Week 3 - Ecclesiastes 2 | When Life Doesn’t Add Up

THE MATH OF LIFE THAT DOESN’T ADD UP

Have you ever looked at life and thought, "This just doesn't add up"? When injustice strikes or we suffer ourselves, we feel it deep down – the bad math of life. It simply doesn't compute.

Even on a bright summer day, sun overhead, we often return home more exhausted than refreshed. I mean how many times have you come back from a trip needing "a vacation from your vacation," or felt let down because it didn't quite live up to your hopes?

It doesn’t add up!

Sure, we catch flickers of enjoyment – a ballgame, a garden in bloom, a firepit with friends – but they are fleeting.

Isn’t this the math of life? You work hard. You make wise choices. You chase joy, plan well, and give it your best shot. But when you total it all up, the solution to the equation often feels empty. Here today, gone tomorrow. You can’t take any of it with you. As Solomon honestly reflects, it’s meaningless. Hevel. Like chasing after the wind.

And I know, the reoccurring theme of “hevel” in Ecclesiastes can feel repetitive, even depressing. Yet, as we returning to this book an turning it like a diamond, my hope is the gospel’s light will warm our souls with a fire and joy that bring lasting resilience to our faith. To grasp this, we must first be honest: when we do the math of life, it often just doesn’t make sense.

Well, as we step into chapter 2, Solomon runs the calculus of his power, wealth, and wisdom to solve life’s formulas "under the sun." Like a supercomputer, he crunches every variable, concluding: It’s meaningless. It’s hevel. Like chasing the wind. That is, until verses 24-26, where subtle light breaks through. Something changes—a glimmer of unearned hope, a gift.

Today, we'll explore all of chapter 2, but let's start at the end with this gift, then work backward.

Turn to Ecclesiastes 2 with me and check out vv. 24-26:

Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 (NLT)24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Solomon concludes: Joy, wisdom, knowledge, and even wealth are gifts from God, given to 'those who please Him.'

This begs the question: what does it mean to please God?

The Hebrew phrase here means to be righteous 'before God’s face,' living so His eyes shine on you with delight. Like a teachers pet or a coach’s favorite or a grandparent's special one, God shows favoritism to those who please Him. And this desire to be God's favorite, to bring and receive joy from Him, is our heart's ultimate drive.

However, often times driven by this desire, we pursue traits like integrity or prayerfulness as a list of todos, which risks falling back into the empty formulas Solomon exposes here in chapter 2.

Religious rule-following, like chasing pleasure, work, or wisdom, doesn't add up; it leaves us empty, grasping at smoke.

So instead of making a religious list of dos and don’ts, I want us to pause and sit under the full weight of grace for a moment: to be pleasing before God is not first about performance — it’s about position.

Through the gospel, God’s delight and favor are gifted — not earned.

I want you to read this with me, it’s on the screen: Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s delight and favor are gifted — not earned!

You see Jesus lived the life that fully pleased the Father. When we receive His work by faith — by accepting, trusting, depending on, and resting in what Christ accomplished — we are united with Him. We are hidden in Christ. The Father’s delight in the Son becomes His delight in us.

So, pleasing God flows out of trusting God. And God’s face shines on those who respond in faith — not merely through rule-following.

This is how, and only how, the math of life changes. This is how, and only how, lasting joy is restored — not through striving, but through clinging to Jesus (John 15).

And this, friends, is the interpretive key for the entire book of Ecclesiastes—especially chapter 2. Without this lens, life under the sun is despair. But with this lens, we see what Solomon only hints at, but Jesus fulfills and brings into full clarity:

Life doesn’t add up — until you bring the gospel into the equation.

We can never assume the gospel, friends. So before we go any further—what is it? It’s not vague spiritual comfort or “just try to be a better person.”

The gospel is this: Jesus Christ came under the sun—into our hevel—to do what we never could. He lived a perfectly wise life, pleasing the Father and glorifying Him. He took the full weight of our sin and meaningless striving to the cross, dying and then rising three days later, breaking death's power and its meaninglessness. He ascended to God's right hand, where He rules, reigns, and redeems our lives, giving us eternal value and purpose.

However, this gospel truth must be received and applied by faith—not just admired from a distance or mentally agreed with. You receive it by turning from your own math and trusting His—by clinging to Christ daily.

The gospel declares many beautiful, life-altering truths: You are a new creation. Sin’s power is broken. You are free to live for God. Your decisions and your days matter for eternity. Even suffering isn’t meaningless—it produces in you an eternal weight of glory, shaping and maturing you in faith.

All of that is amazing. But at the core of the gospel is this: You don’t have to chase joy—it’s already been given to you in Christ.

Still, while joy is given, it must also be received, guarded, and at times restored. King David—Solomon’s father—knew this. That’s why he prayed, in Psalm 51:12“Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

Even when we know the truth, even when we belong to Jesus, life under the sun can still feel confusing and futile at times.

