as analyzed by Sheila Rangslinger

Ecclesiastes

• 1:4 Will the earth last forever? See here.
• 1:9 "There is nothing new under the sun." But other verses in the Bible talk about such things as a new heaven and a new earth. See here.
• 1:18 Do wisdom and knowledge make a person happy? SAB sets this against a passage in Psalms -- a poem! See here.
• 2:13-14 Wisdom is better than folly, but the same fate awaits us all. He likes it.
• 2:24 "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour." Amen to that! Ditto.
• 3:1-8 "To everything there is a season...." Some nice poetry and a great Byrds song. ("Turn, Turn, Turn" -- written by Pete Seeger) Um, yeah, that's where Sol got it from, all right.
• 3:12 Strive to do good in this life. You only get one chance. He likes it.
• 3:13 Eat, drink, and enjoy the good of your labor. Ditto.
• 3:19-21 Men and animals both die and their spirits don't survive death. "A man hath no pre-eminence above a beast ... All goeth unto one place ... Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" Who indeed? See 1:4 link.
• 3:22 "Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works." He likes it.
• 4:13 "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king." Ditto.
• 5:2 "God is in heaven." Or is he? Gee, if I say "SAB is at home" and later say "SAB is at the store" is that a contradiction? And he's not even omnipresent, supposedly.
• 5:3 "A fool's voice is known by multitude of words." He likes it.
• 5:7 Should we fear God? See here.
• 5:10 Greedy folks are never satisfied. He likes it.
• 5:15 "As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand." Ditto, apparently. But given what's below we're surprised SAB didn't get all excited about the word "naked".
• 5:18 "It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life." Ditto.
• 7:1 "A good name is better than precious ointment." Ditto.
• 7:5 "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools." Ditto ditto.
• 7:8 "The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." Yep.
• 7:9 "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." Yep.
• 7:20 According to this verse there are no humans who are good and sinless. Yet several such people were said to exist in the Bible and all Christians are supposedly sinless. See here.
• 7:25 Always strive "to know, and to search; and to seek out wisdom, and the reasonableness of things." He likes it.
• 8:13 Do wicked people grow old and prosper? Not according to this verse, but Job 21:7 says they do. See here.
• 8:15 There is nothing better for us to do than "to eat, to drink, and to be merry." He likes it.
• 9:2-3 The same death comes to us all, the good and the bad alike. Ditto, apparently.
• 9:4 As long as we are alive there is hope. After that there is nothing. "A live dog is better than a dead lion." Ditto?
• 9:5 Dead people know nothing and receive no reward, contrary to many Bible passages. See 1:4 link.
• 9:7 "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart." But Proverbs (20:1) says that we should not drink wine. See here.
• 9:9 "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest." And make a mockery of it as below?
• 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might," because dead people don't work and they know nothing, contrary to many Bible passages. See above.
• 9:11-12 Human life is subject to indifferent laws and random events -- just like the lives of other animals. He likes it.
• 9:16-17 Wisdom, though often ignored and despised, is better than strength. Ditto.
• 10:10 "Wisdom is profitable to direct." Ditto.
• 10:12 "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself." Ditto.
• 10:14 "A fool also is full of words." Ironic ditto.
• 10:19 Is money the answer to all of life's problems, as this verse implies? Or is it the root of all evil (1 Tim.6:10)? See 1:4 link.
• 11:1 "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." I don't know what this means, but it sure sounds cool. Provincialism which speaks for itself.
• 11:9 Should we follow after our own heart and eyes? This verse says we should, but Num.15:39 says we shouldn't. See 1:4 link to get the point.
• 12:12 "Much study is a weariness of the flesh." You can say that again. Which is why SAB didn't do any, apparently.
• 12:13 Should we fear God? See above.