Work without God is hevel (Futile, Vanity, Meaningless)
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Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
So I turned to consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness; for what will the man do who will come after the king, except what has already been done?
Then I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness as light surpasses darkness.
The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one and the same fate happens to both of them.
Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is futility.”
For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will soon be forgotten. And how the wise and the fool alike die!
So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
So I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is futility.
Therefore I completely despaired over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.
When there is a person who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then gives his legacy to one who has not labored for it; this too is futility and a great evil.
For what does a person get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?
Because all his days his activity is painful and irritating; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is futility.
There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is from the hand of God.
For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
For to a person who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is futility and striving after wind.
Even with Wisdom, Laboring without God is hevel
Knowledge and/or Education will not fill the longings of our soul. It is important to be educated, to laugh, to enjoy oneself.
But know the distinction between what is of the world and what is of Christ. Where are you seeking identity first and foremost? Where are you seeking true wisdom from?
If Solomon had all wisdom, do we even stand a chance with the limited wisdom and knowledge we have today.
And where does mankind search for that wisdom? In books, in universities, on the internet.
We know that being educated is not the answer into making one wise. Sure, you will know more about the world. But do not make the mistake that education fixes problems. You have administrations, educators, professors, authors, Social Media influencers, AI! websites who do not follow God, teaching people and our children, that knowing more will set you up for success and make you a better person.
If you were just to think briefly about this you would see the world for what it is and what we have done in regards to an educating ourselves without God. Seeking wisdom without God, creating degrees and jobs to work and be an expert in the world without God is hevel.
Solomon constantly sought after wisdom and knowledge, to what end? What did he conclude? It is all meaningless. We are no different today. Any wisdom or education you seek is meaningless without reverence to the one true God.
How could you ever measure what you are being taught if you do not have the standard for which to measure it?
Some of the greatest minds in the world, given wisdom and knowledge more than most, have been separated from God for eternity. The wisdom with which they labored was and is all meaningless.
Examples here:
1. Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) – British philosopher and logician
“The whole conception of God is a conception derived from the ancient Oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free men. When you hear people in church debasing themselves and saying that they are miserable sinners, and all the rest of it, it seems contemptible and not worthy of self-respecting human beings.” - Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian (1927)
“It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.” - Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design
“The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.” - Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life (1995)
But mark my words, wisdom, education, is not the answer to the worlds problems. Just open up any news media and that will quickly show you how sinful we truly are.
You might say, well James what are we to do? We are to train-up our children in the way they are to go-following the Lord. However, it has been my experience, that this is more easier said than done. Every single parent in this room has been given the very words of God, how are you passing that on to the next generation? How are we feeding our children?
You might say, well pastor James, we bring them to church on Sunday. 1 hour or so on Sunday is not sufficient for you or your children. It is imperative that you are actively engaged in regular study, fellowship, and the using of your gifts.
Educate yourself and your children on the words of God and He will cause the growth!
Solomon could not find the answers of the world in wisdom and educating himself by the world’s standards and knowledge, so he tried to fill his cup with many other vices, like pleasure, alcohol, women, and unfulfilling work.
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14
Wisdom is better than foolishness. Truth is something that we all need to focus on. Anything “under the sun,” anything that is not done with God as the foundation, Jesus Christ as the Chief Cornerstone, is done in foolishness. All the wisdom in the world, which man looks to, is foolishness. Any scientist, philosopher, teacher, professor, president, anyone who seeks wisdom from the world is a fool.
Now, you can definitely learn from others around you about life. However, test it with Scripture. You would probably be surprised how many things are rooted in God’s Word.
Your examples ought to be the godly men and women in your life. Not the kings and CEO’s of the world.
Do not be like the world.
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
“But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.
Also, if there is a trade or skill, you can learn from someone’s wisdom who has done it before.
What Solomon is mainly talking about is purpose. The existential reasons for living and being.
Solomon compared wisdom to light and foolishness to darkness. This is not a new concept in Scripture.
Just as a fool cannot comprehend wisdom, darkness cannot comprehend light.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind.
And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.
Jesus came into the world. Truth, wisdom, light, came into the world and the darkness could not possibly comprehend the light. Dark does not understand Light, it is literally and figuratively blind.
When someone walks in darkness, the Light is unfamiliar. They would rather be in the dark. Light is not an option for them because they have suppressed the Light, the truth.
The Light has life. Darkness only sees death.
