Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:11
Out of Meaningless Nothingness
Ancient existentialism (2:1-11). This recent philosophical school holds that life is meaningless, but that a person can affirm his or her significance by acting. Solomon tried. He tested sensual pleasures; he undertook great building projects; he assembled wealth – he denied himself nothing his heart desired. And all the while he felt as empty as ever. In the darkness of night he thought about his experiences and accomplishments and was filled with a sense of futility: “Everything was meaningless” (v. 11).
Even the wealthiest and most successful men and women of today, in their quiet moments, feel what Solomon felt. There is a void in every human life that only God can fill.
Internal evidence suggests Solomon penned this book in his old age. First Kings 11 tells us that during that time the king abandoned Yahweh to worship the pagan deities of his foreign wives. Ecclesiastes is more than just philosophy. It is the heart cry of a believer who has lost his way and is desperately searching for meaning in a life bereft of God. It is significant that nowhere in this book does the Teacher use the personal name revealed to Israel, Yahweh. Rational thought does lead to the author’s conclusion that God exists and created the universe, but it cannot lead anyone to saving faith apart from that revelation Solomon chose to reject.
“God” (2:24-26). Solomon knows there is a Creator and recommends enjoying His gifts.
2:10 my eyes desired: Solomon had limitless ability to fulfill any and all of his desires. Labor: One of the Preacher’s favorite words occurs here for the third time. It appears on the book about 31 times.
10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.
2:11 At the end of his grand quest for possessions and experiences, Solomon concluded that it was vanity or “vapor,” a grasping for the wind. That is, even with all he had done and experienced, there was still a sense that nothing lasting or enduring had been achieved.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
2:12 madness and folly: This topic was introduced briefly in 1:17. The two words together express a single concept, “senseless folly.”
12 Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?– Only what he has already done.
2:14 the same event: Some versions incorrectly render this Hebrew term which means “happening,” or “event” as the word fate. This is one of the Preacher’s favorite words. Here, the inevitable event is death. Both the wise and the foolish must die.
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.
2:17 Such hatred of life is astonishing since the one who finds wisdom also finds life, according to Prov. 3:16; 8:35. But the Preacher’s dissatisfaction was related to the quickly passing nature of everything (1:2), including even the good things; they were a grasping for the wind (1:14).
17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
2:21 The noun skill is found only in Ecclesiastes (v. 21; 4:4). It depicts one who is expert at a craft. Great evil: The term evil often has a sense of moral evil; here, however, it may mean “calamity” or “ruin.” There is a sense of sadness that runs through this section. Nothing that we gain in this life can be carried on into the life to come.
21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
2:24 This translation, with most interpreters, assumes that the comparative form – better – is to be supplied here, though it is missing in the Hebrew text; it is in agreement with later passages. The Preacher concludes that all good is located, only in God. Eat and drink… good in his labor: This repeated refrain marks on of the central affirmations of Ecclesiastes; in the midst of a world of trouble, a believer is able to seize the moment in joy from God. Only God supplies the key to the meaning of life. Without Him, genuine meaning, satisfaction, and enjoyment in life are ultimately elusive. From the hand of God: This figure of speech announces that even mundane acts as eating, drinking, and earning a paycheck are gifts from God.
24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.
2:25 more than I: An alternative meaning of this phrase, “apart from God,” may be more appropriate in this context. Believers pray before their meals in order to affirm that God is the great Giver of all good gifts. They can enjoy the food on their plates only when they recognize that fact.
25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
2:26 God gives: One of the words used most frequently in Ecclesiastes to describe God’s relationship to individuals is the verb “to give.” It appears 11 times with God as subject.
26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
** Solomon represents those people who think they believe in God but who do not have a personal relationship with God. How different is he from his father David! In his old age, he realizes his problem – when he dies, he will lose everything he had including his own self-awareness. Unto this black canvas of despair, God has placed His abundant gifts for us to enjoy here and now plus the ultimate gift of eternal life. Problem solved.
Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. John 16:22
2 1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter–“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. 4 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 7 I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. 9 So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
12 Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?– Only what he has already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. 15 So I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is vanity.” 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!
17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. 18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. 24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? 26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
