IS THIS ALL THERE IS TO LIFE? Answers from Ecclesiastes

by Ray C. Stedman

Since the days of Solomon, men and women have wondered, 'Is this all life is about?' 'Is it just a mindless pursuit after things that never satisfy?' Ray Stedman guides readers through the book of Ecclesiastes to demonstrate that contentment and joy are gifts from God. They come to people who each day take life--whatever it may bring--from the hand of a loving Father.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Raymond Charles Stedman was an evangelical Christian pastor and author. He was a long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and author of several books.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an outstanding book because it helps us understand an even more outstanding book, the book of Ecclesiastes. In fact, reading this book alongside Ecclesiastes has made Ecclesiastes my favorite book of the Bible. Ecclesiastes is a 2020 must read, and Is There All There Is To Life? helps the reader understand why. In a world where we don’t have a clue what to think or how to feel, I walked away from this study with a feeling of lightness and freedom. Simply, Ecclesiastes holds the secret to enjoying life, and Ray Stedman helps unlock that secret with such explanations as... “...joy is a gift of God, and it comes to those who take life daily, whatever it may bring, from the hand of a loving Father,” “... let God be God,” and “Enjoyment comes by knowing the living God and taking everything from His hand with thanksgiving, whether pain or pleasure.” This book has been a Godsend to remind me of the right perspective I should have in the present (any present) circumstances of my life.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my shelf for years; I tried to read it once, and only got a couple chapters in when I got distracted. The same thing generally happened whenever I've read Ecclesiastes, which I have several times; each time I got bogged down in confusion and a bit of hopelessness (it's so depressing!)

Then a really horrific thing happened in my life, where I returned to that eternal question, "Why?"

Why would God allow such horror? unfairness? intentional and random violence? And ironically, in a book which I had previously found depressing and hopeless, I found incredible wisdom and comfort.

While I have not found any direct answers to the "Why" question, I can say I have found much comfort in the Bible; God does speak to us through his Word. Job's story provides some context and teaches us that the answer to the eternal question "why?" is God Himself. Ecclesiastes gives the same answer, but goes into a bit more detail about it, and Stedman's verse-by-verse exploration of this book and also his "big picture" discussion of its main theme was an excellent companion to follow along with as I read Ecclesiastes.

I agree with Stedman's point that Ecclesiastes has to be read with this one thing always in the back (and often in the front, too) of your mind: that it is a series of arguments and examples to demonstrate the failure of ANYTHING the world offers to satisfy man. There is no wisdom, no pleasure, no riches, NOT EVEN FAMILY, than can ultimately satisfy. The Teacher in verse 6:3 says "If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness"... it is all in vain. The Teacher repeats this same theme over and over again.

But along with it, he also repeats what is the hope of man in the midst of all the futility: We can find enjoyment, even joy, that is lasting, if it comes from the hand of God (2:25).

That's the big if that is hard to swallow. We cannot manufacture enjoyment on our own (only temporary enjoyment). The real, lasting thing ONLY comes from God. The Teacher tried a thousand different ways (and a thousand different wives) to find lasting happiness, and couldn't: it all eventually turned into vanity, meaninglessness, futility.

God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man who is pleasing in his sight (2:26); enjoyment is the gift of God (3:12); God gives him a heritage for him to enjoy (5:18). "God gives" or "gift of God" appears three times in 5:19; ending with "God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart"; God has given you the ability to live joyfully; 9:9; and the final verses of the book, 12:13-14, concludes that since the true and lasting enjoyment of life through all the good and bad things that life encompasses is only possible as a gift of God, then we should fear God and keep his commandments and remember that judgment is coming. We simply can't do it our way. If we insist on doing it our way, expect two things: futility and judgement.

Trust in God, and he will provide what we wanted to find on our own. This is the key thing that I never understand in my previous studies of Ecclesiastes: even if you trust in God and fear/respect him and follow his commandments, there will still be hard times (there is a season and time for good things and bad), but God gives you lasting satisfaction, enjoyment, and joy as a result of the hard times (even war, injustice, loss).

I learned a ton of other interesting things from this study. I had always been puzzled and annoyed by the Teacher's comment about "My soul still seeks but I cannot find: one good man in a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found." (7:28) Solomon literally had a thousand wives and concubines and couldn't find his soul mate. But it is possible, he realizes, to find joy in one wife (9:9). God made man and wife to become one flesh; if you leave your marriage to find happiness elsewhere, you will not find it anywhere, because in a sense you are leaving yourself behind.

It's possible that the average reader will not find much from Stedman's book, and mostly just frustration and a lot of meaningless (ha!) repitition from Ecclesiastes, too: but you may reach a certain point in your life where suddenly the books become extremely insightful. The teacher exhorts the young man/woman to find this wisdom early in life, and be spared a lot of confusion and frustration. But many of us have to learn the hard way, through hard experience.

[Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy, readable basic overview for the book of Ecclesiastes. Best for a beginner to intermediate knowledge of the Bible and may help illuminate some of the more confusing verses or themes. (Someone who is looking for a more in-depth study of Ecclesiastes may be unsatisfied with this book.) I did not agree 100% with the author's interpretation of some verses, but overall I found it a decent introduction to the next teaching series at our church.

[Joel Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exactly halfway through this book and not too impressed. Definitely some good points but I found it a tad choppy. Just going to use study bible notes instead.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly simplistic devotional commentary with some good thoughts, but not a lot of depth for study purposes. It would serve well as a basic introduction to the book for young Christians.

[Andrea Osterlund · Rating 1 out of 5]

meaningless...lol. ok. but seriously, just about every point made was out of context. good points were made, but none of those points had anything to do with ecclesiastes. some conclusions that the author said "this clearly means..." ABSOLUTELY did not mean what was stated following. why? because if people read ecclesiastes even just in the early 1900s, they wouldn't have come to the conclusion that this author did because that scientific discovery hadn't happened yet. some conclusions Stedman made were without a doubt laughable with how he understood ecclesiastes at least. but like I said, he had some wise things to say about the meaning of life, but those things didn't come from ecclesiastes book of the bible. I gave the book a 1 star, please context, context, context. so very important.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book left me wanting. I was happy to be reading something about the book of Ecclesiastes, being that is it one of my favorites in the Bible. Stedman does bring up some good points about trials and pain and their relationship to becoming more like God. But for the most part, I was disappointed. It was an easy read but did not flow well. Stedman goes from point to point with little transition, leaving the book feeling choppy. I would recommend this book to those who are new to Christianity or those who are not very familiar with the Bible.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very good layman's explanation of this Book of Wisdom. First time I read it long ago (10 Years ago) I did not appreciate it. In the second reading, I took it slower in a group study and appreciated his insights much more.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

While it was nice to see Stedman's perspective on life and the world, I found his way of interpreting Ecclesiastes completely wrong. He threw out a literal interpretation of the Bible and inserted his own random and present-day thoughts, which is 100% not how the Bible should be read.

[Shirley A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is especially good after reading "Patch Adams." It puts a more realistic slant to life & our care of ourselves.

[Ilze · Rating 3 out of 5]

... a question that mankind will never have an answer to ...

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a decent book, but it didn't tell me anything I didn't learn from the footnotes in my NIV Study Bible.

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good and a lot of food to chew on regarding Ecclesiastes and its author.