Shepherding Wind and One Wise Shepherd

Are the “Preacher’s” words in Ecclesiastes orthodox, or are they more akin to the teachings of Job’s three friends? Is the main voice that of a skeptic, fatalist, or agnostic, or do we hear the words of a believing realist and godly sage? This essay attempts to explain the heart of this mysterious book, finding in it a message of grounded hope rather than pessimism, of God-honoring joy in the context of brokenness.

DeRouchie says this essay more than any other he has written bears the mark of personal experience: “My understanding of Ecclesiastes’ message gave realistic clarity to and guidance in my own family’s challenging adoption journey.” He writes that he hopes this essay will be used to “motivate a new generation of ‘under-the-sun,’ curse-tasting believers to fear God and to look to him, the Creator-Shepherd, for satisfaction in this trying, suffering-filled, enigmatic world.”