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Editorial Review Product Description
Here is an intimate glimpse into Solomon's ancient journal, Ecclesiastes, in which the young king's desperate quest for satisfaction—in work, in sexual conquest, in all the trappings afforded by his fabulous wealth—was as futile as trying to "catch the wind." For those struggling with the anxieties and frustrations of our modern era, the good news is that you can find perspective and joy amid the struggle. ... Read more Customer Reviews (10) 
A Request.
I teach at my church and have needs for a lot of books. My question is, When I find the out of date books I can only order one at a time. How to I get around that when I need say a dozen. I don't want to pay mail on each order whenI need more than one book. I hope this is clear.
Vanity of vanities
Ecclesiastes may not be the most popular book of the Bible, but it carries a powerful message. In Living on the Ragged Edge, Charles Swindoll explores the book of Ecclesiastes and its relevance today. By tradition, the author of Ecclesiastes was Solomon, the son of David and King of Israel who was reputedly one of the wisest of men and fabulously wealthy. Despite having all of the things men long for, Solomon was unfulfilled, continually looking for the thing that would bring happiness and a feeling of satisfaction to his life.
Swindoll summarizes how the journal of Solomon serves as a lesson: "allow me to state in three simple comments how directly his observations and experiences, though ancient, tie in with our journey today.
1. The sensual lure of something better tomorrow robs us of the joys offered today.
2. The personal temptation to escape is always stronger than the realization of its consequences.
3. The final destination, if God is absent from the scene, will not satisfy.
Swindoll reminds us that Solomon tried just about everything: "He was unable to find satisfaction in intellectual pursuits. He found laughter and pleasure nothing short of maddening. He turned to wine, women and song, only to enter into greater boredom. He tried personal projects, pools and well-scented parks ... again, no satisfaction! he attempted to be fulfilled with harems of beautiful concubines, hundreds of wives, and fine singers - zero. He then began to collect exquisite gems and priceless pieces of jewelry and art, but nothing satisfied. Nothing!" And it was not merely selfish pleasures that affected Solomon: "Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them."
This is a very well-written book; remaining at all times true to the biblical story, Swindoll weaves the lessons of Solomon into a story so very apt for today's world. He thanks Solomon for "recording the whole truth ... for not deceiving us into thinking that the lifelong journey from earth to heaven is merely a hot-air balloon ride full of ecstasy, free of friction, and protected from pain ... for helping us to come to terms with reality, for teaching us profound lessons in a simple, straightforward manner."
Is life pointless?
It seems as if there exists no shortage of people that struggle through life believing that they alone have recognized the futility of life. Some wander though life seeking to quell the unquenchable thirst of lasting contentment through any and every means available while others concede to a life of unhappiness or death itself. It might amaze these same tired souls that it has been almost three thousand years since one of the few individuals that actually possessed the resources to explore the possibility of contentment through almost every means imaginable attempted the task and came to the conclusion that temporal existence is indeed futile. This journal documenting the futility of a merely temporal existence is known today as Ecclesiastes, and it presents the only source of lasting contentment. Those that feel alone in their grief and anguish at the reality of a meaningless existence should be comforted by the fact that they are not alone in this realization and that the answer to this dilemma existed prior to the beginning of time itself.
Living on the Ragged Edge presents the book of Ecclesiastes through a lens which might allow modern readers to fully appreciate its message. Swindoll also applies his own life's worth of understanding and knowledge to drawing out what might otherwise remain unnoticed points critical to the essence of Solomon's work. The book of Ecclesiastes is the catalyst of many conversions and Swindoll's contribution might very well add to its potency. The only difficulty that some may have with this work may reside in the thought that it seems to become mildly repetitive as it attempts to tackle Ecclesiastes in its entirety without combining reoccurring themes. This is a great book to pass on to anyone that might feel bogged down by the fast paced, pressure laden world in which we live, as well as to those who have a hard time seeing the point of life at all.
Living on the Ragged Edge-The Simple Life
LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE is a commentary on the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. This was a life-changing book for me in 1986. My whole life had literally collapsed right in front of my eyes. And I also had a nervous breakdown all in the pursuit of success and graduate school. This book seems to advocate living the "Simple Life", knowing God, having a wife and kids, not overdoing work or success. I have received alot of abuse the past 20 years about why I don't go back to graduate school; and the wisdom of this book is part of the reason. I had written to Radio Havana Cuba once and had said that this is a religious book that even Fidel Castro could appreciate! I hear that since then he invited to Pope to come to Cuba to visit.
We do live in an insane money-hungry society that has no values, no philosophy, no religion but the pursuit of the "Almight Dollar"! This ia a major reaqon for why we see American society disintegrating right before out eyes!
It is not deliberate, but I think I see myself as living in the 60's because of circumstances beyone my control. People in authority try to make my life as miserble as they can so as to pressure me into going back to college-this is called persecution.
