I’ve been teaching from the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon is old and depressed for sure. Everything is doom and sorrow. I told my class that if you are one of those people who open their Bible and pick one verse with no plan...and take it to heart, you are in trouble if it opens to Ecclesiastes.
He says things like obviously not true, like: it makes no difference if you are a sinner or a righteous man, everything happens by chance. There are a bunch of verses just as negative like that. It is a rather depressing book--at least that’s what I think. “Vanity, vanity...all is vanity.”
You have to know who is writing a book in the Bible to truly understand what they are saying. Their age, nation, background, current condition--along with a bunch of other stuff. But the class got through it. And it has some very good thoughts. You just have to dig. But if you are only an occasional reader, stick to the New Testament!
I would encourage you, however, to be a consistent reader. You will get much more out of it. Just make note of who is writing what you are reading. It makes a difference. Paul and Peter are different kinds of writers. So are Matthew--and Luke. People express things different.
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