Ecclesiastes 7: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Ecclesiastes 7 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death is better than the day of one’s birth (v. 1). It is better to go to the house of mourning than to feasting, for mourning helps the living take heart (v.

Key verse

“Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?”
Ecclesiastes 7:13 (WEB)

Outline

Ecclesiastes 7:1–4 Value of Reputation and Mourning
Ecclesiastes 7:5–12 Wisdom's Superiority to Folly
Ecclesiastes 7:13–18 God's Sovereignty and Human Limits
Ecclesiastes 7:19–22 The Nature of Righteousness
Ecclesiastes 7:23–29 Pursuit of Wisdom and Understanding

Discussion questions

In v1, why is a 'good name' considered better than 'fine perfume'?
What does the Preacher say in v3 about 'sorrow' compared to 'laughter'?
In v15, what tension is present in the contrast between a 'righteous man' who perishes and a 'wicked man' who lives long?
In v26, why does the Preacher find a woman whose heart is 'snares and traps' more bitter than death?
When have you experienced the 'sorrow' in v3 that led you to a wiser understanding?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Ecclesiastes 7: Romans 3, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 22.

Before next time: read Ecclesiastes 8.