that happen to everyone, regardless of status, wisdom, or righteousness. In context, it may refer to the sudden pressures and dangers of life.

21st Century Examples of Time and Chance
 • 2001 – The September 11 Attacks
 • 2007 – Apple releases the first iPhone
 • 2008 – The Financial Crisis
 • 2020 – The COVID-19 Pandemic

Biblical Examples of Time and Chance
 • Joseph and the preservation of God’s people (Genesis 50:20)
 • Ruth and the lineage of God’s Son (Ruth 4:17)
 • Esther and the deliverance of God’s people (Esther 4:14)

Time and Chance Illustrated (13-18)

Time and Chance Applied
 • I cannot always win, but I can always be wise.
 • I cannot always understand, but I can always trust God.
 • I cannot always be in control, but I can always be confident that God is in control.

Most people do not like to think about death, especially their own. Death makes us uncomfortable, and the thought of it seems to take the fun out of life. But there is great value in meditating on our death. It reminds us that we don’t have forever to do the things that really matter. One day, we will wake up and realize that we don’t have as much time as we thought. The sooner we come to that realization, the wiser we will live. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Take-Home Message: Remembering my death results in a wiser life.

How to Live Like I’m Dying
 • Find My Anchor (1-3a)
 • My Anchor: I’m in God’s hand
 • My Kingdom Work is in God’s hand (2 Tim. 4:6-8, Heb. 6:10)
 • My Eternal Life is in God’s hand (John 10:28)
 • Flee From Evil (3b-6)
 • Finish My Race (7-10)

One of the marks of our age is a rejection of authority.
This rejection has led to a lack of respect for God and the government he appoints. Obedience to God and government, in that order, leads to great blessing. If we are to respect the authorities God places in our lives, we must start with a healthy respect for God Himself.

To fear the Lord does not mean that a Christian lives in constant fear of punishment. Instead, it means to live with reverence, awe and respect for God. This leads to humility, obedience, confidence, trust, and security. Fear God, and you will have nothing else to fear.

Unless the governments commands force us to disobey Gods commands, we should obey the government that God has appointed. This respect for government reflects our reverence for God Himself.

“Be subject for the Lords sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-17)

Take Home Message: Obedience to authority leads to blessing and life.

Obey Government (1-9)
 • God and Government
 • God Appoints Government Authorities
 • Don't Stand for an Evil Cause
 • Obey God Before Government
 • When should we disobey government? When the governments commands force us to disobey Gods commands.

Fear God (10-13)
 • What fearing God does not mean: To be a Christian that lives in constant fear of punishment.
 • A biblical definition of the fear of the Lord: A reverence, awe and respect for God that leads to humility, obedience, confidence, trust, and security.

Enjoy Life (14-17)

There are many ditches and potholes to be avoided on life’s path, and we are all prone to one or the other. Some live recklessly and die young, while others beat themselves up over things that are not even sin. There are also those who are experts at pointing out wrongs in others but never examine themselves. Solomon points out that the cause of all this is our sinful hearts: “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” Biblical wisdom wants us to avoid these pitfalls and live a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This life of true wisdom only comes from a relationship with Jesus. For in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Take-Home Message: God alone knows the path of wisdom.

The Foolishness of Being Overly Righteous (15-18)
A Misunderstanding of the Sufficiency of the Gospel

The Foolishness of Being Overly Reckless (15-18)
A Misunderstanding of the Seriousness of the Gospel

The Foolishness of Being Self-Righteous (19-22)
A Misunderstanding of My Need of the Gospel

The Problem of Sin (23-29)

The Bible holds up wisdom as one of the greatest treasures that we can receive. It says, “The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.” Yet, most people check out on wisdom—they’d rather live by their own code. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”

The Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we want to be wise, we must go to its Founder: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Wisdom’s principles can be difficult and require discipline, but the stakes are too high to ignore: “If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

Take-Home Message: God alone knows the path to wisdom.

A biblical definition of wisdom: The God-centered ability to discern what is truly right and act accordingly. This includes practical insight, technical skill, administrative competence, and relational discernment. The Bible first grounds all true wisdom in the character of God.

