The book of Proverbs called us to wise living and included the promise that wise living would bring blessing into our lives.  The writer of Ecclesiastes, with the help of the Teacher, calls some of that into question, saying, "Sometimes those who live wisely don't experience blessing."  In other words, the experience of life doesn't always line up with what Proverbs promised.  Perhaps you've experienced that in your life.  So if we don't experience those blessings, is wise living worth the effort?  Why not just pursue the pleasures of life, enjoy the moment, and then eventually die?  It is true that pursuing the things of the world will eventually lead to emptiness (be meaningless).  So where do we find purpose?  In loving/fearing God and keeping his commandments.  Our ultimate purpose in life is in our experience of God and our relationship with him.  We enter our rhythm of LEARN-READ-INTERACT.

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about Ecclesiastes:

Phrase: Life Purpose
Theme: God prompts the Teacher to question the purpose of life.
Christ-Focus: In Christ alone is found meaning, purpose, and direction in life (John 14:6).
Implications: Let us look for life's purpose in the eternal truths that God has revealed in Christ (Colossians 2:2-3).
Questions: Why should we bother drawing another breath?  Where can we go to find out about the true life revealed in Jesus Christ?

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