2: The futility of pleasure and work — Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

2I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. ² I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” ³ I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. ⁴ I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; ⁵ I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. ⁸ I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, and many concubines.

⁹ So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. ¹⁰ Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. ¹¹ Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

¹² So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the one do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. ¹³ Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

¹⁴ The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness. 

Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. ¹⁵ Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity. ¹⁶ For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? ¹⁷ So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

¹⁸ I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me ¹⁹ —and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. ²⁰ So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, ²¹ because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²² What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? ²³ For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God;
²⁵ for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? ²⁶ For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind. NRSV 

Get into the Word

1. What is the author’s first project? What is he looking for? What does he find?

2. What does the writer try next? How does he go about this search? What is he trying to find? Why?

3. What else does he do to seek his goal? How impressive would this list be in today’s world? What do you think of his accomplishments? How do you suppose others responded to the list? What does the author conclude about his wealth and accomplishments?

4. What does the author say about wisdom and foolishness? How is one better than the other? Do you agree with the writer’s assessment? Is there really any difference between them in the long run?

5. How does the author feel about the value of work? What is the biggest problem with working hard? What does a person really get from hard work? Why is this a problem for the author? How did this actually work out for Solomon [see Notes]?

6. What is the writer’s conclusion about pleasure and work? Why does he reach this decision? Do you think it worked for him?

Get Personal

Are there aspects of your life that you consider futile? Are they related more to pleasure or to work? What makes them meaningless?

2:1. I said to myself — the Hebrew is actually “I thought in my heart,” where heart refers to a person’s emotions or desires. Solomon’s father had a comment on this idea: Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God,” [Psalm 14:1].
Pleasure — the Hebrew usually means “worthwhile;” it’s translated “happiness” in verse 3.
2:3. Lay hold on folly — after concluding that pleasure was meaningless, Solomon tries wine and the resulting foolishness people experience, but he exercises some restraint (“still guiding me with wisdom”). He finds this is not really “good” either. Here is Solomon’s own comment on alcohol: wine is a mocker; strong drink is a brawler. And whoever is led astray by it is not wise, [Proverbs 20:1].
2:4-11. Check 1 Kings 10 for a picture of Solomon’s wealth and properties.
2:8. Many concubines — according to 1 Kings 11, Solomon had 300 concubines in addition to his 700 wives.
2: 11. For a better perspective on wealth and accomplishment, check the apostle, John: For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God last forever,[1 John 2:16-17].
2:13. Wisdom . . . light — the Bible uses light as a metaphor for wisdom in several places: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path, [Psalm 119:105, also check Proverbs 4:18-19 and Eph 5:8-9].

2:14. Same fate — David put it this way: When we look to the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others, [Psalm 49:10].
2:16. Forgotten — the Psalmist said, the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more, [103:16].
2:18. Leave to those who come after me — we don’t know if Solomon had heard God’s prediction about the future of Israel [1 Kings 11:11-13] when he wrote this, but it was certainly true and it turned out his son was foolish [the details are in 1 Kings 14:21-31]. His father said it this way: Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for nothing are they in turmoil; they heap it up and do not know who will gather, [Psalm 39:6].
2:24. Nothing better — Solomon repeats this conclusion several times: 3:12-13, 22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-10.
2:25. Apart from him — many years later Paul would tell the Romans, we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, [8:28].
2:26. Both Job and Solomon, himself, talked about the wealth of a sinner. Job said, Though they heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay—they may pile it up, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver, [27:16-17], and Solomon echoed: the good leave an inheritance to their children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous, [Prov 13:22].