The Place of Wisdom (1-6)
 Places Where Wisdom is Found
 Funerals more than Parties (1-4)
 Sorrow more than Laughter (3, 6)
 Constructive Criticism more than Constant Affirmation (5)

The Protection of Wisdom (7-14)

Life is tough, and when we make bad choices, it’s really tough. Our suffering is not merely because of destiny or the devil; sometimes we suffer for our own dumb decisions. We see this in Israel’s story. Like parents who want their kids to succeed, God longed for Israel to thrive rather than only suffer, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” We will inevitably suffer in this life, Jesus told us that. But are there ways you are suffering today that God wants you to avoid? “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17)

Take-Home Message: Not all suffering is necessary.

The Suffering of Dissatisfaction (1-9)

What makes me dissatisfied with the fruit of my work?

Envy (4:4)

Greed (5:13-14)

Stinginess (5:13-17; 6:3-6)

Discontentment (6:7-9)

Take-Home Lesson

Find satisfaction in Christ.

The Suffering of an Unwillingness to Accept God’s Plan (10-12)

Take-Home Lesson

Surrender to God’s plan.

The Bible does not say that money itself is a root of all kinds of evils. It says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. The question is not, “Do you have money?” It is, “Does money have you?” Wealth, when enjoyed within God’s boundaries, is a blessing to our lives.

We often underestimate how much a love of money has taken hold of our hearts. Solomon warns us that the worship of money will leave us empty in the end. “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17)

Take-Home Message: The worship of wealth is vanity.

The Reality of Corrupt Wealth (8-9)
 The Vanity of Hoarding Wealth (10-17)
 The Blessing of God-Given Wealth (18-20)

Take-Home Lessons
 Don’t be surprised by corruption (8-9).
 Be generous with your wealth (10-17).
 Enjoy wealth within God’s boundaries (18-20).

To fear the Lord means to stand in reverence and awe of Him; it means to respect Him. God is our “Abba, Father,” but He is also the Creator and Ruler of the universe. We often forget this and end up speaking rashly or making commitments to God that we don’t keep. Solomon warns us against approaching God carelessly.

Jesus warns us against this, too: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).

What does the way that I approach God say about my view of Him?

Take-Home Message: How I approach God reveals how I view God.

• When I approach God, I should listen before I speak (1-3).
•  When I approach God, I should keep my word (4).
•  When I approach God, I should consider before I commit (5-7).

One reason that Solomon was called wise is that he did not ignore the reality of evil in the world.

He acknowledged it and lamented it. In a world where overwhelming evil threatens to overcome

us, we are called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Jesus was relentless in doing

good: saving, rescuing, forgiving, healing, etc. So let us not grow weary of doing good, for in

due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

Take-Home Message: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Do not be overcome by…

- The Evil of Oppression (1-3).

  - Overcome Evil with…

   - The Good of Biblical Justice.

- The Evil of Selfish Ambition (4-12).

   - Three Approaches to Work

      - The Competitive Workaholic (4)

      - The Impoverished Sluggard (5)

      - The Contented Laborer (6)

    - Overcome Evil with…

       - The Good of Biblical Community.

- The Evil of Stubbornness (13-16).

   - Overcome Evil with…

        - The Good of Biblical Humility.

One of the hardest things to understand about God is His timing. So many of our questions come from a desire to know why God does what He does when He does it. His timing can feel messy, uncertain, and confusing. But Ecclesiastes reminds us that God’s timing is perfect. Ecclesiastes 3 is the preeminent chapter in all the Bible about God’s timing. It gives us a glimpse into how His timing works and what we can know about it. Many years after this chapter was written, God showed His love for us by entering into the messiness of time in the person of Jesus Christ. “When the right time came, God sent His Son.” (Galatians 4:4)

Take-Home Message: God is the author of time.

God’s timing is beautiful (1-11a).
 God’s timing is mysterious (11b-13).
 God’s timing is permanent (14-15).
 God’s timing is just (16-22).