Ecclesiastes 2 (NIV)
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.
and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.
15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Another passage filled with lots to unpack, so let's begin...
Another passage filled with lots to unpack, so let's begin...
Verses 1 - 3 has Solomon trying all the pleasure of life... yet through his slide downward one might ask where was his wisdom that God gave him? He tells us in verse 3 - my mind still guiding me with wisdom. So even though he slid away, God was still merciful in allowing the wisdom he gave to Solomon to guide him - keeping him safe through everything he experienced. And from what we see form this passage - he tried it all. The pleasures of the world, the latest house and gardens, lots of land and water, slaves, silver and gold, harems, the works. He was the Donald Trump of his day and then some. What did Solomon find out? It was all useless and worthless. Tell that to the guys off Dragon's Den like Kevin O'Leary!
Verses 4 and onward Solomon shares exactly what he did. He denied himself nothing, he indulged, he worked and toiled and got rewards for what he did, but verse 11 says, Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Wow. He felt the emptiness of life itself. In verses 17 and 18 he says, 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun,... He found no satisfaction like that old Rolling Stones song. His wisdom came shining through as he realized everything in life is temporal and we can't take it with us when we die. Someone else inherits whatever we leave behind and does whatever they want with it. That is sad when you hear it that way.
In the last section of this passage, we see this, 24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness,... Now some would make the mistake of saying "As long as we follow God we'll be happy healthy and wealthy and wise! Well God MAY give you that but it's not guaranteed. All that is promised here is wisdom, knowledge and happiness. A happiness that comes from knowing God and not from accumulating things or positions or whatever life experience you can have. In the Matthew Henry's Commentary it says, Solomon found that knowledge and prudence were preferable to ignorance and folly, though human wisdom and knowledge will not make a man happy. So true. Even being wise and knowledgeable can't make us happy, there are a lot of unhappy scientists and mathematicians out there.
So to close, find your worth in God. Work here yes, but don't put stock in it.
Only God makes us happy and fulfilled, nothing else can.
