A Study of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon Workbook by Chad Sychtysz

One book asks whether any of this matters. The other is a love poem. This workbook takes both of them seriously.

A Study of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon is a 207-page workbook by Chad Sychtysz that covers both of Solomon's most unusual books in one volume.

How This Study Helps

Ecclesiastes can sound bleak, and Song of Solomon can make a class uncomfortable, so both often get skipped. That's a loss, because Ecclesiastes asks the question every honest person eventually asks, and Song of Solomon shows what God intended marriage to be.

Ecclesiastes gets twenty-four lessons, verse by verse from "vanity of vanities" to the conclusion of the whole matter. Sychtysz keeps the reader anchored in the phrase "under the sun," the key to Solomon's argument that life measured only by this world is futile. Song of Solomon gets a full exposition in six acts and twelve scenes, with the speakers identified so a class can follow who is talking to whom. He makes the case for the literal reading, Solomon and the Shulammite in a real courtship and marriage, and handles the book with care.

What's Inside

Part One: Ecclesiastes, 24 lessons in four sections

• "All is vanity" (1:1-11)
• Proof that "all is vanity" (1:12-6:12)
• Counsel for living in a vain world (7:1-12:8)
• Conclusion (12:9-14)

Part Two: Song of Solomon, an exposition in six acts

• The beginning of courtship (1:2-2:7)
• The beloved arrives; the Shulammite's first dream (2:8-3:5)
• The wedding procession and the marriage (3:6-5:1)
• The second dream and the search (5:2-6:13)
• Married love and mutual delight (7:1-8:4)
• Love as strong as death (8:5-14)
• Appendix: the three-person view of Song of Solomon

Format & Features

A 6 x 9 paperback. Each lesson works through its passage with running commentary, then closes with discussion questions and room to write. The introductions defend Solomon's authorship and place both books within the wisdom literature. Endnotes and a full source list are included, and Scripture quotations are from the NASB (1995). It is also available as a PDF eBook, with an individual-use version and a class-use license for churches.

Who It's For

Adult Bible class teachers who want two quarters of material from one book, preachers planning a series on wisdom literature, marriage and young-couples classes, and any Christian who has wondered why Ecclesiastes sounds so bleak or why Song of Solomon is in the Bible at all.

Common Questions

Is Song of Solomon appropriate for a Bible class?
It's candid about married love. Sychtysz handles it with care and never turns coarse, but teachers will want to think about their class before scheduling it.

Can I use it to teach a class?
Yes. Its 24 Ecclesiastes lessons fill a quarter of weekly classes. Order a workbook for each student, or buy the class-use PDF license to print copies for your class.

What are the eBook options?
The individual-use PDF is for one reader. The class-use PDF license lets a church print or share copies for a whole class.

More Old Testament Studies by Chad Sychtysz

A Study of the Book of Psalms, A Study of Proverbs, A Study of Isaiah, A Study of Jeremiah and Lamentations, A Study of Ezekiel, A Study of Daniel, and A Study of the Minor Prophets.

About the Author

Chad Sychtysz has preached the gospel since 1994, serving churches in Alaska and Washington state. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and has written more than twenty-five books and workbooks on the Bible, including the Quick Study Commentary and Personal Study series on the New Testament. He lives in Billings, Montana.

Product Details

• Author: Chad Sychtysz
• Publisher: Spiritbuilding Publishers
• Contents: 24 lessons on Ecclesiastes and a six-act exposition of Song of Solomon
• Translation: NASB (1995)
• Pages: 207
• Size: 6 x 9 inches
• Format: Paperback; PDF eBook (individual or class use)
• ISBN: 9781964805771