Eld Ko Swee Chay

Introduction

In the first 17 verses of Ecclesiastes chapter 2, Solomon gave an account of his own experiences in striving after the things of this world to find happiness and satisfaction in life. He realised that all his earthly accomplishments and pleasures were “vanity and vexation of the spirit.” Next, he examined all that man can pursue in the matters of wisdom, madness, and folly. He concluded that living in wisdom is superior to living foolishly, even in this temporal world. His view of man’s life is that both the wise and the foolish all end up in death and soon are completely forgotten. This perspective of life caused him to hate life and despair in all that he laboured for.

The study of Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 will help us to look at the futility of work without Christ and point us in the direction of contentment, satisfaction, and joy in life when one is able to see the hand and sovereign will of God over all things.

A Great Evil – leave it all behind (Eccl 2:18-21)

¹⁸ Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. ¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. ²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. ²¹ For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Solomon shared a great tragedy of life. He must leave everything to a man who has not worked for it, and not knowing whether he would be a wise man or a fool. Solomon was in despair because of this. The joy of service had departed. What happened to Solomon?

Solomon focused on the absurdity of devoting his life to work hard for personal glory and gain. Unlike David who served to glorify God, Solomon sought self glory. Self glory dies when self dies. When self glory is based upon the works of man's hand rather than the hand of God, he is fearful of losing everything. The man who receives the inheritance could ruin it all. All that Solomon worked hard for for self could be erased. Solomon would not be able to stop him since he would be dead.

We often read in the news of children who inherited huge estates or business empires from their parents. These children fail to value it because they did not work for it. They foolishly squander their inheritance away. This was backslidden Solomon’s frustration. Knowing this, what would our response be?

Firstly, accept the fact that we own nothing, and we cannot take anything with us when we die. “As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.” (Eccl 5:15, cf. Job 1:21 and 1 Tim 6:7). We must remind ourselves to not be obsessed with things that we cannot take with us after life. Use what God has blessed us with wisely for the blessing of God’s people and God’s glory. Set our heart Heavenward and lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven.

Secondly, serve the LORD knowing that it is His work. Even after we are gone, the LORD will continue on with His work since it is His and not ours. All of God’s servants had this perspective in mind toward their life of service.

Thirdly, seek to glorify God and not self. Self will be forgotten in life. Let others remember Christ when they remember us, then there will be no frustration at all, only joy forever more.  

A Miserable Life - man’s days filled with sorrow (Eccl 2:22-23)      

²² For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? ²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

Solomon then asked, “What do people get in this life for all their arduous work and anxiety?” Their days of labour are filled with pain and grief, even night brings no rest to the heart. This is also meaningless. This describes the grim reality of life under the sun, a life apart from God, for own satisfaction and enjoyment. If we put our hope and trust in our jobs, our wealth, and our possessions, we are living in vanity. The things of this world will fade away. They bring superficial happiness and temporal fulfilment. When we turn our eyes upon our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and have faith and trust in Him, we will have an eternal purpose and fulness of joy.

A Way Out – see the hand of God (Eccl 2:24-26)

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? ²⁶ For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Solomon’s exhortation for a man to eat and drink and enjoy good in his labour must be understood in context. He was not promoting the way of the world without Christ: “… take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” (Luke 12:19). Far from it! Solomon was contrasting two types of life: of luxury and of poverty. Both are given to man by God. It appears that living a life by the labour of our hands brings enjoyment. But then again, we see that from the hand of God there are some who are good in what they do, and they have accumulated much. They enjoy their life of luxury. Then there are the sinners who are lazy, and they do not have. They receive travail in life from God. They work hard for the benefit of the clever ones. Yet at the end of it all, they all die! What then is the meaning of life when wealth and poverty are both temporary? When death comes, everything comes to an end. This is also vanity!

Application

The fruit of labour done solely for money and to gain possessions to satisfy self can only bring temporal satisfaction and happiness. At death, all that we have laboured for and accumulated will have to be left behind to someone else who may be a fool and spoil it all. The key to a meaningful and purposeful life is to be able to see the hand of God in every aspect of our lives, and to serve faithfully to glorify Him, to acknowledge the goodness of God that all things are gifts from Him, and be content, and thankful to Him, our Creator and Lord. AMEN.