Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes

by Philip Graham Ryken

Ecclesiastes is for people who have their doubts about God, but can’t stop thinking about him. The author of Ecclesiastes had his doubts, too, and these have enabled him to speak to skeptics as well as believers down through the centuries.
Ecclesiastes is a book rich in literary artistry and multi–layered depths of spiritual meaning. Philip G. Ryken explores this wonderful Old Testament book, and reminds us again of the need to trust God with the questions, even when we do not have all the answers.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Philosophy, Christian, Biblical Studies

141 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

Philip Graham Ryken is Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he has preached since 1995. He is Bible Teacher for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, speaking nationally on the radio program Every Last Word. Dr. Ryken was educated at Wheaton College (IL), Westminster Theological Seminary (PA) and the University of Oxford (UK), from which he received his doctorate in historical theology. He lives with his wife (Lisa) and children (Joshua, Kirsten, Jack, Kathryn, and Karoline) in Center City, Philadelphia. When he is not preaching or spending time with his family, he likes to read books, play sports, and ponder the relationship between Christian faith and American culture. He has written or edited more than twenty books, including Bible commentaries on Exodus, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Galatians.

Reviews

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ecclesiastes has long been my favorite book of the Bible. Qoheleth sure knew how to turn a poetic phrase, and I love the stark honesty in his perception of the world. I’ve read quite a bit about Ecclesiastes before, and now I’m working through a few recent books in preparation for leading an evening Bible study through it. What struck me about going back to Ecclesiastes right now is the huge contrast it makes with so much of the ethos of popular culture and media. Having recently watched the absolutely dire Everything Everywhere All at Once, I felt that Qoheleth has the answer that that movie needs but doesn’t get anywhere near. The movie presents a multiverse in which there are thousands of Evelyns, apparently none of whom ever find their way out of the “under the sun” (“everything in the bagel”?) perspective on life and meaning. Ecclesiastes of course agrees, in an “under the sun”–only way, that everything is meaningless. But it also affirms that that’s only one, limited, way of understand the world. The answer is not simply to choose to be kind because...well, why not? Rather, Ecclesiastes says the reason to find enjoyment in life is because there is meaning and purpose beyond what we can see. Apart from God’s “above the sun” perspective, everything would be meaningless, and there would be little reason to even choose kindness; it certainly wouldn’t fix the world’s problems, as it seems to do for everyone around Evelyn in the movie. But knowing that our point of view is not all there is to the universe gives us the ability to enjoy life in a deeper way.

I liked Ryken’s perspective on the book in Why Everything Matters. It’s not a complete commentary, but just a series of chapters that consider different themes in Ecclesiastes. He rejects interpretations that see only cynicism in Qoheleth’s words. Rather, Ryken believes that the “above the sun” perspective that occasionally breaks through is genuine and sincere. I particularly liked his explanation of chapter 3’s “a time for everything” passage, pointing out that it’s not fatalistic but is affirming that God is over all aspects of what happens in the world.

Some people would prefer a one-dimensional deity. They like to think of God as giving life, but not appointing the time of death. They would rather see God as planting and building than uprooting and tearing down. But God is not either/or. He is both/and, depending on what time it is.

Ecclesiastes 3 gives us the complete picture: to know God and to understand our place in His world we need to accept that both halves of each pair tell us the truth about His character. God makes “time for every matter under heaven” because at the right time everything in this poem is fully in keeping with who He is: birth and death, mourning and laughter, love and hate, exclusion and embrace, war and peace. (63)

Chapter 8, “The Crook in the Lot,” is also an excellent discussion of Ecclesiastes’ statement about straightening what God has made crooked. Ryken asks, What would you change about your life, and what do you patiently accept? It’s a challenging question, and to me it seems more interesting than assuming that of course I would change anything I had the power to change, in order to create a life for myself that seems perfect. But in striving for what I (in my “under the sun” perspective) regard as perfect, am I missing out on things God would like to show me from “above the sun”?

Ryken shows “the gospel in Ecclesiastes” in affirming that Ecclesiastes does in fact give us “good news,” contrary to the negative impression a reader might get from a first glance through the book. He connects Ecclesiastes to Jesus and the New Testament in helpful ways. Overall, I found this short book to be a solid introduction to a part of the Bible that I think everyone should regularly spend time with.

