Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ec 2:1 and following. Indeed, the Preacher first applied his heart to knowledge. So many exciting things to discover in all fields: arts, sciences, tourism, archaeology…! They are now made available to young people by modern means. But the more the wise advances in his research, the more difficult the problems become and the more discouraged he is. The human mind is imprisoned within the walls of its own reasoning. Only the Word of God frees thought and communicates true knowledge. Ungrateful occupation, fatigue, sorrow, pain, this was the sad conclusion of the sage (Ec 1:12-18; Ec 12.11-12). Let’s go, he said to himself, let us think only of the pleasures of life (Ec 2:1-3)! But here too his experience is cut short; vanity and unreason are the words that this time summarize it. All human joy is initially spoiled by the feeling that it is not lasting (Pr 14:13). Is it perhaps the abundance of earthly goods that will satisfy him? Who was better placed than Solomon to accumulate and manage wealth, to accomplish the “great things” that human ambition never ceases to propose (2 Ch 9:22-23)? Well! Let’s listen to how he finally appreciates them: “vanity and pursuit of the wind” (v. 11).
Before continuing this study, let’s remember that the Hereafter and the Invisible are entirely alien to the Preacher and are considered here to be unknown to him, for they can only be known by divine Revelation, and the purpose of the Spirit of God in this Book is precisely to make us consider all that “is under the sun” outside of this Revelation. Except therefore the knowledge of God, of the sovereign God, proper to man who is not degraded by idolatry, the wise man can consider here only the visible things. “What profit does man have from all his labor…?” was the first question asked by the preacher (Ec 1:1-3). “No profit” replied v. 11 Ec 2.10-11. At the moment he torments himself, his days are pain and his occupation sorrows; the very night he does not rest (vs. 22:23). And as for the future, he realizes that nothing is stable. In front of this desperate picture (v. 20) what will the child of God do? He is not forbidden to love life and see happy days here on earth. But it won’t be by traveling the world in search of illusory happiness. It is up to him to realize the conditions: “… let him keep his tongue from evil… let him do good… let him seek peace…” (1 Pet 3:8-12; when we are not happy, we so willingly blame others!). And on the other hand work is necessary, but it must be peaceful, done for the Lord, and not to serve His own ambition (2 Thess 3:10-13; Col 3:22-25).
Beloved, let each of us ask ourselves: What is the purpose of my work? For things do not look at all the same depending on whether they are considered in the light of the sun or in the light of eternity. Only the latter will reveal to us what is really profitable. To gain the knowledge he spoke of in chapter 1, the Preacher indulged in the joy and well-being of life. But behold, laughter found itself unreasonable for the sage, and he said to joy, “What is she doing?” It was aimless and irrelevant! Perhaps we should seek the good in madness? Isn’t it said in Proverbs: “Give… wine to those who have bitterness in their hearts: let him drink and forget his poverty, and no longer remember his sorrows”? (31:6, 7). This is what the sage tried to do, as long as he did not surrender to it and kept intact the wisdom that God had given him. And behold, all this happened to be vanity, emptiness, without duration, without profit for men. So, v. 4-11, the Preacher tried all that royal power and fortune can give.
He did great things: Pleasure of the eyes, happiness of possession, palaces and gardens, beautification of nature, culture, care of herds, interest in agriculture and its products, a world of servants and maids; silver and gold galore; all the riches of the provinces pouring into its treasures; music and singing that elevate the soul in serene regions; the satisfaction of the senses in earthly love, the increase of power; in a word, all that Solomon could desire, his royal splendor obtained, and “yet,” he said, “my wisdom remained with me.” But he adds, “I turned to all the works that my hands had done, and to all the work that I had worked to do them; and behold, all was vanity and pursuit of the wind, and there was no profit from it under the sun.”
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The same fate befalls all men:
- Pleasure of the world, fruit of a life dedicated to the search for pleasure
-Poverty Pr 21:17 He who loves joy remains in poverty; The one who loves wine and oil does not get rich.
