Ecclesiastes 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[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 labour,
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.
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!
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 labour under the sun. 21 For a person may labour 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 labour 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.
Monday 22nd August
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.
The King now tries to apply his wisdom to a life of pleasure in a quest to find out what is good. He ends up with similar conclusions to the previous chapter – stating that this too is meaningless. Laughter, pleasure, wine and folly are all falling short for this king. It is all sounding a bit depressing! Yet, it also rings true. All earthly pleasures are fleeting, even the healthier ones! Reflect on that for a moment.
But the writer is searching for meaning, and in the words from these verses he is searching for “what is good.” This makes me think of the verses in Mark chapter 10 where the rich younq ruler calls out “good teacher.” And Jesus replies, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.” We are all searching for good things. We want to be part of good works. We want to experience good pleasures. We all want a good life. But what does it mean that no one is good—except God alone? How can we set our hearts on Him a-fresh today?
Tuesday 23rd August
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 labour,
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.
In these verses we hear that the king has been very busy! He has undertaken great projects – projects that will benefit further generations. He has amassed property, treasures, slaves and animals. He also gained much fame, importance and stature. I mean, what more could you want! Are these not all the things that our culture shouts about and expects us to achieve? Do any of these achievements stand out to you – making a mark in the world, building up treasures, gaining fame, power or importance? I find the first example the most challenging -undertaking projects that last beyond a lifetime to benefit others. I mean, that sounds so noble and worthy. Yet the writer here still describes this as meaningless and a chasing after the wind. Does this mean we just give up and do nothing?
Let’s turn to some verses in the gospel of Matthew chapter 6. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
What does it mean to store up treasures in Heaven? Is it our good works? Is it leaving a legacy? Is it a tally of our spiritual disciplines? Is it saving souls? Let’s remember that God is a relational God, so maybe our treasures have something to do with the heart. I will leave us to reflect on this final verse – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)”
Wednesday 24th August
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.
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!
The king then looks further into wisdom and folly. He decides that wisdom is better than folly but is perplexed and frustrated that both end up with the same fate. What is the point in that! Death puts a big earthly zero on all the credit we feel we may have gained in this life. But is this the case? Death is certainly a great equaliser for humanity. Perhaps this leads us to reflect on what is really important in life and what for that matter is important also in death? The king is asking the question – what do we gain from being wise? What do we gain from anything?
But before we tip over into hopelessness – let these verses from Philippians challenge and also encourage us.
Philippians 3 says, 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.
When reading these verses make sure it is a “heart knowing” of Christ Jesus rather than an intellectual exercise. And to gain Christ is again something of relational connectedness. We are his and his love for us is deep.
Thursday 25th August
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 labour under the sun. 21 For a person may labour 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 labour 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.
The king has reached a point in his life where he is thinking about his legacy, all he has achieved in his life and who he might pass things on to. This is a deeply challenging and unsettling time for anyone to face. I have witnessed a couple of situations in business and ministry where people have really struggled during the season of letting things go to the next generation. It probably can feel a bit meaningless and there is bound to be a growing sense of loss that all your hard work may go to waste. It takes a huge amount of self-reflection, wise counsel and I would say an intimate connection with God to ride such a wave. But this is something, no matter what stage of life we are at, that we should all be preparing for and investing in. Learning the art of letting go. Are we regularly self-reflecting and trusting the work of our hands to God? Are we investing in solid friendships and wise counsel? Is our work our only sense of identity? Are we allowing our hearts to connect on deeper levels with our Father in heaven?
Friday 26th August
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.
So, the king recognises that good things and pleasurable things do come from the hand of God. These verses shouldn’t be read as a divisive judgment between the righteous and sinners. But rather the reality that those who have no room for God in their life will experience the elude of joy as their minds are primarily focused on earthly things. This does sound blunt, but I think we know this to be true. Happiness is so fleeting and if that is our sole focus we will be tossed around in all directions. In contrast, those who are given wisdom from God will learn to know that life on earth has its source and sustenance in God. Those with wisdom are then able to take joy in earthly things with a sense of gratitude and hopefully with a looser grip. Perhaps even a growing sense that life is more than the pursuit of pleasure. What do you need to be thankful for today? Are there any pleasures in your life that you are holding onto as a right rather than a gift? Let’s give thanks to God.
Saturday 27th August
Philippians 3
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.
Sunday 29th August
Matthew 6
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21)”