[Brandi Breezee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The point of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters but that everything matters. Ryken’s book does a fine job pointing the reader to this point.

[Natalie Herr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this Ecclesiastes commentary. Very approachable. Four stars because I would have loved some more explanation on a few things in the later chapters.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend made a copy of the first chapter to share with me, which my favorite parts of I actually cut out and taped into my Bible. Especially the part where there is nothing new under the sun: but as Christians, we will be freed from having to live under the sun - and already we can enjoy the higher perspective of the kingdom of heaven. Under God, not under the sun. And as for there being nothing new - just the endless repetitive cycle of life and work and death - how true if it were not for Jesus!

Today we see an endless procession of visual images (YouTube, Instagram, Netflix) and listen to endless stream of sounds (Pandora, etc) but we are never satisfied.

In fact there is a "progress paradox": we have more almost everything today, except happiness.

In the New Testament, Jesus gives us lots of things completely new! - a new covenant. A new life. A new spirit. A new heart. A new hope. "Behold, I am making all things new!" Revelation 21:5

Almost every verse in Ecclesiastes shows us how much we need a Savior to make all things new. When John Wesley preached his way thorugh this great book of the Bible, he described in jis journal what i was like to begin his sermon series. "Never before had i so clear a sight either of its meaning or beauties. Neither did I imagine, that the several parts of it were in so exquisite a manner connected together, all tending to prove the grand truth, that there is no happiness outside of God."

The rest of the book was excellent, too. Chapter 3 references a scene from Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis, that I have read several times, scratching my head - why would Lewis choose to include Dionysius/Bacchus, the god of wine and debauchery, in the scenes of Aslan's great victory? Susan says "I wouldn't have felt very safe with Bacchus and all his wild girls if we'd met them without Aslan." Finally it makes sense to me: pleasure is only safe for us when God is there, receiving earthly pleasures as a gift from God, as David did when he said "In your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forever." Psalm 16:11

I have to agree in Chapter 6, Death and Injustice, that "this is one of the deepest longings of the human heart - an end to all the unfairness." But this was my least favorite chapter of this book (and the corresponding parts in Ecclesiastes about the problem of injustice in chapters 3 and 6). Because answers aren't given, only the promise at the very end, 12:14: For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil - a promise we are still waiting to see fulfilled.

Chapter 8 gets even harder, as the author tries to tackle Eccl. 7:13 Consider the work of God. For who can make straight what He has made crooked? The answer is: no one. No one can end suffering in this world, except God, and he chooses not to - not under the sun, at least. He even purposefully makes things crooked. Only in heaven he promises to end suffering. Some people turn away from God in the face of suffering; some people turn toward God for help and comfort. Some people say, "God, I don't deserve this. Don't you know who I am?" or what good things I've done? How faithfully I've followed you? but these questions are only a short step from saying "Who does God think he is?" The chapter launches into several reasons why God allows suffering, none of which were new to me, but all were good, if difficult, reminders. This I liked better than the proffered reasons: "If God can straighten out something as crooked as the cross, then surely we can trust Him to do something with the crook in our lot." And finally, the author challenges: "If God put a a crook in your lot, would you try to make it straight? Well, would you?" Would we take the risk that we know enough to fix our problems? Aren't there a million stories with this theme, that seem to teach us the danger of trying to fix things are own way?

I felt like something was missing from this chapter on suffering. Entire books have been written on it, like C.S. Lewis' The Problem of Pain. Not to mention the Book of Job. So this is a pretty good summary. But an even better summary is this excellent article, http://www.veritas.org/why-do-we-suffer

Finally in the last chapter we find out where the strange title, "Why Everything Matters" comes from. "If there is no God, and therefore no final judgment, then it is hard to see how anything we do really matters. But if there is a God who will judge the world, then everything matters. This is not all there is. There is a God in heaven who rules the world. There is a life to come. One day the dead will be raised and every person who has ever lived will stand befor eGod. And when that day comes, it will become clear there is eternal significance in everything that anyone ever thought or said or did."

