Ecclesiastes raises questions that haunt everyone to some degree. We live in a busy world, but does our busyness have a purpose? Or will the tyranny of time render all our labor pointless? If our efforts are doomed by death, how are we supposed to live in the meantime?
Douglas O’Donnell turns to Ecclesiastes to show us that lives of seeming futility “under the sun” become filled with joy and meaning if we live “under the rule of the Son.” O’Donnell argues that wisdom literature is best seen through the teachings of Jesus, who said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Here learn from Ecclesiastes to find meaning in life by abandoning illusions of self-importance, putting aside all pride, and embracing divine wisdom.
As are all the books in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, this exposition of Ecclesiastes is accessible to both pastors and lay readers. Each volume in the series provides exposition that gives careful attention to the biblical text, is doctrinally Reformed, focuses on Christ through the lens of redemptive history, and applies the Bible to our contemporary setting.
Douglas Sean O’Donnell (MA, Wheaton College; MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; PhD, University of Aberdeen) is senior pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Elgin, Illinois. Previously, he was senior lecturer in biblical studies and practical theology at Queensland Theological College in Brisbane, Australia.
