Wisdom, Pleasure, and Labor Cannot Give Lasting Gain

1:12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 1:13 I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied. 1:14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile – like chasing the wind! 1:15 What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied. 1:16 I thought to myself, “I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.” 1:17 So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind! 1:18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache. 2:1 I thought to myself, “Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is futile. 2:2 I said of partying, “It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure, “It accomplishes nothing!” 2:3 I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine (all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives. 2:4 I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. 2:5 I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 2:6 I constructed pools of water for myself, to irrigate my grove of flourishing trees. 2:7 I purchased male and female slaves, and I owned slaves who were born in my house; I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks – than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem. 2:8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight – a harem of beautiful concubines! 2:9 So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity: 2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort. 2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless – like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.” Wisdom is Better than Folly 2:12 Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done? 2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to darkness: 2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both. 2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself, “The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!” 2:16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies – just like the fool! 2:17 So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile – like chasing the wind. 2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor. 2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile! 2:20 So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth. 2:21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice! 2:22 What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth? 2:23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile! Enjoy Work and its Benefits 2:24 There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. 2:25 For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him. 2:26 For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth – only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile – like chasing the wind!

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Qoheleth tests wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and work. He finds that none of them can secure lasting profit or defeat death. Yet he also says that simple enjoyment of food, drink, and work is a gift from God.

Qoheleth speaks as a king in Jerusalem with great access and power. He examines life carefully. He tests wisdom first. He finds that wisdom is better than foolishness, but it cannot fix what is broken in the world. It also brings sorrow, because greater knowledge can bring greater pain.

Then he tests pleasure. He tries self-indulgence, wine, building projects, gardens, wealth, servants, singers, and concubines. He gives himself everything he wants. Yet the result is still empty. These things bring temporary joy, but they cannot give lasting meaning.

He then compares wisdom and folly again. Wisdom is still better, like light is better than darkness. But both the wise man and the fool die. Both are soon forgotten. Death levels them both. Even wise labor can end in grief, because a man must leave his work to someone else, and that person may be wise or foolish.

At the end, Qoheleth gives a limited answer. There is nothing better than to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in work. But this enjoyment is not man-made. It comes from God. The sinner may gather wealth, but God can give it to someone else. So human effort is unstable, but God gives true enjoyment to those who please him.

• Human wisdom is real and better than folly, but it cannot remove the limits of life.
• Greater wisdom can bring greater grief because it sees more clearly how broken life is.
• Pleasure, wealth, building, and luxury cannot give lasting meaning.
• Death comes to both the wise and the fool.
• A person’s labor can be handed to someone else who did not work for it.
• Enjoyment of food, drink, and work is a gift from God.
• God rules over wisdom, joy, and the outcome of human labor.
• The sinner’s hoarding is futile, and God can give the fruit of labor to one who pleases him.

• Do not trust wisdom, pleasure, wealth, or achievement to give ultimate gain.
• Do not build your life on legacy, control, or accumulation.
• Receive daily food, drink, and work with gratitude as God’s gift.
• Remember that death and loss limit every human project.
• Fear the futility of self-sufficient living and turn to God for true joy.

This passage fits the wisdom books and the life of Israel under the covenant. It shows the burden of life in a fallen world, much like Genesis 3. It also prepares the way for later Scripture, which teaches that riches cannot save and that true gain comes from God, not from self-exaltation. In the full Bible, the deeper answer to death and loss comes through God’s later saving work.

Work hard, but do not make work your god. Enjoy good gifts, but do not chase pleasure as your hope. Be humble about what you can control. Be thankful for daily food, drink, and honest labor. Hold possessions loosely, because they can be lost or handed to another. Seek joy from God, not from self-made success.

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