[John Uit de Flesch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book underwhelmed me. It was a skim that lacked focus. The title makes you think the book will focus on the gospel. So his approach is to cherry pick select verses out of the book that form a gospel line. Unfortunately, (if you know the book of Ecclesiastes), there isn't a whole lot of good news there. His verses form a good layout of the bad news--the but Biblical book lacks any talk of justification, grace, faith, gift of God, etc. You may say that's not his fault--but either use a better title, or actually give the gospel. The final two pages of talk of Jesus was pathetically light. So functionally: Is it a commentary? No--he cherry picked a few main verses. Is it an evangelistic tool? No, it lacks a full, meaningful gospel presentation. What is it? Another book on Ecclesiastes that lacks focus. Solomon references this book in 12:12!

Also: the "Qoheleth" reference may win points with the scholars, but it just added a jarring stumblingblock to me. In more than one way.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing and easy-to-read "summary" of the book of Ecclesiastes. Ryken does a fantastic job of bringing clarity and understanding to Ecclesiastes, as well as to life itself "under the sun." This is a short, yet profound, resource that I recommend to anyone studying Ecclesiastes.

[Daniel G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is the “vanity” of Ecclesiastes remedied by the Gospel?

The title ,“Why Everything Matters: The Gospel In Ecclesiastes,” better summarizes Ryken’s book than Solomon’s. Both books conclude that God’s judgment of all everyone does makes life meaningful. As our Creator, God gives mankind gifts. As Judge He holds us accountable for our responsible enjoyment of them. Therefore, to fear Him by obeying His commands is our duty and purpose.

But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is nowhere to be found in Ecclesiastes. Ryken reads Solomon with a Gospel focus apparently for two primary reasons—one valid, the other invalid, in my judgment. To joyfully recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly models the life of meaning and purpose is certainly valid. His food was to accomplish His Father’s will (John 4:34). He stewarded the words and works given Him to speak and do, enduring the worst of injustice, shame, and seeming defeat (see Isaiah 53). No New Testament believer in Christ should fail to recognize the Lord’s triumph over the inexplicable crookedness of life in the here-and-now. His victory over sin and death and hell is indeed ours by faith.

But Ryken, like many interpreters before him, appears to misunderstand Solomon’s use of the word “vanity” to mean life devoid of meaning when examined without taking God (or the Gospel of Christ) into consideration. This makes the solution to the problem of vanity hinge on a regenerate perspective. I find this argument to be invalid for reasons I will give below..

“Vanity” might better be understood as the empty-handed result of anyone—including a Christian—who tries to explain God’s ways and make sense of life’s events through observation, experimentation or even wisdom. If so, then the problem lies with human finiteness, not a secular perspective as opposed to one that is spiritual. It is a problem of walking by sight rather than by faith, which is no less tempting or disastrous for a Christian than for a pagan.

In Isaiah 49:4, the the words of the Servant of Yahweh (Jesus in prospect) are: “But I said, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity….” In His humanity, the Lord had reason to view His life in the-here-and-now as the waste it appeared to be to unbelieving Jews and Gentiles for whom death on a cross was the epitome of personal failure. But Isaiah 49:4 continues with prophetic words that apply to Jesus: “‘Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God.’”

Jesus was sustained, as any believer in Christ can be, by faith that God rewards the obedience of those who walk with Him by faith.

What is vain is for any human being—especially Christians—is to try and make the books balance in time (under the sun). Believers in Christ are no better at finding “…out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end” than are unbelievers. In fact, human inability to straighten what God has made crooked may well pose a greater challenge to the faith of a believer in Christ than to the intellect of a naturalist. We have elevated expectations. It is because “we play for another day,”as Ecclesiastes teaches us to do, that we can meet that challenge as Jesus did. A person will not and cannot trust God to make sense of our lives on earth apart from faith in Christ. On this point, Ryken is clearly correct. Believers need not be despairing. But my point is that our victory over despair does not make us any less perplexed by all that we perceive with our senses or experience in our bodies (2 Corinthians 4:7-12).

