A few years ago, I taught through the entire Bible at my church. We spent four-and-a-half years exploring every book from Genesis through Revelation. It was a wonderful experience for me to lead women as they uncovered the way all of Scripture points straight to Jesus.
Some passages were easier to teach and understand than others. Among the more challenging books for our group was Ecclesiastes. It’s part of the Wisdom literature in the Bible but it can be difficult to navigate the despairing nature of these chapters. As we pray through verses in Ecclesiastes over the next couple of months inside of Pray the Word Journal, we hope you will also take the time to read through this book. And, in order to help you understand the message of Ecclesiastes, we suggest the following resources.
Recommended Study Resources for Ecclesiastes
(click on any of the titles to order your copy. This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through this link, you help support Million Praying Moms at no extra cost to you. Thank you!).
The Bible Project: Ecclesiastes
If you have never checked out The Bible Project videos, they provide excellent overviews of books of the Bible and specific passages. This one will definitely help you understand the structure and big ideas of Ecclesiastes as well as providing a solid foundation for beginning your study of the book.
Lecture Series by R. C. Sproul
In this four-part series, the late R. C. Sproul teaches through Ecclesiastes. This series is audio only and each talk is around 20 minutes. Sproul is an excellent teacher and this series will help you gain insight into some of the concepts of Ecclesiastes.
Be Satisfied: Looking for the Answer to the Meaning of Life by Warren Wiersbe
Wiersbe’s Be Series is one of my favorite conversational commentaries. His writing is easy-to-understand and this book will be an excellent resource for anyone studying Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (The NIV Application Commentary Ecclesiastes) by Iain Provan or Ecclesiastes / Song Of Solomon (The Preacher’s Commentary, Volume 16) by Dr. David A. Hubbard
These are more in-depth commentaries for those who want to dig deep into study of Ecclesiastes.
Free Online Resources
Don’t feel you have to purchase new books to help you study Ecclesiastes. There are many free commentaries and study notes available online. I’m listing a few of my favorites below.
Blue Letter Bible
Brooke, Erin, and I all use the Blue Letter Bible app and resources. You can access multiple commentaries as well as interlinear notes including the original languages.
Biblica
This site offers book introductions from the NIV Study Bible.
Precept Austin
On this website you will find many tools and resources for helping you study and understand Ecclesiastes.
The Gospel Coalition
You can access the ESV Study Bible introduction to Ecclesiastes and the full ESV text of the book as well as additional resources such as sermons on the book.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
As we pray through passages of Scripture, it is imperative that we also spend time growing in our knowledge of the Word and the context of what we are reading and praying. Our hope for all who use Pray the Word Journal or our social media images as a prompt to pray for their children is that they will also discover an abiding love for the Word of God.
Investing time to understand the Scriptures we pray is a means of our own spiritual growth and gives us deeper insight into the character and nature of God as well as helping us pray with more confidence for our children.
SOMETHING TO PRAY
Lord, we pray for a hunger for Your Word. May we, like Jeremiah, find Scripture as a delight for our souls. We trust the Holy Spirit to be our Teacher and Guide. Give us an abiding desire for more of Your Word and a deep urgency to obey what we learn.
EXTRA PRAYERS
Jeremiah 15:16, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16