The amazing thing about our secular achievements is that when we die, we do not get any reward in Heaven for them. Both Solomon in Ecclesiastes and Jesus Christ in the New Testament say that we get no reward in the next life for being a successful doctor, lawyer or businessman. Jesus said to lay up treasure in heaven-good works like charity towards the poor.
Also I noticed that it is God who gives man the ability to enjoy life. And contrary to religious tradition in puritalical America, I have found on my electronic Bible the advice to "eat, drink and be merry"{within moderation, of course.) the phrase occured five times in Ecclesiatstes. God gives the common man and the man who pleases him the ability to enjoy life. The life of the success driven rich man is so full of stress that he may have a fancy meal, yet he cannot taste the food he is eating! You can only live in one house at a time. You can only drive one car at a time. You can only spend so much money in this life because when you die, you won't have it any longer. You can have a house full of adult toys and possessions; yet you are unable to enjoy any of them. I would focus on having a couple of things and being able to use them to the full.
Solomon spoke from experience. He was the richest man in ancient Israel as he was the king. He had all the education a man could want. He had sexual pleasure-a harem of 500 wives like the Sultan of Brunei. He had more horses that he could ride. He had more achievement than he knew what to do with. Yet he couldn't find satisfaction. His advice was to fear God, obey his commandments and enjoy the simple pleasure of life. He found out that sometimes more is less.
In an exotic fashion, I had found out about INSIGHT FOR LIVING while monitoring Trans World Radio broadcasting from the island Monaco to England in 1986. They sent me a magazine promoting the book. I bought it and the study guilde and used them both. I have read LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE three times since them. This is obviously a message that God wants me to get into my spirit. And this is actually good advice for all of materialistic, worldly America!
Another afterthought is this. I don't think that joining the Army is the place to go to find God. But I had managed to get away from my home, family, church and social influences in Toledo. I read the Bible independantly and did not often attend church. I had found Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament; yet the message seemed to offend and irritate me at age 17. I think that you may have to go through a few things in life, have a few misfortunes and find a need to look to God for answers in the Bible to really appreciate this book and Ecclesiastes! Ecclesiastes is a book of godly philosphy! Philosophy=the study of wisdom!
This book's teaching is completely compatable with the New Testament and Christianity. St. Paul himelf had once written "Godliness with contentment is great gain"
A wake-up call to seek God's wisdom
Quick. Name the author who wrote the famous lines, "Vanity, vanity! All is vanity!"
If you said Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, you'd be right. It's the opening refrain from Ecclesiastes, uttered after Solomon goes on the ultimate road trip, searching the world for meaning and happiness. He goes on to describe his journeys and offers observations including, "A human being is no better off than an animal because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place --- the dust." And, "In this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be ... If you love money you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed." For the most part, the book is a downer.
It would be tempting to skip over Ecclesiastes. To not delve into its hopelessness and wrestle with why it's part of Scripture. But as renowned bible teacher Charles Swindoll points out in his book, LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE, Ecclesiastes is as true and relevant and important today as it was thousands of years ago.
"Ecclesiastes has today's world woven through the fabric of every page. Whether or not we are willing to admit it, deep within most of us there is this restless, irresponsible, adventuresome itch. Deadlines and responsibilities grate at us. We find ourselves ready to run --- to escape into the back road of our memories, to travel down the blue highways of life under the sun. 'Surely, there I will find what it takes to fill the void.' Before we are able to crank up the car Solomon's advice brings us back to reality: 'Don't bother, it's a pipe dream, empty as a puff of smoke, lacking in substance. It may look like it's worth the effort, but don't bother, life without God under the sun is despair personified.'''
And that's the catch; life without God is worthless.
Still, Swindoll doesn't blithely skip to that part, spouting platitudes about God's goodness along the way. He doesn't pull any punches in describing the world we live in and his take on life is refreshingly honest as he describes the dissatisfaction, discouragement, and despair so many people feel. We are all living on the ragged edge, as he puts it, and ignoring that fact doesn't make us better Christians.
This book, however, does have insight that can make the Christian life more vibrant and authentic.
"The good life --- the one that truly satisfies --- exists only when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is, rather than longing for what might be. The itch for things, the lust for more --- so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them --- is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment. Have you noticed? A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough.
"Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and say, 'This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Lord.'"
Swindoll is an excellent teacher from the pulpit, in front of a classroom, on the radio, and through his many books (this is one of his best). LIVING ON THE RAGGED EDGE has the potential to be an important wake-up call and reminder for all of us, urging us to seek God's wisdom rather than the wisdom of the world and to embrace the mystery and messiness of life on the raged edge. The edge can be uncomfortable, but the view is amazing.
--- Reviewed by Lisa Ann Cockrel
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