[Milton Quintanilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book of Ecclesiastes is one of my personal favorite books in the Bible. I can remember reading it for the first time and relating to the constant cry of “vanity” in seeking out the things in life apart from God. This book addresses Ecclesiastes on the perplexing matters of life-why does everything feel meaningless? Is God in control of the seasons and times? What’s the point of one’s toil and pursuit of wisdom if you’re ultimately going to die? Philip Ryken makes a sobering point in which Ecclesiastes shows we will not have all of the answers in this lifetime:

“Ecclesiastes is not the kind of book that we keep reading until we reach the end and get the answer, like a mystery. Instead, it is a book in which we keep struggling with the problems of life and, as we struggle, we learn to trust God with the questions even when we do not have all the answers. This is how the whole Christian life works: it is not just about what we get at the end, but also about the people we become along the way. Discipleship is a journey, not just a destination.”

It is a journey indeed that ultimately finds it’s end in God. Furthermore, don’t expect a running commentary in reading this book because it is not intended to be one. It addresses how Christ plays into the prominent themes such as seeking wisdom, pleasure, enjoyment in one’s toil, justice for the oppressed, and suffering in this lifetime. Thus allowing one to read Ecclesiastes from a Gospel centered perspective. In the reading of this book, I found myself loving Ecclesiastes that much more as it reflects the restless inquiry of humanity that only be found in Christ who “satiates the soul”, otherwise it will always be a “striving after wind”. In Christ, one no longer just lives “under the sun” but under the Son. And Ryken does a great job in putting that on display in this book.

So do yourself a favor, quit chasing wind and read this book. You don’t want to miss this!

Highlights

“This book helps us ask the biggest and hardest questions that people still have today—questions that lie at the heart of life in a fallen world: What is the meaning of life? Why is there so much suffering and injustice? Does God even care? Is life really worth living?”

“How is that for a philosophy of history—humanity on a hamster wheel?” (referring to the seemingly endless cycle of everyday life)

“To see things ‘under the sun’ is to look at them from the ground level, taking an earthly point of view and leaving God out of the picture.”

“Remember this whenever you get frustrated, sad, angry or disappointed with everything in life that is getting broken, falling apart, and going wrong. Remember this when you feel overwhelmed and are tempted to wonder why you should even bother—with your work, with a relationship, with your faith. You were made for a new and better world. The very fact that you are weary of this life is pointing you to Jesus as the only One who can satisfy your soul.”

[Artis Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Next book up! I’ve been teaching through Ecclesiastes for my students and wanted to read another good book on it. Great short read reflecting on Ecclesiastes. Highly reccomend.

1. “Almost every verse in Ecclesiastes shows us how much we need a Savior to make all things new.
2. “The principle applies well to the Christian life: pleasure is only safe for us when God is there.”
3. “There are many good reasons to remember God. But here is the best reason of all: remember your creator because He remembers you.”
4. Ecclesiastes mainly teaches us to see how meaningless life is without God, and how little joy there is under the sun if we try to leave our Creator out of His universe.”
5. “To read Ecclesiastes is to hear our Shepard’s voice, including this final warning: my son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh (eccl. 12:12)

Enjoyed this quick read. If you’re looking for a short overview of the book this is for you. If you want more detail through the whole book grab a commentary. This is a nice book to use as a devotional and a quick overview to help you as you dive deep into Ecclesiastes. Overall i really enjoyed it! 8.5/10.

[Alex Watt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Ecclesiastes. It is such a poetic and beautiful book. Ryken handles it not unlike the Preacher himself, seeking to find words of delight and writing words of truth (12:10).

This book helped me understand parts of Ecclesiastes I had found confusing, clarified parts that I have seen twisted, and underscored the gospel message. The tack Ecclesiastes takes is so valuable; everyone can resonate with the message of vanity -- we feel it and are often tempted to either despair or to hide it in even more vanity.

I also appreciated that Ryken emphasized at the end the importance of reading Scripture itself; of the making of books there is no end, but the words given by "one Shepherd," our Lord, are what we most need (12:11-12). If you're looking for an introduction to Ecclesiastes, "Why Everything Matters" is a good place to start.

[Will Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryken offers a helpful and short commentary on Ecclesiastes. He argues that Ecclesiastes is written to prod us toward remembering our Creator and Redeemer. Life under the sun, life apart from God is empty and meaningless. Ecclesiastes drives this home in every chapter. But the book ends with commending and commanding us to remember our Creator, to fear and to obey God.

