Warning: the topic of suicide is raised
Opening and reading the book of Ecclesiastes is a soothing experience - at least in the beginning. The first three chapters make me feel free from the desire to understand - to figure it all out... It's almost contemplative. A call to try and witness life without judgement. No labels, no timetables, no pressure... True wisdom is found in rejecting wisdom
I also feel a sense of kinship with the writer (believed to be a famous teacher commissioned to write by King Solomon) as he sits down to try and make sense of the world, and discovers that everything which seems important really isn't important at all...
2. I've thought about and experienced the things that supposedly make for a good life, and it's all pointless
3. There is a time for everything, so we may as well enjoy what is before us now
4. Working too hard is pointless, it will bring no comfort
5. Be careful what you hope for and plan to do, it's better to enjoy what you have now than to horde for an uncertain future
6. It's tragic to have a lot and not enjoy it
7. Seriously - everything is pointless, even wisdom
8. Control is an illusion and those who seek it still end up in the same place as everyone else
9. We're all heading for death and we don't know when we'll get there
10. Foolishness is like a blunt tool, it makes the job harder
11. Don't waste time - make the most of the opportunities before you, and remember God will call you to account for what you do and don't do
12. Remember the good things, when life begins to fade, and remember the words of this teacher who sought Godly wisdom
The trouble with the book of Ecclesiastes is that it never really makes any kind of point. If you come to this book feeling confused and looking for answers, you're unlikely to find clarity by the time you get to the end of it, in fact you're likely to be left in a greater state of confusion.
By the time we get to chapter seven I feel that the author has reached the limits of language, with what he's trying to communicate and has stopped making sense - his thinking even becomes quite dangerous. In chapter four the author suggests that death is better than a hard life, a point he reiterates further on.
One of the things I love about the bible is the way it tracks the relationship between humanity and God, and the way that the kinds of things that happen during the course of that relationship are timeless. People struggle today with the seeming pointlessness of life as much as Solomon's teacher ever did, and that's true of all the other human struggles encountered in the other biblical books.
However, despite his words, it's unlikely that Solomon's teacher decided that his life wasn't worth living. As a member of Solomon's court, he probably lived a good and full life and was clearly recognised and respected for his wisdom. A privileged position in fact, and perhaps he needed to 'check his privilege'. Because what the author seems to be suggesting in Ecclesiastes is that death is a better option than a hard life, by which he means a life of trying hard and getting nowhere. If this doesn't describe the life of the author then it means he's looking at somebody else's life and making a judgement on how worthwhile it is, or making a general sweeping statement about another class of life than his own. Not a wise thing to do, nor a helpful one.
Of course we all do it don't we? We tend to make judgements about other people's lives and how worthwhile they are. A lot of the 'wisdom' you find in this book is the kind of stuff you might hear down the pub after a few bevvies; money won't make you happy, you should enjoy what you've got while you can... etc etc. Part of the problem, I feel, is that when you try to grapple with big questions - why am I here? What's the point of life anyway? - you can only ever answer from your own limited human perspective, based on your own human experiences (or lack of) and it's just not enough. It's really not enough. You can't find the answer to life by looking at the whole of life from inside one small bit of it. Luckily Ecclesiastes is not the only book in the Bible, it's an interesting and entertaining read and has a slightly different perspective from a lot of the Old Testament writings, but perhaps it needs to come with a bit of a health warning:
Warning: Ecclesiastes grapples with the pointlessness of life, but it doesn't give any firm answers or much comfort
Quite frankly, it's probably not the best book of the Bible to turn to if you're feeling emotionally or spiritually low. On the other hand, it can be very comforting if you're feeling overwhelmed by too many answers - if your life seems like a path that's mapped out with no branches or turnings, and all joy had been sucked from the journey. If nothing else Ecclesiastes encourages the reader to enjoy life as much as possible without being hedonistic. Stop - smell the flowers, enjoy a good meal, spend time with people that you love. If everything is actually pointless at the end of the day, these little things are still good, and worth seeking. But if you can't find worth in any of these things and are reading the Bible looking for Godly comfort in a life that feels overwhelmed with struggles and a sense of pointlessness, and want to read something that resonates with that... I'd recommend that you start with Jonah or Job instead! I feel that Ecclesiastes is a good book to mull over and chuckle about, but God feels very distant. I suspect that Solomon's teacher, for all his cleverness with words, didn't have much experience of finding God in the hard times of life as well as the good.
FINAL IMPORTANT POINT
If you are assailed by thoughts of suicide, please don't use the Bible alone to guide you, seek help from trustworthy human sources as well as spiritual ones