The Wasteland of Chasing Wealth – Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:9
Sermon Questions
- Why is the dream of being wealthy so appealing? (Take note for the order of the questions how Jeff said the passage (and sermon) is structured. 1st and last paragraph on the same topic (5:8-12 and 6:7-9), 2nd paragraph and 2nd to last on the same topic (5:13-17 and 6:1-6) and the central paragraph as the main point 5:18-20)
- Why is there this passage on injustice (5:8-9) at the beginning of a section on money? Why does he say we should be amazed?
- Compare 5:8-12 and 6:7-9. What parallels do you see? What do these teach us about money and how we handle it?
- 5:13-17 gives a hypothetical example of a rich man. Why is a case like his so bad, and why does the Preacher call it a grievous evil you think?
- What do you think is happening in v17? Why does this make sense with the rest of the example?
- 6:1-6 clearly is a parallel with 5:13-17. How are they similar? What do verses 1 and 2 mean?
- 6:3-6 talks about the tragic situation of a child who dies in pregnancy. What point is the Preacher making with this difficult situation and the rich man? Why is that important for us to understand?
- 5:18 is the main positive refrain from Ecclesiastes. From what we have learned so far, talk about why this is the basic idea the Preacher keeps coming back to.
- 5:19 is a kind of expansion on the main theme. What are the right applications for us of this verse? How does the NT give us additional perspectives that would help us apply this verse well?
- 5:20 concludes the central paragraph—what does it add to our understanding of the main idea?