Ecclesiastes 2 - What's Good Here?

Stop chasing the wind, and learn how to enjoy life.

Ecclesiastes 2 (NIV)

2 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 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.

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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.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

Summary

Yesterday we met the Teacher, whom the book of Ecclesiastes is named after, who is modeled after the life of King Solomon. God had invited Solomon to ask for whatever he desired. Since Solomon asked for wisdom rather than wealth, God granted him both.

So Solomon has the massively vast resources to do anything he wants, and he also has the wisdom required to truly find out what is good. His first test was pleasure, but that also proved meaningless, an awesome word we learned yesterday which literally means smoke / fog - things which can be seen but not grabbed onto.

Solomon's evaluation of pleasure was plenty comprehensive. He laughed, but determined that to be madness. He cheered himself with wine and embraced folly, even as his mind stayed sober in a sense - it continued guiding him with wisdom as he futilily looked to see what was good for people to do uner the heavens during the few days of their lives.

Having struck out on pleasure, the Teacher turned to industry, undertaking great projects which netted him massive farms, herds and flocks culminating in silver, gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. Nobody had ever been greater.

But when he looked at it all, the Teacher concluded it all to be meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

  Dig Deeper  

The Teacher's massive blessings had morphed into a giant curse. None of the amazing things he experienced, built or developed had any lasting meaning, so it makes sense that he hated life. He knew that ultimately he'd succumb to death, and that everything he'd toiled for must be left to the one who'd come after him. All their days, the Teacher concludes, people's work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest.

In other words, it's all meaningless.

But the Teacher does find a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair. You can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in your toil. In other words, learn to enjoy what you can in life. Without God - that is, life under the sun - is pure meaninglessness, but with Him you can find some enjoyment.

Ironically, God gives sinners the task of gathering and storing up wealth, which looks so good from a distance, but is ultimately a chasing after the wind. But to the one who pleases Him, God gives that which has true meaning: wisdom, knowledge and happiness. And at the appointed time, God will hand over all the wealth the sinners gathered and stored up.

The point is that although you can build and acquire lots of impressive stuff in your life, none of it has lasting meaning. So don't focus so much of your life upon acquiring it. Take time to enjoy the satisfaction that God often supplies to those who work hard, but keep your focus on life above the sun, where Christ is.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to those who please Him;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that having been raised with Christ, that you would set your mind on Him even as you work hard in this life under the sun;

  ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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