MAY 29
Meaninglessness of Human Pursuits
EMPTINESS OF HUMAN WISDOM. Eccl. 1:12-18
I, the Teacher, was king over
What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
I thought to myself, "Look,
I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over
For with much wisdom comes much
sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
EMPTINESS OF
PLEASURE. Eccl.2,-1-3
I thought in my heart,
"Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good."
But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," 1 said, "is
foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with
wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. 1 wanted to see
what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their
lives.
EMPTINESS OF
ACHIEVEMENT. Eccl.2:4-11
I undertook great projects: 1
built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 1 made gardens and parks and
planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of
flourishing trees. 1 bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who
were born in my house. 1 also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in
I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had
done
and what 1 had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless,
a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
EMPTINESS OF
LABOR. Eccl..2:17-26
So 1 hated life, because the
work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.
All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I
had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes
after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will
have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill
under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all
my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom,
knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not
worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man
get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?
All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest.
This too is meaningless.
A man can do nothing better than
to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, 1 see, is from
the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who
pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he
gives the task of
gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
EMPTINESS OF HUMAN CONDITION. Eccl. 4:1-3
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead,
who had already died, are happier than the living,
who are still alive. But better than both
is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
EMPTINESS OF ACCUMULATION. Eccl. 4:4-6
And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
The fool folds his hands
and ruins himself. Better one handful with tranquility
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
EMPTINESS OF UNSHARED LIVES. Eccl. 4:7-12
Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless— a miserable business!
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
EMPTINESS OF POLITICS. ecci. 4:13-16
Better a poor but wise youth than
an old but foolish king who no longer
knows how to take warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
EMPTINESS OF
FALSE WORSHIP. Eccl..5:1-7
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God. God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
EMPTINESS OF WEALTH. Eccl..5:8-20
If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.
I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.
This too is a grievous evil:
As a man comes, so he departs,
and what does he gain,
since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
EMPTINESS OF MATERIALISM. Eccl. 6:1-9
I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.
A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man—even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?
All man's efforts are for his mouth,
yet his appetite is never satisfied. What advantage has a wise man
over a fool? What does a poor man gain
by knowing how to conduct himself before others? Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.
. EMPTINESS OF
PROSPERITY. Eccl 7:13,14
Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked? When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one
as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.
EMPTINESS OF
Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"
Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.
EMPTINESS OF WICKEDNESS. Eccl..8:7-13
Since no man knows the future,
who can tell him what is to come? No man has power over the wind to contain it";
so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
EMPTINESS OF INJUSTICE. Eccl..8:14,15
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.
EMPTINESS OF STRENGTH. Eccl..9:13-18
I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.