After Solomon had built so many wonderful edifices and acquired so much wealth and became so great, he understood that he had done so by making certain sacrifices, by depriving himself of important pleasures in life to make it all happen. Then, and only then, did he become aware that all he had done and all the personal sacrifices he made couldn’t give him lasting pleasure. In fact, everything he had would be given to another, when he, the Teacher, went to his grave. Imagine, a man who extended no labor, who made no sacrifice for things the Teacher possessed, would inherit it all! Therefore, he hated it all, his life, his accomplishments, and his great wealth (Ecclesiastes 2:17-19). Where is the justice? Where is the profit in such things? The Teacher’s whole life and all his labors and the sacrifices he made to amass his great wealth, and do all the magnificent things he had done—all of this suddenly became meaningless, a thing without honor, even something evil and despicable (Ecclesiastes 2:20-21).
Therefore, Solomon despaired of his life and his labor. With all the wisdom God had given him, the very wisdom he asked for in the beginning of his reign (1Kings 3:7-9), though he was the wisest of men, wiser that all who had come before him, and even wiser than all who would come later (1Kings 3:10-12), yet his life and his lifelong labor were meaningless. All he labored for wasn’t truly his own, because its fruit would go to another man, a man who was ignorant of its cost, ignorant of the pain and hardship that must be endured in order to do the magnificent things Solomon had done. That which should have been his would be given away to become the possession of another. Where, then, was Solomon’s profit? Where is the Teacher’s justice? Vanity of vanities, all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:21)!
Keep in mind that Solomon wasn’t speaking of the life and labor the Lord had originally given mankind (Genesis 1:26-28), a life and labor which was restored in Christ (cp. Ephesians 2:1-10; 2Corinthians 3:18). Rather, Solomon, using the wisdom God had given him, came to evaluate the life man had chosen, his life apart from God, the labor with which he was endowed by his Creator, as a result of his rebellion (Genesis 3:14-19; cp. Ecclesiastes 1:13); That labor was an exercise in futility. Therefore, Solomon asked, if my life is meaningless and my labor a pitiful exercise to possess the wind, what is man’s lot? What’s in it for me? Considering all the labor with its painful endurance, is there anything at all that is truly mine, that I can call my own and wouldn’t be left for someone else to possess (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)?
At the end of the day, the Teacher was left with one thought, a single jewel that was his own. He understood that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his life and the things he possesses and to take satisfaction in the labor he extended to satisfy the longings of his heart (Ecclesiastes 2:24). Nevertheless, even this isn’t a certain matter, because the Lord rules, and he has the final say in it all, because the inherent character of his creation is that it would image him (Genesis 1:26-28). Therefore, in so far as man is obedient to this purpose, he will be able to derive some joy and satisfaction out of his life and labor, and that is his reward from God. It is the one who is approved by him, who is given wisdom, knowledge and satisfaction in this life. And, who was better able to enjoy life more than the Teacher? Who could be better equipped (Ecclesiastes 2:25-26a)? The sinner, on the other hand, the rebel who will not have God in his life, that one is given the task of using his life to accumulate good things that would ultimately be given away to the righteous, or, in the words of the text, those who are approved or good in the Lord’s sight. Nevertheless, in the end and with all things considered, a man’s life and the labor he works therein are meaningless; vanity of vanities; all is vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:26b)!
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