Living on the Ragged Edge

In this 24-part study of Ecclesiastes, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the raw, honest journal of King Solomon. Writing from the “ragged edge” of a life filled with wealth, power, and pleasure, Solomon concludes that life “under the sun”—when lived apart from God—is ultimately futile. This series provides a sobering look at reality while offering the ultimate secret to finding meaning, contentment, and joy in a world that often feels like it’s gone mad.

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1. Journal of a Desperate Journey (Ecclesiastes 1:1–11)

• Overview: Introduces Solomon’s philosophical search for meaning. He observes the repetitive cycles of nature and history, concluding that human effort often feels like “vanity.”
• Key Fact: The term “under the sun” refers to a horizontal perspective of life that excludes God’s vertical involvement.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:2 – “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

2. Chasing the Wind (Ecclesiastes 1:12–18)

• Overview: Solomon applies his great wisdom and education to solve life’s mysteries, only to find that knowledge alone increases grief.
• Key Fact: Human intellect, while valuable, cannot straighten what God has made crooked or fill the “God-shaped vacuum” in the soul.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:18 – “For in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”

3. Eat, Drink, . . . And Be What? (Ecclesiastes 2:1–11)

• Overview: A record of Solomon’s experiment with hedonism—pleasure, wine, architecture, and extreme wealth. He finds that the “hangover” of pleasure-seeking is a sense of emptiness.
• Key Fact: Solomon denied himself nothing his eyes desired, yet his verdict remained: “all was vanity and striving after wind.”
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:11 – “Thus I considered all my activities… and behold all was vanity and striving after wind.”

4. More Miles of Bad Road (Ecclesiastes 2:12–26)

• Overview: Contrasts wisdom with folly and addresses the frustration of working hard only to leave one’s legacy to a “fool.”
• Key Fact: The turning point in the book occurs when Solomon acknowledges that the ability to enjoy life’s basic gifts is “from the hand of God.”
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24 – “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.”

5. Do You Know What Time It Is? (Ecclesiastes 3:1–15)

• Overview: The famous poem regarding the seasons of life. Solomon argues that God has an appointed time for everything and has “set eternity” in our hearts.
• Key Fact: Because God is in control of the seasons, we can find peace in His timing rather than fighting against the inevitable changes of life.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”

6. Interlude of Rare Insight (Ecclesiastes 3:16–22)

• Overview: Addresses the problem of injustice in the world and the reality that both humans and animals eventually face death.
• Key Fact: Solomon encourages us to rejoice in our activities today, as God will eventually judge both the righteous and the wicked.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:17 – “I said in my heart, ‘God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,’ for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.”

7. Confessions of a Cynic (Ecclesiastes 4:1–8)

• Overview: Solomon looks at oppression, envy, and the loneliness that often accompanies the “rat race” for success.
• Key Fact: The “handful of quietness” is far better than “two fists full of labor” that leads to striving after wind.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:6 – “One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.”

8. The Lonely Whine of the Top Dog (Ecclesiastes 4:13–16)

• Overview: Discusses the isolation of power and the fleeting nature of popularity and political success.
• Key Fact: Influence is temporary; a wise but poor youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:13 – “A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king.”

9. One Plus One Equals Survival (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12)

• Overview: A classic teaching on the necessity of companionship and community to survive the “ragged edge” of life.
• Key Fact: A “threefold cord” is not easily broken; having others to lift us up, keep us warm, and defend us is a gift of grace.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”

10. What Every Worshiper Should Remember (Ecclesiastes 5:1–7)

• Overview: Warns against casual or hypocritical religion. Solomon urges us to “guard our steps” when going to the house of God.
• Key Fact: It is better to listen than to offer the “sacrifice of fools,” and making a vow to God is a serious matter that should not be delayed.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1 – “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools.”

11. Straight Talk to the Money-Mad (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20)

• Overview: Exposes the “dead end” of materialism. Solomon observes that he who loves money is never satisfied with money.
• Key Fact: Wealth brings “increased consumption” and anxiety, while the “sleep of the working man is sweet.”
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income.”

