I can still remember when we had a birthday party for Pam. Mary and I had bought her a small plastic slide, which we just knew that she and all her friends were going to love. So imagine our surprise when after we had taken the slide out of the box, all the kids had more fun playing with the empty box than they did using the slide. It was then that I learned the very same lesson that Qoheleth had learned thousands of years earlier – the value of finding joy in the simple gifts of life. Let’s read our passage for this morning.
17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. 18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because 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 rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. 24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? 26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 (NKJV)
This morning, we’ll wrap up a section of discourse that began all the way back at the beginning of chapter 1 when Qoheleth asked this question:
What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:3 (NKJV)
Qoheleth has explored the answer to that question for two chapters now. He begins by answering that question implicitly by describing the cycles of the sun, the wind and water that God has put into effect in His creation and pointing out man’s folly in thinking that he can somehow impact or change those cycles through his own efforts. And then he answers the question more explicitly as he explores the pursuit of wisdom and the pursuit of pleasure apart from God.
As a result of all his searching, Qoheleth comes to the conclusion, quite correctly that the answer to his question is “nothing”. There is no profit, or advantage, or surplus that man can create by his labor “under the sun”. So it’s no wonder that he begins the last part of this section by proclaiming in verse 17 that he hated life when viewed from his perspective “under the sun.”
For the last four weeks, much of what we have studied here in Ecclesiastes is quite negative and if it is not viewed correctly could be quite depressing. But that is exactly the point of the book. When life is viewed from “under the sun”, from our vantage point here on earth, it is merely a vapor or breath that often appears to have no meaning or purpose. And that is frustrating and depressing. But fortunately, Qoheleth pauses occasionally and gives us a different perspective that allows us to experience hope and joy in the midst of all this negativity. Verses 24-26 are one of those occasions and that’s where I want to focus most of my time this morning. But first, let me briefly address the rest of this passage because it will provide us with some needed background as well as some practical guidance for how we can avoid falling into the kind of despair that Qoheleth experienced.
WHY QOHELETH DESPAIRED:
1. He viewed life from his own perspective
When you read through the first portion of this passage, you can’t help but notice Qoheleth’s focus on himself. In verses 17-20, he uses the words “I”, “me”, “my” and “myself” 14 times. He also uses the phrase “under the sun” 5 times in this passage. So it is quite obvious that all despair that we observe in the first part of this passage begins with Qoheleth’s perspective. Rather than attempting to see things from God’s point of view, he is focused only on himself and what he can get for himself out of his work.
Unfortunately, I think it’s much easier for us to see how Qoheleth had the wrong perspective than it is to discern that same problem in our own lives. We live in a culture that is so focused on “my rights” and “what’s in it for me” that it is really easy for us to get caught up in that same mindset.
So it’s not surprising that we find that same train of thought in the church as well. Because of the consumerism that is so rampant in our culture, we have raised up a whole generation of church hoppers who go from church to church searching for that one church that will “meet all their needs” rather than seeking the place where God would have them to be in order to serve Him.
2. That perspective caused him to worry
Because he viewed life from his own perspective, rather than from God’s, Qoheleth’s life was full of worry. Although he doesn’t address it directly, he certainly had to worry about all of the possessions and wealth that he had accumulated. That’s not difficult for us to imagine. The more things that we amass in order to try a gain some kind of advantage in this life, the more that we tend to worry.
I think I can illustrate this pretty easily. Those of you who have 401K’s, IRA’s or some kind of other retirement plans have watched the value of your portfolio erode steadily over the last year. Obviously there is nothing wrong with planning for the future and taking prudent actions to save for your financial needs. In fact, the Bible encourages us to do so. But if you’re looking to your plan as security for the future or to provide you with a certain lifestyle when you retire, then chances are that you are spending a lot of sleepless nights worrying about what the future holds. But if you can view your plan from God’s perspective, which we’ll discuss in more detail in just a moment, then there is no need to worry. Jesus addressed this issue of worry very directly with his disciples:
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 12:22-31 (NIV)
Jesus made it very clear. If you view life from your own perspective “under the sun”, you’re going to worry. But if you view your life from God’s perspective, then there is no need for worry because God knows all your needs and He has promised to take care of them.
But not only did Qoheleth worry about the need to manage and protect all that he had right there and then, he also worried about what would happen to everything after he died. Even if he was wise in the way he used all his assets, how could he be assured that whoever inherited all he had would use those resources in the same wise manner?
Again this all comes back to his perspective. If you read the passage carefully, you realize that Qoheleth isn’t really all that concerned about what might happen to those who came after him, but rather how their use of his resources might affect his legacy. It is his focus on self that ultimately causes all his worry. And the result of all that worry is that…
3. His worry robbed him of his joy
Five times in this passage, Qoheleth refers to all his toil as “vanity”. It is all merely a vapor that results in no long-term advantage or joy. Trying to find joy in his labor, when he views it from his perspective “under the sun” is like trying to “shepherd the wind”. It is frustrating rather than joyful.
In fact, it is so bad that he can’t even sleep at night. In 2006, American spent over $3.6 billion on prescription sleep medications, a 29% increase over the previous year. Although there are obviously some medical causes to all of our sleeplessness, I have to imagine that much of it is merely caused by worry.
