Work & Life

Ecclesiastes 2:17-20
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. 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. 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. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 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. For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

Solomon hated life. Think about that. Here was the wealthiest man in the wealthiest country of the world at that time. Scripture says that gold and silver were as common as stones during his reign (2 Chronicles 1:15). He was also the wisest man to have ever lived. He had wealth, power and lots of women. And yet, Solomon had a problem. He hated his job. He also hated his life. One of the reasons Solomon hated his work is found in the passage above.
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. 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.

Notice why Solomon is upset. He does not want to leave his work to another man. What especially irks him is the thought of someone else ruling over his labor in which he has toiled and in which he has shown himself wise. Who is missing in this equation? Had not God, through His sovereignty, placed Solomon in line to be the king of Israel? Had not God allowed him to be chosen over his older brothers to rule? And Who gave Solomon his superior intellect and wisdom? Solomon was trying to extract from work something that work was never meant to give. Never in Scripture will we find work as a legitimate avenue to our personal glory. Glory is the sole property of God.

Scripture makes it very clear that relationship with Him is the priority, and work is designed to be an outward manifestation of that relationship (Matthew 6:33). Solomon’s priority in work was to bring glory to himself, not his Creator. He wanted everyone to see his labor and remark how well he had shown himself wise under the sun. Does this sound familiar? Our culture worships fame and fortune. We even have television shows that take us into their houses, when our gods are not home. Frustration is inevitable when we substitute work for a deep and abiding relationship with our Creator. We will fall into the same trap as Solomon; for work is to glorify God, not ourselves.

You can view an excerpt from A Father’s Stew, by Stephen Beck
For more information on this book, see Curriculum Connection Homeschool Curriculum website.
For more information about working to God's glory, see a Starting a Business website and look at past newsletters.