12. The Few Years of a Futile Life (Ecclesiastes 6:1–12)

• Overview: A sobering look at those who have everything—wealth, honor, and long life—but lack the God-given ability to enjoy them.
• Key Fact: Enjoyment is a separate gift from possession; without the former, the latter is “misery.”
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 6:2 – “A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor… yet God has not empowered him to eat from them.”

13. Wise Words for Busy People (Ecclesiastes 7:1–14)

• Overview: A series of proverbs that challenge our usual perspectives, suggesting that the “day of death” can be better than the “day of birth” because of the wisdom it brings.
• Key Fact: Wisdom is a protection, just as money is a protection, but wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:1 – “A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”

14. Putting Wisdom to Work (Ecclesiastes 7:15–29)

• Overview: Addresses the complexity of life, including why the righteous sometimes perish and the wicked sometimes prosper.
• Key Fact: While there is not a single righteous man on earth who only does good, the fear of God allows one to avoid extremes.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:20 – “Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

15. The Qualities of a Good Boss (Ecclesiastes 8:1–9)

• Overview: Principles for handling authority and working under leadership with a “bright face” and a discerning heart.
• Key Fact: Wisdom makes a person’s face shine and softens their “stern face” in the workplace.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 8:1 – “A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”

16. Mysteries That Defy Explanations (Ecclesiastes 8:10–9:6)

• Overview: Confronts the unfairness of life and the “common fate” of death that awaits everyone, regardless of their moral standing.
• Key Fact: Because we cannot understand all of God’s work, we must live fully in the present and trust Him with the unknown.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 8:17 – “Man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun.”

17. Have a Blast While You Last! (Ecclesiastes 9:7–10)

• Overview: An exuberant call to enjoy life’s basic pleasures—food, clothing, and marriage—as a portion from God.
• Key Fact: We are commanded to work with all our might today, for there is no activity or planning in the grave.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

18. An Objective View of the Rat Race (Ecclesiastes 9:11–18)

• Overview: Solomon observes that “the race is not to the swift” and that time and chance happen to everyone.
• Key Fact: Quiet wisdom is more valuable than the strength of a city, even if the “poor wise man” is often forgotten.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:11 – “The race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors… for time and chance overtake them all.”

19. Be Sensible! (Ecclesiastes 10:1–11)

• Overview: A collection of practical warnings about how “a little foolishness” can ruin a reputation, much like dead flies in perfume.
• Key Fact: Wisdom is useful for “preparing the way” and making work more efficient (sharpening the axe).
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10:10 – “If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.”

20. A Fool’s Portrait (Ecclesiastes 10:12–20)

• Overview: A warning against the “vocal” foolishness of those who talk too much without substance or foresight.
• Key Fact: A fool multiplies words and lacks the direction needed to find even a basic “road to the city.”
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10:14 – “Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen.”

21. Be Bullish! (Ecclesiastes 11:1–6)

• Overview: Encouragement to take calculated risks and live generously, rather than being paralyzed by watching the “wind and clouds.”
• Key Fact: We are to “cast our bread upon the waters” and be diligent in our sowing, trusting God for the harvest.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:1 – “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.”

22. Enjoying Life Now, Not Later (Ecclesiastes 11:7–10)

• Overview: A challenge to young people to rejoice in their youth and follow the “impulses of their hearts” within the boundaries of God’s judgment.
• Key Fact: Joy is a command for the present, not a reward for the future.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:9 – “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood… but know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.”

23. Gray Hairs, Fewer Teeth, Yet a Big Smile (Ecclesiastes 12:1–8)

• Overview: A poetic and symbolic description of the aging process, urging us to “Remember your Creator” before the body breaks down.
• Key Fact: Old age is the “winter” of life; it is best faced when one has spent their “spring and summer” rooted in God.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1 – “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come.”

24. Wrapping up a Ragged-Edge Journey (Ecclesiastes 12:9–14)

• Overview: The series conclusion, summarizing Solomon’s final verdict on the meaning of life.
• Key Fact: The “whole duty of man” is simplified into two commands: fear God and keep His commandments.
• Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”