Ecclesiastes 2:4

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, “I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:[5] I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:[6] I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:[7] I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:[8] I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.[9] So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.[10] And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.[11] Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” In verses 4 through 10 Solomon gives a review of many of the things that he accomplished while he was King. It is an impressive list. Human beings certainly were born into the world in order to accomplish things. After all, we are created in the image of God, and the first thing that is said about God in the Bible is: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” One of the benefits of being a Christian is that as we walk in fellowship with Christ, we know that we are involved in the work of God on this earth, and that is the most important work of all. Jesus said about His life in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.”

After doing all the work that he did, Solomon’s conclusion about his accomplishments is given at the end of Ecclesiastes 2:11, “all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Why would Solomon make such a statement after accomplishing so much? One reason is that he is looking at life from a purely humanistic standpoint without mentioning God. One of the benefits of being a Christian is that as long as we walk in fellowship with Christ, we know that all of our work is the work of the Lord. Nothing that we do is in vain. It can all be done, not for our own glory, but for the glory of Christ. And Jesus will reward us at the judgment for everything that we do in His name.

In Ecclesiastes 2:12 Solomon gave another reason that he thought that all that he accomplished was only “vanity and vexation of spirit.” He said, “And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.” Solomon was looking at it from the standpoint of other people. What do all of Solomon’s accomplishments mean in regards to other people? It means that other people, and that includes you and me, are not going to accomplish as much as he did. Solomon already showed what can be done if someone has the wisdom to get it done. Anyone that follows Solomon is only a second act, except for Jesus. Of course, Solomon’s conclusion here is based upon the concept that people are competing with each other. One of the benefits of being a Christian is that you do not need to compete with others. Jesus has given you gifts and abilities, and He wants you to use them for His glory according to your own calling. What God has for you to do is different than anyone else, and so you are not competing with anyone else. Your challenge is this: will you fulfill God’s purpose for your life or not? When Paul the apostle came to the end of his life and he knew that he survived the trials, the sorrows, and the hatred and still was following the Lord Jesus, Paul wrote in Second Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.[7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:[8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:13-16, “Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.[14] The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.[15] Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.[16] For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.” Of course, Solomon knew that there was a difference between wisdom and foolishness, just as there is a spiritual difference between light and darkness. As a matter of fact, there is a direct correlation between godliness and wisdom and between evil and foolishness. For example, it says in Psalms 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” But for Solomon, in the mood that he was in when writing the book of Ecclesiastes, he saw a certain vanity to life in the fact that whatever happened to the wise man also happened to the fool. The lives of both would fade into the distant past and probably be forgotten by future generations. Both the fool and the wise man leave this world in the same way: through death. But Christians know that God does not forget, and we also know that death is not the end, but is the beginning of our wonderful future with Jesus forever.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:17-21, “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.[18] Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.[19] And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.[20] Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.[21] For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.” Solomon brings up a very good point here, and it has to do with what is going to happen with the wealth that you have acquired after you die? If you have worked your entire lifetime, and built up something, and been rewarded for it, then you are going to want to try and put to good use what you leave behind when God takes you off this earth. One of the problems with leaving your inheritance to family members just because they are family members is that they might waste or spend foolishly what you spent a lifetime building up. Some people try to put a charity or a ministry in their will so that the name of Christ will be glorified through the final fruits of their labors. Solomon knew that in spite of his best efforts, all that he accomplished in his life might be ruined and thrown away if the wrong people came into possession of the results of his work. And that is exactly what happened to Solomon. Most of the kings who followed Solomon were foolish men. Not only was Solomon’s temple destroyed, but all of Jerusalem was destroyed too. The larger lesson is this: everything in life is temporary. It will all pass away. Therefore, make sure that your efforts count for eternity by serving the Lord Jesus Christ, and doing everything for His glory.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 2:22-26, “For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?[23] For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.[24] There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.[25] For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?[26] For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” There are many sufferings in life, and the longer that you live, you will have your share of them. If you follow Jesus, there is a certain number of sufferings that will be yours because you chose to follow Him. Since there are so many sufferings that will eventually come, all the more reason to enjoy life while you can. One thing that Solomon noticed is that the more that you sin, the more that you will suffer negative consequences because of those sins. This is a very important Biblical principle for several reasons, but also because it is the way to enjoy life. The more that you sin, the more that you will suffer as a result of your sins. That is true whether you are saved or lost. That is true because there is a holy God who watches over the affairs of all people. Talking about Jesus and the state of happiness in which He exists, Hebrews 1:9 quotes from Psalms 45:7 and says, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Without a doubt, the happiest person in the world is the most righteous person.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” If you want to understand life, this is a very important truth to understand. Timing is everything because God made it that way. To be successful with something, it is best to find the right time for it. One reason that two people meet and fall in love with each other is that God arranged for the time to be just right when the need for love would be present in both of them just at that right time. One way to know that a relationship is not of God is when it comes from only one person. It takes two to tango, and it takes God to arrange those two in a place and a time. That is why it says, “a time to every purpose under the heaven.” God has His purposes because He is God. God has His ways, and He has His time that He wants something to take place. A wise person understands this. Do not fight against that which should not be. Maybe you just need to wait for God’s time.

It says in Ecclesiastes 3:2-8, “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;[3] A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;[4] A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;[5] A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;[6] A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;[7] A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;[8] A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” When it says, “A time to be born, and a time to die,” we are given a very important statement about our existence. Many people are not prepared for death from a spiritual standpoint. It is very important to be prepared for that day. Jesus said, “What should it profit a man should he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?” Some people die young. Some people live for over a hundred years, but everyone dies. God determined the time of your birth and He will also determine the time of your death. It says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Notice that the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:3, “A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.” We know that one of the Ten Commandments says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Putting these two verses together, it is obvious that the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” means “Thou shalt not murder.” There are times in life when killing is justified, such as in war, or in self-defense, or when a policeman protects innocent citizens.

Eccelsiastes 3:4 says, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” We will all do our share of weeping in this life, but thank God there are times to laugh too. Find as much true enjoyment as you can because God made life to be enjoyed. Heaven will be full of joy without any more tears. One of the great promises of the Bible tells us about heaven and says in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” You can be part of the happy existence in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ.

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