Chapter 4 - “Living a Life Less Upwardly Mobile”
Passage for Chapter 4: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
Themes/Concepts - Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
v. 1-3 - description by the Preacher of the evil and magnitude of evil seen in “under the sun”; it’s so bad that better “...is the one who has never been born” (v. 3)
v. 4-6 - Preacher identifies one of the root causes of the evil and oppression we see: individuals seeking to gain because of the envy of others.
v. 7-8 - description from the Preacher of what happens when an individual achieves his/her ambitions (“lasting gain”) but is alone and has no one to share this “wealth” with.
v. 9-12 - description of the practical benefits that come with working with others, sharing with others, thinking of others, etc. which avoids the perils seen in v. 7-8.
v. 13-16 - the Preacher illustrates the perils of upward mobility (”advancement”) where the ultimate result is “meaningless”.
Themes/Concepts - Chapter 4 (Living a Life Less Upwardly Mobile)
“We over me” - thinking more about others than exclusively thinking of one’s self and self-ambitions.
This approach has practical benefits as it provides a better and more joyful way living
A root cause of the evil we see surrounding us is the “...envy of another” (v. 4) which can come in the form of “hating our neighbor”.
We can avoid “hating our neighbor” and live out “We over me” through avoiding both extremes of laziness and busyness and finding an appropriate “middle path”.
The perils that still remain when one pursues and “achieves” his/her attempt at “lasting gain” even though these are outside of one’s control and outside of one’s limitations. Â
Discussion Questions
Do you think it’s true that we spend most of our time thinking about ourselves?
How does Ecclesiastes help us to guard against being “trite and simplistic” as we try to help those immersed in a world of pain (see p. 69)?
What are the things that, in your worst moments, you envy in others?
What practical steps can you take to help prevent laziness or being overly busy? What might it look like for you to take the “middle road”?
Questions for Personal Reflection
Work out how much time you spent working last week and how much time you spent relaxing with others. Could you spend more or less time on each of those?
Who are the “we’s” whom you could start to think about more? Take time to list the practical differences this might make to those relationships.











