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… – Eccl. 2:17-18a
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? – Eccl. 2:24-25
Last week we went with Qohelet on his journey in search of meaning and purpose in life. We saw in our study of 1:16-18 that he found intellectual pursuits to be vain and so he turned in 2:1-11 to consider the pleasures of life which he also found to be “vanity and striving after the wind.” This week we will examine Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 where he offers a more in-depth assessment of his quest for meaning.
Qohelet goes into detail in 2:12-17, describing the guiding principles of life which at times gave direction to his choices (wisdom, madness, and folly). Having experienced all of these at certain times, he observes that wisdom is better than folly, comparing it to light. Darkness is the imagery he uses for folly, describing the fool as a man stumbling around and unable to properly find his way. Although there is more to be gained in life by living wisely, the harsh reality is that both the wise man and the fool meet the same fate. The questions that he wrestled with demonstrate his despair and frustrations in facing this difficult truth (2:15). Having thought deeply about the failure of these guiding principles of life to bring any sense of lasting gain, Qohelet admits that he came to hate life and once again found all of these uncomfortable truths to be like trying to grasp hold of the wind.
In 2:18 he states that it was not only the failure of his guiding principles that caused him to hate life, it was also the ‘toil’ or ‘fruit of his labor.’ His use of ‘toil’ in 2:18-23 serves to link his words in this passage with the description of his own self-indulgence found in 2:1-11. All of the experiences he had and the things which he accomplished led him, in the end, to despair. This is because he could have no assurance that all that he had worked for would continue to be stewarded wisely by the one who would come after him. This once again shows us that it is the reality of death and the fact that life is forever slipping away that deeply grieves Qohelet. He admits exactly this in 2:22-23 where he recognizes that what comes from a life of toil and labor is ultimately sorrow, vexation, and an inability to rest. He concludes once again that all of this is vanity and frustration.
While much of what Qohelet shares with us in these verses echoes what he has already stated, a significant transition occurs in his discourse beginning in 2:24 where he exhorts mankind to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil. In one sense, we should be taken aback by this because it seems to contradict all that he has previously stated. What becomes obvious, however, is that a major shift has occurred in Qohelet’s perspective. On three occasions in 2:24-26 he references God, using the name Elohim. He states that (1) the ability to enjoy the experiences of life comes “from the hand of God, (2) God gives “wisdom and knowledge and joy” to the one who pleases Him, and (3) God punishes the sinner but blesses the one who pleases Him. By linking God to the experiences of life, Qohelet is giving us a preview of his final exhortation which he will give in 12:13, stating that men should “Fear God and keep His commandments.” In order to avoid the inevitable despair that will come from life in a fallen world, man must be properly related to his Creator. Solomon affirms the promise of 2:26 throughout the book of Proverbs, where the fear of Yahweh is associated with wisdom and knowledge, and joy is said to come from the hope that the righteous have because of their relationship to him.
Although Qohelet has spoken clearly and directly about the frustrations of life, he has also shown that there is enjoyment to be found in God’s good gifts to mankind. That enjoyment, however, is found in being properly related to our Creator. Lasting gain cannot be found in the things of life, but is instead found in the God who is the giver of all good things. In John 6:52-56, Jesus also associates eating and drinking with worship, but does so in order to demonstrate that He alone can provide what mankind desperately needs. We must abide in Him through worship, and there we will find the deepest desires of our hearts to be satisfied. Only then can we enjoy the good things of life to His glory.
Join us this Sunday as we gather around His table and recall His person and work until He comes again!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas