Recovering Eden: The Gospel According to Ecclesiastes (Gospel According to the Old Testament)

I picked up this book at a time where I found out my dad is dying from lung cancer, our house is falling apart, and things under the sun continue to disappoint. Eswine has created a pastoral prose through a unique book of the Bible. Unique because it is straightforward and gives people the ability to say, “I hate life but love God.”This book gave me the refreshing gift of slowing down, perusing the gifts of God, thanking him for those gifts, but also lamenting that those gifts never last. The book is also just like the other 65 books of the Bible, as Eswine shows, in that it’s primary message is about the Good Shepherd. This book is incredible rich, beautiful, and accessible.

The many Bible buffs with a special fondness for Ecclesiastes will certainly enjoy Eswine's brand-new exploration of its themes -- latest in P&R's "Gospel According to the Old Testament" series. Eswine does a particularly brilliant job of unifying this challenging book -- and connecting it to teachings in the rest of Scripture, particularly those in the New Testament and the life of Christ. His principal thrust: the Preacher's message is that there isn't really any "gain" in this place "under the sun" except in a few humble activities such as work, food and family -- that these were God's gifts in Eden, and we should be content with them in this life too. I really enjoyed this book and found it exceptionally helpful in many of the Preacher's more difficult passages. Now if we could just find someone to do Song of Solomon for this series!

There is a huge difference in how the Puritans, and men like Spurgeon, Rule and Lloyd-Jones wrote. There was a certain reverence and respect in their tone; a Godly soberness.This book's breezy and conversational tone was a huge turn off. I got the impression the author was bending over backwards to ensure the "accessability ( another word for "dumbing down") of the subject matter.Suffice to say I sent mine back for a refund. No more books by this author. 🤔

I could have dropped this book in a bucket of highlighter ink, and it wouldn't look much different than it does now. Such a spectacular book. Zack Eswine has a pastor's heart and a preacher's clarity, and this book is incredible. The series as a whole is remarkably good, but this book stands out even among excellent company.

Ecclesiastes and Job are on the top part of favorites and this book "Recovering Eden" is well written and easy to read. A lot good applicable writing of things that help clarify how life can be enjoyed, but it is not something a number of people wish to hear. Give it a try, and maybe you might find a better understanding what it takes of contented.

We long for the perfection of the Garden of Eden ... and struggle when the good life doesn't satisfy. Eswine shows that that underlying dissatisfaction should point us to the Shepherd, who at the end of time will make all things new: heaven will be a perfect Eden. Excellent and very readable book exploring the themes of Ecclesiastes and the wisdom of Solomon.

Great read for those stuck in the mundane and 'normal' and shows Gods glorious grace in the midst of our solemness and despair. I will likely come back to this book now once per year just to let the truths of Ecclesiastes refresh my heart.

Maybe the best book in this series. Everyone of the is a gem but this one grabbed hold of me and brought a reality to faith that is so often lacking in books and sermons full of platitudes and wishful thinking. This book made me sigh in relief as I came to the understanding that God is really really real and wants us to be as well. Also the sufficiency of the gospel for this world we live in was powerfully portrayed.

I loved the positive insights about the book Ecclesiastes. The author wrote it in a refreshing style and yet did not lack on appropriate references to fellow theologians. It was very helpful for my theological reflection on this book in my current study course.