Dictionary of Bible Themes A negative and hopeless attitude, resulting either from viewing the world as being without God or from loss of faith in God. Ecclesiastes 1:14The world may appear to be meaningless See also Ecclesiastes 1:1-11Ecclesiastes 1:17-18 Wisdom may be pointless See also Ecclesiastes 2:12-16Ecclesiastes 2:1 Pleasures may be empty Ecclesiastes 2:17Work may be in vain See also Ecclesiastes 2:18-23; 4:4Ecclesiastes 4:1 The world may seem corrupt and oppressive See also Ecclesiastes 4:2-3; 5:8-9Ecclesiastes 4:8 Loneliness can be depressing Ecclesiastes 5:10Wealth is no answer See also Ecclesiastes 5:11-15; 6:1-6Luke 12:18-20 Ecclesiastes 6:12 Life is short and often miserable See also 1 Chronicles 29:15In the OT, before the resurrection hope was fully developed, this life seemed to be all that there was. Job 7:6; 14:7-12,18-22; 17:13-16Job 6:11 Suffering may lead to pessimism See also Job 30:26Lamentations 3:16-18 Ezekiel 37:11 Job 14:18-19 Suffering may cause a sense of God's rejection See also Job 19:5-13Ephesians 2:12 The godless have no grounds for optimism See also Job 8:13-15Proverbs 10:24; 11:7; 24:19-20 Isaiah 19:3 Jeremiah 4:9 Matthew 7:26-27 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Numbers 13:31-33 Examples of pessimism Deuteronomy 1:28The Israelites on hearing about the strength of the Canaanites Deuteronomy 2:25Joshua 2:9 Israel's enemies Ruth 1:21Naomi on her return to Israel 1 Samuel 17:11; 13:6-7The Israelites threatened by the Philistines 1 Kings 19:9-10Elijah at Mount Horeb 2 Kings 7:4The men with leprosy at the gate of Samaria Isaiah 7:2Judah facing the threat from Aram and Israel Zechariah 9:5The Philistine cities on seeing Tyre's destruction John 20:24-25Thomas after the resurrection Acts 27:20Paul's shipboard companions during the storm Psalms 42:5The antidote to pessimism is faith in God 2 Corinthians 4:13-16See also Isaiah 41:10Lamentations 3:21-24 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 See also 5071 Aaron5569 suffering, hardship 5799 bitterness 5831 depression 5835 disappointment 5902 maturity 5914 optimism 8027 faith, testing of 8713 discouragement 8754 fear 8834 unbelief 9614 hope, results of its absence |
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