According to tradition, King Solomon aka the wisest man in all of history wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes offers a philosophy of life — and shows how God fits into it. The Hebrews used it as a book of instruction; it showed them how to find spiritual significance in a life that would otherwise be meaningless. However, further study of this book must be understood within the context of the whole book and, ultimately the whole Bible. Let's take a sneak peak at the surprise ending......

"Now all has been heard;
Here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring into
judgement,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil."

Either way, the doctrine of the Old Testament is summarised in a few short phrases. The reader is urged 1) to have a right relationship with God [fear God]; 2) to maintain the relationship by following the law [keep his commandments]; and 3) to anticipate a final and future judgment [God will bring every deed into judgment]. For that is Man's all. That's all we really need to do.