-The false security Isa 47:8-9 Now listen to this, voluptuous, Who sits you with confidence, And who says in your heart: I, and nothing but me! I will never be a widow, and I will never be deprived of children! 9 These two things will happen to you suddenly, on the same day, The deprivation of children and widowhood; They will melt right on you, Despite the multitude of your spells, Despite the great number of your enchantments.
Spiritual sterility Lk 8:14 What has fallen among the thorns are those who, having heard the word, leave, and let it suffocate by the worries, riches and pleasures of life, and they bear no fruit that comes to maturity.
-The presumption Lk 12:19 and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have many goods in reserve for several years; rest, eat, drink, and rejoice.
-The incessant search for entertainment 2 P 2.13 thus receiving the wages of their iniquity. They find their delights in indulging in pleasure in broad daylight; Men tarred and defiled, they delight in their deceptions, making good food with you.
- Wise men, examples of men possessing wisdom
1 Kings 5:11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand corns of wheat for the maintenance of his house and twenty corns of crushed olive oil; this is what Solomon gave Hiram every year. 1 Kings 10:3 Solomon answered all his questions, and there was nothing the king could not explain to him. Dn 1:20 Of all the objects that demanded wisdom and intelligence, and on which the king questioned them, he found them ten times superior to all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his kingdom. Acts 6:10, but they could not resist his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke.
- The earthly vision, a source of temptation
-For Eve Gen 3:6 The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to sight, and that it was precious for opening the mind; she took from its fruit, and ate it; she also gave it to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
-For Loth Gn 13.10 Lot looked up, and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, which was completely watered. Before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was, as far as Tsoar, like a garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt. Gen 13:12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan; and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tents as far as Sodom.
-For Acan Jos 7:21 I saw in the booty a beautiful mantle of Schinear, two hundred sicles of silver, and a gold bar of the weight of fifty sicles; I coveted them, and I took them; they are hidden in the earth in the middle of my tent, and the silver is underneath.
-For Christ Mt 4:8 The devil carried him again to a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,
- Remembrance of the faithful
Ps 112:6 For he never falters; The memory of the righteous always lasts. Pr 10. The memory of the righteous is in blessing, but the names of the wicked fall into decay. Mt 26:13 I tell you in truth, wherever this good news is preached, throughout the world, this woman will also be remembered for what she did. 2 Tim 1:5 keeping the memory of the sincere faith that is in you, that first dwelt in your ancestor Loïs and in your mother Eunice, and which, I am convinced, also dwells in you.
From all of the above, we note that wisdom has, arguably, and who could challenge it, an advantage over madness. For the wise is in the light and sees; the madman is plunged into darkness and walks there. And yet the fate of both is the same! Where is the profit? Death arrives, reaching sage and mad. The destructive worm is at the root of all enjoyment (2:16; 3:19, 20; 5:15; 6:6; 9:3). And let us note here that death, in Ecclesiastes, according to the plan of the whole Book, does not lead into the Hereafter, but separates from the present, from all the fruits of labor, at the moment when man will reap them. So what is the profit? So, the wise man cries out: “I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun has been up to me, because everything is vanity and the pursuit of the wind.” He even “hated all the work” he worked on under the sun. If at least his heir made good use of what he will leave him! But no, the work of the wise becomes the legacy of the madman! These considerations lead the Preacher to despair of everything. All the most captivating, productive work of man, provides all his days with pain and sorrow and creates restless nights for his heart. Thus from chapter to chapter this desolate complaint is repeated, this ever renewed observation of the vanity of all things, until finally the wise man has found the last word of all the ways through which God passes him. There remains, however, one consequence of God’s government, and that is that He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to the one who is pleasing to Him; and that he adds to it, as he did for Solomon, the material enjoyment of the goods of this world: eating, drinking, and profiting from his work; while the sinner is obliged to gather and amass for the one who is pleasing to God. But does this order established by God’s government have lasting consequences for man? This too is vanity and continuation of the wind. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “A time for everything (Ec 3).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.