And Ecclesiastes doesn’t shy away from that reality. Neither should we.

Yes—the gospel is true. Grace is real. Joy is available. But even the most faithful of us can drift. Even saints, which is what the Bible says we are in Jesus, we can subtly rewrite the equation in ways that rob us of joy.

That’s why joy must be restored. It’s why Jesus said, in John 15 and I’m paraphrasing but “Remain in me or all your doing will be meaningless!” (John 15:5). It’s not that joy disappears—it’s that it flows through relationship. Remaining in Jesus is the key to joy that lasts.

Where we run when life gets hard is the key to joy! Look at the promises of these few verses: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

“Let all who take refuge in you rejoice… Fill them with joy… You surround them with your shield of love” (Psalm 5:11–12).

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty… He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him” (Psalm 91:1–2).

Friends, joy is promised in Jesus—but we can and do drift, we can and do run to other places for refuge and joy! That’s why the joy of salvation needs regular restoration. We must guard it—fight for it—and keep coming back to it, above all else.

If Solomon were here this morning, and we asked him: “What work is actually worth our toil?” I believe he’d say: “Strive. Toil. Labor—to receive and remain in the joy of Jesus.”

And that leads to an important question: How do you strive for something that can’t be earned? How do you work to receive a gift?

That’s the right question. And that’s exactly where the rest of Ecclesiastes 2 takes us.

Solomon walks us through four of the world’s go-to equations for making life add up—each one tested with all his wisdom, power, and wealth.

So how do we receive, guard, and enjoy the joy of Jesus?

By watching Solomon do the math.

Let’s walk through these four flawed equations—Pleasure, Success, Work, and Wisdom — and learn why none of them add up... until the gospel is part of the equation.

The Math of Pleasure, Success, Wisdom and Work

Solomon ran the numbers on life and tested three major formulas the world still offers today:

THE MATH OF PLEASURE

In vv. 1-3, Solomon tries the equation: Pleasure + Indulgence = Joy.

Ecclesiastes 2:1–3 (NLT)1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

Solomon chases laughter, wine, entertainment, and self-indulgence. He denies himself nothing. He feeds every craving. And for a while? It works. He’s numb. Distracted. But not filled. It doesn’t last. Eventually the math fails.

Like junk food or an extra drink, it tastes good going down but it leaves you bloated and wanting more, nursing a bad hangover of regret the next day. There’s no lasting nourishment or joy there!

The world’s math says: Pleasure + Indulgence = Joy.

But the reality?

Any joy found this way is fleeting, like chasing the wind.

And what about success?

THE MATH OF SUCCESS | vv. 4–11

Solomon moves to another formula: Achievement + Accumulation = Fulfillment/Success.

Ecclesiastes 2:4–11 (NLT)4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Solomon builds an empire with an amazing patio and outdoor kitchen! We’re talking outdoor living at its finest. You’ve probably seen those million-dollar houses on that Houzz app where the z’s should be $igns… well Solly’s houzz and patio would make them all green with envy. His résumé was unmatched, his lifestyle enviable. And yet?

He ran the numbers as he sat in his open air concept kitchen with some beauty fanning him and feeding him grapes… meaningless and empty!

So he tried wisdom!

[THE MATH OF WISDOM | vv. 12–17]

The world’s formula that says, Wisdom + Knowledge = Security and how did that compute?

Ecclesiastes 2:12–17 (NLT)12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. 17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Solomon admits wisdom is better than foolishness, like light compared to darkness (v.13), helping us navigate life more conveniently and clearly. But even the wisest people die.

No one can outsmart death or cheat the grave. And both the wise and foolish are eventually forgotten. That’s the reality of life “under the sun.

The formula fails.

THE MATH OF WORK | vv. 18–23

Finally, Solomon turns to the daily grind in verses 18–23: Hard Work + Hustle = Rest & Control

Ecclesiastes 2:18–23 (NLT)18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

Solomon reflects on the empire he built—remember that envy-inducing patio—and realizes he can’t take any of it with him. Worse, he can’t control what happens to it after he’s gone.

All his hustle. All the sweat. All the late nights. For what?

“I gave up in despair… even at night their minds cannot rest…”

Sound familiar? We work and hustle for peace, but it eludes us. Our minds race at night, and anxiety hums beneath the surface. There's no rest, no control.

The math fails again.

And here’s what I want you to see, all four of these flawed formulas—Pleasure, Success, Wisdom, and Work—have something in common. They all center on the self.

Look at vs. 10

Ecclesiastes 2:10 NLT

10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.

Solomon is at the center of every equation.

His conclusion?

Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT

11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Empty. Void. Dissatisfying and immensely troubling! To the point that:

Ecclesiastes 2:17 NLT

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Let’s be honest—that’s heavy. But it’s real. This isn’t a man theorizing from the sidelines. This is someone who lived it, full throttle. Solomon tested every path the world offers. He built, bought, partied, planted, learned, worked.

