Tuesday, October 15, 2013

31 Days to Happiness by David Jeremiah

These 31 chapters are an expository work on the book of Ecclesiastes. While it is lengthy—over 300 pages—it is well worth reading. The author’s lifetime of experience in speaking and writing, coupled with the deep wisdom found in one of Solomon’s books, make for a challenging, wonderful read. There is a rarely found depth in this book that no doubt will call the reader to reach for it again and again. This book, mirroring Ecclesiastes, aims at exposing wisdom for what it is: the opposite of worldly views. The first half emphasizes the fact that neither money nor work can bring happiness. The second half shows how godly wisdom is the polar opposite of a natural view, with misery, sorrow, rebuke and “the hard way” bringing profit. Chapter after chapter dissects Ecclesiastes’ premises, such as the chapter on Solomon’s final admonitions which were that life is uncertain, short, mysterious and obedience and so should be embraced, enjoyed, examined and expressed. David Jeremiah’s many years of sermon preparation are reflected in excellent chapters such as this one. This book was interesting, challenging and comforting. The Bible is communicated well, especially the book of Ecclesiastes, which can be puzzling to read. I highly recommend this book. I would say, though, that I think it is misnamed. It should be “31 Days to Wisdom”. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.