Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning When Life Feels Meaningless is part of Crossway’s Flourish Bible Study series. The series author, Lydia Brownback, is an accomplished writer and conference presenter. Accordingly, she writes like a speaker—with a friendly and clear tone. She distills biblical information into an understandable and applicable format, making this study on Ecclesiastes a great starting point for reading the Wisdom Books.
This study walks verse-by-verse through Ecclesiastes and is separated into ten concise chapters. These chapters can be read and discussed over the course of ten weeks or completed individually in as few as ten days. I appreciated this flexibility. It is, of course, always possible to go deeper and spend more time in the Bible. Pragmatically, though, I liked that this study can be completed in about thirty minutes per chapter.
Right away when I received this book, I was struck by how lovely it is. I know we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but the designers at Crossway are exceptional. From the cover to the back matter, this study is beautifully crafted. I appreciated that ample room was allotted for journaling and responding to Brownback’s questions. I also liked that the margins were spacious enough that I could annotate the biblical text right in the book.
This brings me to another feature I liked: the inclusion of the full text of Ecclesiastes (divided into sections). This spared me constant flipping between Ecclesiastes and the many cross references Brownback included. My only complaint is that the other Scripture references were not also printed in the book, but I understand that that would have increased production costs and potentially distracted from the main text.
Another feature I loved were the charts. I love a good chart. The one that guided readers through various passages on joy was my favorite (see below).
This study was especially timely for me as my husband is preparing to preach through Ecclesiastes in 2025. I have read Ecclesiastes many times, but now feel I have a better grasp of its overall arc, as well as its connection to other Scriptures and the gospel.
I will highly recommend this study and others in the Flourish series to the women at my church. My women’s Bible study just finished walking through the ESV Bible Study on Ruth and Esther and we are eager to dive into more studies in the same style.
Beyond the women in my Bible study, this book will prove fruitful for any Christian who struggles with depression or anxiety—or for anyone who occasionally wanders “the depths of despair.”
In other words, this book is for every single one of us.
As the season grows darker and colder, my winter gloom is looming. This study, however, helped me prepare spiritually for the dark days ahead. It reminded me that it is good to enjoy the mundane, that God controls what I cannot, and that there really are seasons for everything—and these seasons (whether I like them or not) are good.
If this study sounds interesting to you, consider purchasing it from Amazon using the embedded link below or directly from Crossway.
Note: I received a copy of this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.
Ryanne Molinari 