But there is certainly some good news in this passage. In spite of the fact that Qoheleth could not find joy in all his toil when he viewed it from his perspective “under the sun”, he did ultimately discover…
HOW TO ENJOY THE “SIMPLE GIFTS” OF LIFE
1. Recognize every good thing in my life as a gift from God
In verse 24, Qoheleth identifies three things in our lives that are from the hand of God – food, drink, and our work. It seems that these three items are not intended to be an all-inclusive list, but merely illustrative of the multitude of gifts that God brings into our lives each day. In fact, James leaves us with no doubt that every good thing that comes into our life is a gift from God:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17 (NIV)
Qoheleth certainly confirms that principle when he continues in verse 26 and writes that God is the one who gives wisdom, knowledge and joy. In fact, God is described as a “giver” three different times in that verse in order to emphasize that attribute of His character.
Verse 24 certainly brings to mind the familiar exhortation to “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die”. But that is merely a totally convoluted adaptation of what is written here that results from taking this passage totally out of context.
It is clear that Qoheleth is not advocating here a life of revelry and excess. He is not saying, like the old Schlitz beer commercials, that you only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can get. That would be a life of fatalism, not a life of faith. So instead of focusing all our attention on the gifts themselves, and how we might profit from them, we need to instead focus on the Giver of the gifts.
For Qoheleth, the turning point came when he was able to re-direct his focus from himself to God. And once he did that, he began to recognize that even his work was not intended by God to be a burden, but rather to be a gift that he could enjoy. That is a concept that we will return to frequently as we continue our journey through Ecclesiastes.
Unfortunately, since we live in a culture that values “self-made” men and those who can “pull themselves up by their own bootstraps”, even Christ followers are often reluctant to recognize that everything we have is a gift from God. We have a tendency to claim that we earned something through our own efforts – our reputation, our wealth, our possessions, even our salvation. But we would do well to remember these words of warning that Moses spoke to God’s people:
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV)
It is not just God’s children who receive gifts like food, drink and work from God. Everyone on this earth gets those same gifts. But it is only those who have trusted their lives to Him and recognize that those gifts come from His hand who also receive the accompanying gifts of satisfaction and joy. Even those are gifts from God.
2. Give thanks to God for the “simple gifts”
Verse 25 in the NKJV, which we have been using, seems quite strange and is difficult to understand:
For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
There is slight difference here in the Hebrew texts used by the translators of the KJV and NKJV and that used by almost all other English translations. Almost every other English translation renders the verse in a manner that is at least very close to the NASB:
For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
This certainly appears to be the preferable translation given the immediately preceding and following verses which both focus on that which God gives rather than on the author himself and how much enjoyment that he received from his activities. But even if the other translation is more accurate, it really doesn’t change the principles we find in this passage.
Since even the gifts that God has given to us can’t be enjoyed apart from our relationship with Him, then the appropriate response on our part once we recognize that every good gift is from Him has to be thanksgiving. Once again, the New Testament writers confirm this principle:
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4, 5 (NIV)
All that God has created is good. And when He gives us those things as a gift, the only appropriate response is thanksgiving. But instead, even those if us who are Christ followers often have the tendency to complain about all the things that we don’t have rather than giving thanks for what we do have.
Qoheleth certainly discovered the folly in that kind of attitude. At the beginning of chapter 2 we read how the author had built great projects, he was wiser than anyone else, he had numerous slaves and he had amassed gold, silver and greater flocks and herds than anyone else. But he found no joy in any of those things. But once he recognized that even the simple things in life – like food, drink and even his work - were gifts from God and he was able to thank God for them, he began to see that joy was indeed possible.
3. Rejoice in what God has given me and trust Him
As important as the first two steps are, it’s not enough just to recognize the gifts of God and give Him thanks for those gifts. We also have to use those gifts in a proper manner.
It seems to me that Qoheleth’s biggest mistake was that he tried to take those gifts which God had given to him and then tried to manipulate them for his own profit “under the sun”. By doing that, he was in essence demonstrating that he really didn’t trust God. It’s almost as if he said, “God, thanks for all that you have given me. But I’ll take it from here.” And then he began to take all that God had given to him – his wisdom, his wealth, his reputation, and his power – and began to use all of them for his own benefit instead of trusting God to use them in a way that would bring glory to Him.
Although eating and drinking and work do not have ultimate meaning in and of themselves, when they are carried out in accordance with God’s purposes and plans, they obtain meaning and they bring satisfaction and joy. What spoils these and other activities is our tendency to indulge in them to excess or in or greediness to try to get some kind of further gain or advantage for ourselves from them.
Once again, Paul reinforces these same principles in the New Testament:
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)
Notice that Paul never condemns the rich for what they have. It is only when they put their hope in that wealth, which he interestingly describes as “uncertain” (sounds a lot like “vapor” to me), that there is a problem. But when we put our hope in God, then everything that he provides for us becomes a source of enjoyment.
Instead of spending all of our time trying to figure out life, or figure out God, we just need to stay close to God and trust Him and enjoy the everyday experiences of life. When we spend all our time trying to figure it all out through our own wisdom or straighten it all out by our work, we only end up dying before we actually get around to enjoying life.
Even though we cannot master, profit from, or even fully comprehend life here on this earth, it is God’s intent that we are to enjoy it nonetheless. But in order to do that we must rejoice in what God has given to us and trust Him to use it in a manner that will bring enjoyment to us and glory to Himself. Even though life may be a vapor, it can still be enjoyed if we trust in the Giver of that life.
Perhaps all of us need to be a lot more like little children who can find joy in the simple gift of an empty cardboard box.