And the sum of it all?

“Meaningless… like chasing the wind.”

Not because the pursuits were evil. Pleasure, success, wisdom, and work are all good gifts! But none of them can bear the weight of being your ultimate source of meaning. Because Solomon was doing what we all do: trying to find joy apart from the Giver.

And anytime you take a good gift and turn it into a god, you will end up disillusioned, depleted, and despairing.

And here’s where the gospel flips the equation.

The good news isn’t that we get to avoid sorrow or skip the fog—but that Jesus stepped into it with us. Remember from last week! Jesus, the wisdom of God in person, willingly joins us to help us navigate the fickle and fleeting confusing realities of life. And in Him, joy isn’t something we chase—it’s something we receive.

In light of this reality, we need to rework our math.

The Gospel Math for Pleasure says that Dependence on God = Freedom to Enjoy God’s Gifts

Joy doesn’t come from indulging every craving, that’s how we get bloated and hungover!

Joy is found from spirit-empowered self-control where we trust the Giver more than the gifts!

You see, when you depend on pleasure to do what only God can do—heal your heart, fill your soul, secure your future—you’ll end up empty and enslaved. But when Jesus is your joy, you’re free to enjoy life’s pleasures without being enslaved by them.

Jesus doesn’t kill pleasure—He purifies it. He teaches us to delight in the gift, without worshiping it.

So the math changes from:

Pleasure + Indulgence = Joy

to

Dependence on God = Joy, even in the midst of sorrow

And what of success?

For success, Gospel Math reveals: Surrendering to Jesus = True Success.

Solomon tried to find meaning through self-achievement and selfish-accumulation. He built houses, vineyards, reservoirs, and wealth. He became the king of excess and served himself. But none of it lasted. He couldn’t keep it. He couldn’t control it. And he couldn’t take it with him.

“I denied myself no pleasure… yet everything was meaningless.” (Eccl. 2:10–11)

Jesus tells a similar story in Luke 12—about a man who built bigger barns, only to lose everything in a single night.

Look at it with me from the message:

Luke 12:13–21 MSG

13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.” 14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?” 15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” 16 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. 17 He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ 18 Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, 19 and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ 20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’ 21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”

Here’s the lesson: You can fill your barns with stuff and still be spiritually bankrupt, none of it will last into eternity! If you’re building on self, you’re building with hay and stubble and it won’t last!

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21)

Again here’s gospel math:

Fulfillment isn’t found in success—it’s found in surrender.

Surrender to Jesus—your time, your goals, your possessions—and you gain what can’t be taken from you.

So the gospel equation becomes:

Surrender to Jesus = Success in God’s Kingdom

Teaching us that old beautiful phrase from Randy Alcorn’s in the Treasure Principle book: While you can’t take your stuff with you… you can send it ahead—by investing in what matters for eternity.

And what of the Gospel Math for Work: Here’s the gospel equation: Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain

Solomon hated his work in the end—not because he was lazy, but because it left him restless and resentful. He had no peace, no rest, no assurance that any of it mattered once he was gone.

That same fear plagues our generation. What’s the point of all this hustle?

Paul picks up on that theme in 1 Timothy 6:

“We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out… But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Tim. 6:6–7)

Contentment isn’t having less ambition—it’s having deeper trust.

It’s knowing your worth doesn’t come from your work, and your future doesn’t depend on your grind.

The gospel frees you to work hard without worshiping your work.

It transforms toil into trust.

So here’s gospel math:

Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain and Possessing Christ > Possessing the world!

You see when we treasure Jesus above all, even ourselves, when Jesus is enough for us, we’re free:

– free to steward, not hoard

– free to give generously, not just accumulate

– free to rest, not just perform

And in Him, nothing is wasted.

No act of love, no moment of faithfulness, no late-night prayer goes unnoticed. It’s all gain.

To sum it all up: Pleasure, Success, Wisdom and Work fail us when we’re at the center of the equation.

But when Christ is at the center—suddenly, everything adds up.

We don’t find joy by chasing more.

We find joy by surrendering all—to the One who gave everything for us.

That’s gospel math.

That’s how life under the sun becomes life in the Son.

You may not feel like your life adds up, but if you’re in Christ the promise is that it does! Everything, every labor, even your suffering is doing something for your good and joy in eternity! It’s all working together for your good and working an eternal weight of glory you will get because of it! And while you can’t take anything with you—in Christ you can send eternal investments on a head that neither moth nor rust can destroy!

While life under the sun doesn’t add up. Life in the Son does. And even when we don’t see it or feel it, we can choose to trust it. We can run to the Father for refuge and strength. We can persevere together in faith knowing that God is faithful (2 tim. 2:13), that the righteous run to Him and are safe (prov. 18:10), and that “those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).

Where are you looking for meaning today? What equation are you trusting in? This morning, let’s bring it to Jesus. Let’s ask Him to rewrite the math.