Purpose of This Blog

To start, I should probably explain how I chose the name for this blog: “Qohelet for Today”. Qohelet (Hebrew: קֹהֶלֶת) is the name ascribed to the voice found in the book of Ecclesiastes (most English translations translate it as “The Preacher” or “The Teacher”). This book takes an honest look at life, revealing all of its absurdity and injustice (hebel), while also upholding certain aspects of life as “good” or “beautiful” (tob or yapeh). Qohelet reveals that God has created much beauty in this world and done so for our enjoyment as well as His own glory (Ecc. 3:10–14). He also shows that life is often difficult or impossible to understand; humanity’s wisdom is limited and no one is able to fully explain all of life’s difficult or unfair situations (Ecc. 8:16–9:1). The book teaches that while life is often difficult or unfair we should enjoy it to the fullest while still trusting and obeying God (Ecc. 12:13–14).

This blog will seek to examine different aspects of this life. Life in 21^st century America may seem quite different than life in post-exilic Israel, but really “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:8–9). I plan to discuss different aspects of our contemporary culture and see how they reflect (or reject) a Biblical perspective. I will look at a variety of issues in popular culture (things like movies, music, politics, current events, etc.) as well as occasionally examine and discuss Biblical passages or issues.