Finish this line: "I pity the…" If you said "fool," you've been paying attention to 1980s pop culture. Mr. T, the A-Team tough guy who famously put a beating on Rocky, is now a gospel preacher, and some of his sermons are worth looking up. But his catchphrase is exactly what came to mind as I read the end of Ecclesiastes 9 and all of chapter 10. Throughout the book, the Teacher has told us that wisdom is better than foolishness, but both end in the grave, so what's the point? Is it worth...

from Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Back in the Roman era, when a general returned to the city victorious, the crowds would gather for a triumphant processional through the streets, cheering, playing music, celebrating the conquering hero riding in his chariot. But riding alongside him would often be a servant, leaning in close amid all the noise to whisper a single phrase into his ear. "Remember, you must die." Memento mori. Amid all the honor and glory and roaring crowds, someone was assigned to...

Ecclesiastes 7 might be the hardest chapter in the book so far. For six chapters, the Teacher has been building trust with us, offering observations that, however cynical or dry, generally line up with the rest of Scripture. Then we hit chapter 7, and Qohelet seems to lose it. This chapter is part cynicism, part anger, part protest, part lament. It's the sound of a weary heart finally boiling over. Before we dig in, one reading principle matters more here than almost anywhere else in...