Reviewed by: Dennis Cone, church librarian

Church: Trinity Bible Church, Greer SC

Introduction

Title: Embrace Life Under the Sun: God’s Wisdom for Today from Ecclesiastes

Author: Randy Jaeggli

Publisher: JourneyForth Academic

Publication Date: September 10, 2015

Format: Paperback and Kindle

Length: 256 Pages

OVERVIEW

If somebody asked you to explain your philosophy of life, what would you say? If you find that a hard question to answer, you’re not alone. Randy Jaeggli, a professor of Old Testament, suspects very few Christians “would be able to clearly annunciate a biblical, coherent philosophy for how to live in a world that sin has so severely marred.” That’s one reason Dr. Jaeggli spent a big chunk of the last six years of his life writing a book about a portion of the Bible that lays out “God’s revealed philosophy for how mankind should view life in a fallen world.”

Embrace Life Under the Sun: God’s Wisdom for Today from Ecclesiastes is an engaging exploration of the major themes in one book of the Bible that many people have had difficulty understanding. Some have even dismissed these words of Solomon as the random musings of a disillusioned old man, but Jaeggli treats Ecclesiastes as God’s Word and proceeds to show how it is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Using a thematic approach, this very readable commentary doesn’t bog down in a verse-by-verse investigation. Instead it focuses on the big picture of
• why your theology makes all the difference,
• how to think biblically about the inevitable frustrations of everyday life,
• why Christian standards of conduct aren’t restrictive but liberating,
• what the fear of the Lord means in practical terms, and
• why biblical wisdom has certain limitations.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

5 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience

Sunday school teachers, pastors, teens and adults who are serious about Bible study.

Christian Impact

Embrace Life Under the Sun is the kind of book people will find valuable when they come to your church library looking for help in teaching Ecclesiastes to a Sunday school class or for getting a better handle on it in their personal Bible study. It’s a balanced blend of scholarly analysis and practical advice about Christian living.

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