Ryken concludes: because there is a God who will judge the world then everything matters. Life under the sun is meaningless. But life really does matter because God will judge how you lived your life and in the end it will have eternal consequences. Everything we do here and now matters.

[Cameron Barham]

“Ecclesiastes is not the kind of book that we keep reading until we reach the end and get the answer, like a mystery. Instead, it is a book in which we keep struggling with the problems of life and, as we struggle, we learn to trust God with the questions even when we do not have all the answers. This is how the whole Christian life works: it is not just about what we get at the end, but also about the people we become along the way. Discipleship is a journey, not just a destination.”, p. viii-ix

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryken has a commentary on the whole book of Ecclesiastes but this isn't it. Unfortunately I didn't realize that when I bought it or I would have bought the full commentary instead of this half one. Bummer-because I really liked his insights into the text. I especially loved Ryken's chapter 6 of this book which made sense out of a passage that I would not been able to figure out how it went together.

[James Ruley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryken’s book on Ecclesiastes reads more like a devotional book than a commentary, but it provides useful insights into the key messages of Ecclesiastes. This book would be a great starting place for studies in the book, but not a good ending place. His point of the book was simple yet forceful: Without God, nothing matters. With God, everything matters.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this deep look at my favorite book of the Bible. Both Ecclesiastes and this book wade into the complexities of what God is doing in all the things that appear to have no purpose. Would be a great book to walk through with youth or young adults to think through what they see in the world around them and how God is working in it. Definitely need to reread this again!

[Landon Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short treatment of the book of Ecclesiastes. Ryken does a good job of framing the overall perspective of the book of Ecclesiastes, but the book itself is not a commentary or a verse-by-verse treatment. There are significant sections of Ecclesiastes that are not covered here. Still, the book is very helpful for framing an overall approach to the words of the Preacher.

[James Nabeel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted. Tries too hard to mix in cultural allusions and not hard enough to make the text explicit. Was glad when Benjamin Shaw's little expository commentary came out, so that I could switch to that one midstream.

[Manus Wong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slight disappointment in the way it presents Ecclesiastes in a topical way and 'cherry picks' the verses. The book is very simple and definitely not a commentary. It might be a good introduction to Ecclesiastes but not what I hoped it would be.

[Austin Wynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite commentary on Ecclesiastes. Ryken does a great job on difficult texts to show the various opinions taken and brings the Gospel to bear throughout (without allegorizing either). His illustrations throughout help to clarify the text well also. I highly recommend.

[Cyndia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poorly edited. Good companion book to Ecclesiastes, but it falls short. Chapters are poorly organized. Large portions of Ecclesiastes skipped over. This could have benefited from a better editor/publisher because it’s a good rough draft, unfortunately sold as a finished product.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading a couple different books about Ecclesiastes. This was a good nice little read on the book. I love reading through Ecclesiastes regularly and this book was a nice little exploration on the book on the goldmine that is the book of Ecclesiastes

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous analysis of Ecclesiastes. The author truly delved into scripture and history, and returned a thorough and well written book about why everything matters. I enjoyed this, and it works be great for personal or group study. Thank you so much for your thoughtful work!

[Cristian fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why everything matters is really a great book

This book made a rally impresive lay out of the book of ecclesiastes, excellent in it’s aplicattion and great with the examples

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible book. Amazing overview and guide to Ecclesiastes. The author does a great job of explaining how the promises are fulfilled in Christ in every section.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great, just read it and you'll see!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything written on the book of Ecclesiastes will be profound, and this book is no exception. I enjoyed Ryken's style, which is accessible but not simplistic. It follows the text of Ecclesiastes closely, meandering through all the possibilities for creating meaning in life, and concluding that our purpose rests with God. In Him, everything we do has deep significance.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. A few wobbly parts.

[Bradley Endsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short commentary Ryken shows that everything does matter and that the 'under the sun' worldview can only be answered by the 'under the Son' worldview

[Alex Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Gospel is really found in every passage of scripture even Ecclesiastes.

[Deb Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Lots to underline. Definitely recommend.