Articles

The Preacher

Lesson 1 (Ecc. 1:1)

Verse 1: “The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.”

Though King David had many sons, only Solomon was named his successor and ruled in the kingdom. Solomon calls himself “the preacher”; in fact, the Hebrew title for Ecclesiastes is Qoheleth—“one who addresses an assembly, a preacher.” This word is a rare term, found only in Ecclesiastes. The title in our English Bible, Ecclesiastes, comes to us from the Septuagint. It means, “speaker before an assembly.”

Solomon’s Biography

Born of David and Bathsheba (named Jedidiah) (2 Samuel 12:24-25).
David appoints Solomon his heir (1 Kings 1:28-30).
Solomon’s kingdom is established (1 Kings 2:12).
Solomon walks with God / his prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:3-15).
Solomon builds the temple (1 Kings 6:11-14).
God’s pronouncement on Solomon and his descendants (1 Kings 9:1-9).
Solomon’s splendor (1 Kings 10:23-24).
Solomon’s downfall—intermarriage with foreign women (1 Kings 11:1-8).
God’s judgment upon Solomon (1 Kings 11:9-13).
Solomon’s death (1 Kings 11:41-43).

Questions

“Ecclesiastes” means __
Who is the author of Ecclesiastes? ___
What other name did the Lord appoint for Solomon?
Solomon’s parents were ___
Even though Solomon was not the “heir apparent”, who did King David make a promise to that Solomon would inherit his throne after his death? ___
When told he could request anything of God he wanted, what did Solomon pray for? ___. What else did God grant him? a. b. c.
1 Kings 9:4, “Now if you __ before Me as your father _ walked, in __ of heart and in , to do according to all that I have __ you, and if you keep My statutes and My , then I will the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever…”
What five items did Solomon possess that should have ensured his happiness. ___ _ __ ___ ___
What was Solomon’s downfall? ___
What judgment did God pronounce on Solomon (1 Kings 11:11)?

Christian Rock Music: The New Trojan Horse

[Editor's Note: This article was first published in the Columbia City Crusader on November 13, 1994. It has been reprinted elsewhere since them.] Last Saturday a "Family Adventure Seminar" was held at a congregation near here. The morning session was quite profitable for the first hour-

Review of Spong's a New Christianity for a New World (8)

As we come to the conclusion of this review, there are two main points yet to be made. The first pertains to the absolute hypocrisy of the author. We do not make this charge to be mean, but it is simply the case that Bishop John Shelby Spong tries to

Review of Spong's a New Christianity for a New World (7)

In order to set up his "new Christianity," Bishop John Shelby Spong must first try to demolish the Christianity of the New Testament, which has stood for 2,000 years. One might think that someone trying to take on this task would need a gigantic ego, and one

"Correcting Scripture or Correcting Us?"

In a recent Wednesday night Bible class, I shared a video of a speech made by Yvette Flunder, pastor and bishop in the United Church of Christ, ultra feminist in a lesbian "marriage," and social activist. Though she claims a relationship with God, she called for a "