Table in the Mist

Ecclesiastes has fascinated readers for millennia. Christians who think God demands happiness at all times misinterpret it as a warning against dark thoughts, while pagans find it an apology for nihilism. Jeffrey Meyers shows that both are wrong, and reveals the book's true message—that life can be bleak, that suffering exists, but that God has given us good things to enjoy, and that part of our duty as believers is to enjoy them and not wallow in sadness and depression.

This doesn't mean we wear rose-colored glasses and ignore the facts. Far from it—the world is full of evil, and not all of it makes sense or has a purpose. Meyers reminds us that true wisdom is not the ability to understand why things happen, but our ability to recognize our inability to understand the world and its events and yet to submit to God's will. Once we understand that, Ecclesiastes stops looking so bleak and simply looks like an accurate reflection of the way things are.

Using James Jordan's Bible study methods (pioneered in Through New Eyes), Meyers looks at Ecclesiastes from a literary perspective, looking for patterns and symbolism, analyzing structures, and identifying meaning rather than proof-texting. This isn't an academic approach: A Table in the Mist is intelligent and well-reasoned, but primarily concerned with believers's practical understanding of the text. Meyers deals with passages in context rather than going verse-by-verse.

Beginning with a brief examination of wisdom literature, Meyers launches into an accessible examination of Ecclesiastes that doesn't scrub clean Solomon's realism. He also shows how the book's positive message—that God gave us good things to be enjoyed—is often just as shocking to those whose Gospel is tamed by "decency." Earthy, readable and biblical, A Table in the Mist is (ironically) one of the most encouraging and peaceful books you'll read.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.