Work, Achievement, and the Burden of Success
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Solomon ran an experiment with his life.
He tried wisdom, pleasure, work, success, possessions, relationships, and accomplishments
everything the world says will make you happy.
And after testing it all, he kept coming back to the same conclusion:
Life without God is empty.
It’s like chasing the wind.
It promises a lot but delivers nothing that lasts.
But Ecclesiastes isn’t meant to depress us
it’s meant to direct us.
It exposes the emptiness of life without God so we’ll stop chasing temporary things
and start finding our purpose in the only One who can satisfy us.
With that in mind, let’s read our passage for tonight
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that 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 be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,
25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
The Weariness of Work Without God
The Weariness of Work Without God
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
Solomon says something brutally honest:
“So I hated life…” (v.17)
Why?
Because all his achievements felt empty.
Everything he built, designed, created, or accomplished felt like a waste when he realized he couldn’t keep it forever.
Key Idea:
Key Idea:
Work without God always ends in burnout.
Cross References:
Cross References:
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17–19 — Work becomes toil because of the fall.
Matthew 16:26 — “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”
Teaching Point:
Teaching Point:
Work is good
God created it.
But work without God becomes misery.
You weren’t made to get your identity from what you produce.
The Madness of Pouring Your Life Into What You Can’t Keep
The Madness of Pouring Your Life Into What You Can’t Keep
18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that 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 be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
Solomon sees the tragedy of achievement when he says:
“I must leave it to the man who comes after me.” (v.18)
He worked hard…
He built a kingdom.
He accomplished incredible things…
And eventually everything he built will be handed to someone else who may ruin it.
Modern Example:
The athlete who breaks records
eventually replaced.
The student with straight A’s
graduates, forgotten by the next class.
The person with 100k followers
the algorithm buries them.
Work doesn’t last.
Achievements fade.
Titles disappear.
Cross References:
Cross References:
Psalm 39:6 — “Man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather.”
James 4:14 — “You are a mist.”
Teaching Point:
Teaching Point:
You can’t build a kingdom that lasts when you’re standing on temporary ground.
The Endless Restlessness of Performance-Based Living
The Endless Restlessness of Performance-Based Living
22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
“All his days are full of sorrow… even at night his heart does not rest.” (v.23)
This is the student who:
Always studies but never feels smart enough
Always trains but never feels strong enough
Always performs but never feels accepted enough
Always posts but never feels liked enough
Solomon understood that:
Achievement promises peace but delivers anxiety.
Cross References:
Cross References:
Psalm 127:2 — “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest… for He gives His beloved sleep.”
Matthew 11:28 — Jesus: “Come to Me… I will give you rest.”
Work Is Good — But It’s Not God
Work Is Good — But It’s Not God
“As we go through Ecclesiastes, it’s important to notice something:
Solomon never says that work is bad.
In fact, the Bible tells us the opposite.
Work is good.
Work is holy.
Before sin entered the world, God placed Adam in the garden to work it and keep it.
A strong work ethic honors the Lord.
Whether we’re studying, practicing, training, or serving,
doing our best is a way of worshiping God.
But Ecclesiastes warns us about a different danger
not laziness, but misplaced priorities.
Work becomes a problem when it becomes the point of life instead of part of life.
When success replaces surrender.
When achievement replaces identity.
When the thing we were meant to enjoy becomes the thing we expect to save us.
Here’s the truth Solomon learned the hard way:
Work makes a great calling… but a terrible god.
It can fill your hands, but it can never fill your heart.
Ecclesiastes isn’t telling us to work less
it’s telling us to worship rightly.
Work hard.
Work well.
Work for the glory of God.
But remember: your worth isn’t in what you produce
it’s in the One who created you.
This is where Solomon goes next in versus 24-26
God’s Surprising Gift: Joy Not Found in Work, But in Him
God’s Surprising Gift: Joy Not Found in Work, But in Him
24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,
25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
After all the heaviness, Solomon finally sees something beautiful:
“There is nothing better… than to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in his toil. This also is from the hand of God.” (v.24)
Solomon isn’t saying:
“Just eat good food and chill out.”
He’s saying:
Joy doesn’t come from your work.
Joy comes from God in your work.
The problem was never work.
The problem was worship.
Cross References:
Cross References:
1 Timothy 6:17 — God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
John 15:11 — “My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.”
Teaching Point:
Teaching Point:
Work becomes worship when God becomes your joy.
Illustration Idea (Powerful, Visual): “The Sandcastle Problem”
Illustration Idea (Powerful, Visual): “The Sandcastle Problem”
Bring a bucket of sand or show a picture of an amazing sandcastle.
Explain:
Thousands of people build enormous sandcastles every year — some take hours, tools, design, and skill.
And every single one… is wiped out by the tide.
No effort stops the ocean.
“This is what Solomon is saying.
Build the biggest ‘sandcastle life’ you want
success, trophies, records, popularity
but the tide of time will eventually erase it all.
You weren’t made to build your life on sand but on the Savior.
Matthew 7:24–27 ties in beautifully.
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Application: What Are You Trying to Prove?
Application: What Are You Trying to Prove?
Ask students:
What achievement are you trying to build your identity on right now?
What performance are you hoping will finally make you feel “enough”?
Where has school, talent, or success become your worth instead of a gift?
Key Challenge Question:
“Are you working for identity or from identity?”
Gospel Connection:
Gospel Connection:
Jesus Gives Rest, Not Restlessness
Jesus Gives Rest, Not Restlessness
Solomon describes the exhaustion of trying to earn meaning.
Jesus offers the opposite:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
In Jesus:
You don’t have to earn identity
you receive it.
You don’t have to prove yourself
He proved Himself for you.
You don’t work to be loved
you work because you are loved.
Jesus succeeds where we fail.
Jesus gives what our work never can.
Jesus is the meaning Solomon was searching for.