“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
Ecclesiastes 2:14-17
Solomon noted the fate of the fool would be the same as him. That is, death! Death comes to all, both the wise and the fool.
Let me read you part of Psalm 49. This Psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah. The sons of Korah
For he sees that even wise people die; The foolish and the stupid alike perish And leave their wealth to others.
Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names.
But man in his splendor will not endure; He is like the animals that perish.
This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah
Why be wise? This is an interesting question. Is wisdom the quest? Do we need to be wise in our own estimation?
Solomon says we need to seek wisdom. We need to rely on the wisdom that is from above. Solomon in all his toil and strife turned from God and turned to the world seeking wisdom. He wanted to see if wisdom could be found in the world or in the labors of man.
Do not hate your life so much that you feel like you are wasting away.
God is always at work.
Choose life!
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Each one will be accountable themselves to God.
To those who are young, make your faith your own faith, not your parents faith. For one day you alone are going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Make Christ your own.
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ecclesiastes 2:18
Solomon says twice what he hated/ He looked at his life and all the fruit of his labor. He looked and said it was all hevel, it was all futile, it was a vapor. And, it will given to the one after me.
If we go back to the passages before, look at all that Solomon spend his time on. He put time into himself, his joy and his work are what he thought would bring him fulfillment, bring him the pleasures of life. He said it was futile, it was meaningless.
Have you considered your life? The effort and time you put into things. Is it at the cost of the loved ones around you.
The Western Culture is so rife with how we look to people, that we have created a culture of facades, fake veneers to impress people. Make no mistake about it, we do more damage to ourselves because it is more important in how we look and come off to others than what is in our hearts.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Our longing to belong and to be in relationship with another is designed by God.
Solomon in all his wisdom could not see the importance of family, of what God had called him too. I think he was a bit mad.
It is easy to see the dynamics of how broken his family is. Solomon certainly did not follow the Lord. Remember how many wives and concubines he had?! They turned his heart away from God.
Now the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded.
So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
God raised up enemies against Solomon, against His anointed, His people. Why? Because Solomon turned to false gods and away for the council of the Lord.
Ecclesiastes is however, a reflection of his life. I am convinced, as are others, that this was probably written near the last bit of his life. He most likely wrote Song of Solomon and Proverbs at this point.
What he does now, is take all that wisdom and experience and warn the next one. His sons? Or anyone who will read, such as you and I.
Laboring Under the Sun, without God is hevel (Futile, Meaningless, Vanity)
Ecclesiastes 2:19-23
Men, has you work consumed you so much because that your family has been sacrificed to the god of money, self, or image.
Your kids may be thankful for the food they have, the clothing, the trips they can take, the car they can drive. And that is all well and good, but at what cost.
We should work, we should provide, but our lives should not be consumed so much that it leaves our wives and children in the wake of our identity in work or an activity that has taken over our life.
(With Force)
When at death’s doorstep, man will answer the question of what they wish they had done more or changed in their life. With a vast majority and confidence, they will cry out, “I wish I spend more time with my family, with my wife, with my kids.”
Solomon’s words here are from a man who was consumed with work. Concerned with image. Go back to Ecclesiastes 2:9. Even being the greatest of all time did not satiate his desires.
He was in Darkness
Enjoy the Work God has Given You!
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
Enjoy Life, under the banner of God!
Ecclesiastes 2:26
I do not know what Solomon was thinking in this verse. Was he recognizing his folly, his sins, and seeing that all the fruit of his labor will be given to another? One who is good?
Romans 8:28
It would be almost 20 years until there was good King in Judah. However, Israel has never been a Kingdom since the rebellion of Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
If you are wondering about today’s Israel:
Biblically: Israel is not like the united monarchy of David.
Politically: Israel is a modern, democratic state, not a theocratic or monarchic kingdom. And, if you think about it historically, there has never been a Kingdom on earth, since the time of David that has been fully under God. Everything has become political and the way of the world.
Theologically: It awaits a future fulfillment of a unified, Davidic like kingdom. But, so do all who put their trust in Christ.
Christ’s Kingdom is the only true Kingdom that is united under one banner, the Banner of Christ. For those of us who call Him King alone, we are ambassadors representing His Kingdom on earth. Let us be reminded not to chase after the wind and try to discover wisdom and meaning in the things of the world. Let us look to Christ, the author of wisdom and truth.
How does Solomon conclude?
The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
