Last week I pointed out that Ecclesiastes 2
divides neatly into three sections, observing that the phrase “so
I turned” marks the transition from one subject to the next. In the first
section, the Preacher considers the emptiness of hedonism as a philosophy. This is not a position with which most of
our readers are likely to disagree.
This second section, however, deals with the shortcomings of
wisdom as a be-all and end-all. That
may not be quite so obvious. However, as we will shortly see, even living
wisely has its downside.