Ecclesiastes 2:18-26
THE VANITY OF TOIL - "I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that 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 be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 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, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:18-26).
The vanity of toil is a warning Solomon gives to both guard against idleness and the practice of "living to work." While toil is not a word commonly used in our present culture, Noah Webster defines it as "to labor; to work; to exert strength with pain and fatigue of body or mind, particularly of the body, with efforts of some continuance or duration."
As providers in our homes, toil takes on greater meaning for us as men. We must first understand that Scripture declares plainly, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10b), for what man can live righteously before God with an indifferent demeanor toward responsibility and a slothful laziness which hinders productivity?
Just as we are called to be identified as Christians by our love, the diligence of our hands gives testimony to the transforming work our Lord and Savior has done in our hearts. Work is part of our DNA as humans for better or worse, because Christ's work on the cross satisfied the wrath of sin that began in the garden long before.
"For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).
From the start of creation, the fall of man has set our course of toil and labor into action.
"And to Adam he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return'" (Genesis 3:17-19).
Many balk at the notion that one singular, sinful decision cursed all mankind for all generations. It doesn't seem fair that we are born into sin and subsequently suffer the consequences Adam and Eve deserved for their disobedience, but that is our plight.
Whether we choose to accept or reject it, the truth remains that what is written in God's Word is absolute and binding. We cannot change history, but we must learn from the mistake of their original sin and live for righteousness.
What is intriguing about the original sin, considering the vanity of toil, is that provision takes center stage. Adam & Eve rejected God's provision. They failed to trust God at His Word and chose to pursue and satisfy their own fleshly desires rather than be content with all God created to provide for their needs in the garden.
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6).
Provisional discontentment is a serious issue. It begs the question: "Am I content with all God has provided me?"
PESONAL REFLECTION:
Am I content with my economic status?
Am I content with my job title, occupational responsibilities, and place of employment?
Am I content with my marriage and my choice of spouse?
Am I content with the number of children I have (or lack thereof)?
Am I content with my present physical attributes and limitations, health status, and overall physique?
Am I content with my home, mode of transportation, and material possessions?
Am I content with the amount of time I have to pursue my hobbies, passions, or extracurricular activities?
Am I content with the amount of quality time I spend each day with the Lord in prayer and Bible study?
In all these personal reflection questions, the topic of provision is interwoven in how content or discontent we are with who we are and what we have. Our hearts are magnified to the point where we examine how our call to work and labor impacts our theological view of provision.
For example, do I see my employment as God's provision of food and shelter for my family, or is my identity found in my job title, pay-scale, and other benefits? In other words, who am I living for and whose pleasure and satisfaction drive my determination and motivation for success and status? Because at the end of the day, there are always greater conquests to be discovered in the workplace and more zeroes to add to the end of our check stubs if that is what motivates us...but what master do I serve?
"No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Luke 16:13).
Moreover, provision cannot be at the expense of those we love, masked under the justification that our pursuit of financial success and security is intended to provide a better life for our loved ones. As men especially, we simply cannot make foolish assumptions that our continual absence is for their benefit and worth the cost. Too many broken homes, lonely and abandoned spouses, and children of divorced parents are evidence that money cannot buy happiness.
Some may challenge, though, that Scripture states, "But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8). That is true. Therefore, it is 100% Biblical that provision is an absolute necessity and duty for every man who identifies himself as a follower of Christ.
However, as Christian husbands and fathers, what our families need most from us is NOT to appease their affections with money so as to fill our physical void with material possessions, but to give our most prized possessions to them: Quality time, spiritual leadership, integrity, character, humility, and selfless hearts committed to obeying the Bible universally and unconditionally in our lives.
Moreover, we must guard ourselves from breaking promises that prove to be empty, making excuses for our continual absences, or even being mentally/emotionally distracted or preoccupied when we are physically present with our families.
Jesus warns, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:13), in order to drive home the reality that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Therefore, we are wise to ensure our toil is aligned with the will of God so that we have no regrets when the hour of death arrives for us or those we love.
Based on his experience, Solomon saves us from tremendous heartache and frustration with his determination that toil is vanity. He achieved worldwide acclaim for the fruit of his labor. His wealth was surpassed by no one, but he quickly realized that living to work and working to live are two completely different motivations.
Solomon immersed himself in achieving success, status and title, yet invested little time or effort in the beneficiaries of his abundance, leaving him inconsolably distraught. He lived to work and reached a level of achievement greater than any other man, only to play Russian roulette in his mind at the thought of who would receive the blessing of his inheritance (the wise or the fool). The realization that he invested in the wrong "stock-option" drove him mad, and we are the beneficiaries of the wisdom he gained as a result of his misery.
We are required by God to work, for Scripture reminds us, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). That truth completely flips the script on how Solomon viewed toil. His works were driven by the pursuit of personal achievement, but God calls us to work for His glory, not our own.
As followers of Christ, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and calls us to live for a higher purpose. Therefore, we cannot confuse our desire to attain for ourselves (living to work) at the expense of living for God (working to live).
"As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
A lesson such as this should be a wake up call for many. Our present culture places incredible emphasis on status and achievement, measuring value and personal worth monetarily rather than spiritually. But are we aware of how our hearts have been influenced by secular theology? Consider Jesus' exhortation as testimony of where we should be investing our time, energy and resources.
"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.'" (Mark 12:41-44).
The vanity of toil is not intended for us to become lazy or disheartened, but to teach us that our work is intended for a greater purpose. Therefore, we must assess the consequences of our actions to ensure we are not living selfishly for our ourselves, but that the fruits of our labor bring glory to God.
Inevitably, this should compel us to weigh what is the wise choice when a myriad of real-life situations create fork-in-the-road decisions, and evaluate them based on treasure that lasts rather than fades. For "better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it" (Proverbs 15:16). Perhaps then our identity will be found in Christ by our willingness to work in living for Him, rather than living to work for ourselves and leaving this world unsatisfied and discontent when we die.
