Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

b. The legacy of one's labor is often lost to fools when one dies. Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

TEXT 2:18-23

18

Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.

20

Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

21

When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.

22

For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?

23

Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 2:18-23

52.

Why did Solomon hate the fruit of his labor (Ecclesiastes 2:18-20)?

53.

What three tools did Solomon use to accumulate his legacy?

54.

State the qualifying phrase found in verse twenty and twenty-two that proves Solomon's labor had no eternal value.

55.

Find the verse in this passage that corresponds with the basic question asked in Ecclesiastes 1:3.

56.

What keeps men from restful sleep (Ecclesiastes 2:23)?

PARAPHRASE 2:18-23

I labored and achieved more than any man who had been before me. Yet, I hated my achievements because now I must leave them to some man who will follow me. The basic tragedy is that I have no knowledge of the one who shall follow me. He could be a wise man, or he could be a fool. I have collected everything through wisdom, and now who ever follows me will have complete control over my fortune. What fleeting satisfaction! What vanity! Therefore, I turned my heart aside to despair as I thought of all the works I had accomplished, and the great fortune I had accumulated upon the earth. Why do I despair? I labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and now I must give this legacy to one who had not labored in this manner. This is not only futility it is a great evil. I ask again, What profit does man have in all his toil and stress as he struggles upon the earth in the few days of his short life? For all his days he labors at his task accompanied by pain and grief. Even at night he remembers the vexation of his work and his mind has no rest. This too is vanity.

COMMENT 2:18-23

The Preacher turned toward the past and surveyed the fruit of his life-long endeavor. He had amassed a fortune and collected riches beyond his highest expectations. However, as he contemplated the future and the one who would inherit all that he had gathered together, he grew bitter and cynical. He could designate the next king, but the people would not likely listen to the advice of an old and foolish king. He might dream of the kingdom remaining united but in his heart he realized it was but a dream. He would have little control over these matters. What if the one who follows him is a fool? He had acquired the greatness of his kingdom through wisdom, knowledge and skill. He now senses that it could slip into the hands of one who exercises little of these attributes and thus he will inherit wealth and power which he neither deserves nor can properly handle. His conclusion is that he thus hated life. There are no forthcoming answers which satisfy him. He carries his burden into his bedchamber and is thus robbed of sleep (Ecclesiastes 2:23).

Did Solomon have cause to worry? One has sufficient evidence to recite the history of Israel following Solomon's death, and he discovers not one but two men who ascended to his throne. The kingdom did divide. In Solomon's closing years, his foreign wives turned away his heart from the Lord (1 Kings 11:1-8). The author of Chronicles is silent on his closing years, but in I Kings we read that he loved many foreign women (1 Kings 11:1). Solomon also had many adversaries. Among them were Hadad the Edomite and Rezon of Damascus (1 Kings 11:9-25). However, the most dangerous of his foes had to be Jeroboam. Jeroboam had been appointed to a prominent position in Solomon's kingdom. In addition to his own personal designs on the throne, he had the encouragement of the prophet Ahijah. The aggression and zeal of Jeroboam were manifested throughout the kingdom, and when Solomon suspected him he fled to Egypt for his life (1 Kings 11:26-40). It is thought by some that the lad who comes out of prison to take the place of the king (Ecclesiastes 4:14) is a direct reference to Jeroboam. It is true that upon Solomon's death, Jeroboam did return from Egypt to assume the leadership of the ten tribes. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, was proclaimed king in Jerusalem.

Perhaps there is a prophetic sense in which the words of Solomon predict the historical situation of his day. However, this interpretation is not vital to understanding the message of the book. One may readily see that Solomon's despair is based on two entirely different premises: (1) he will not be remembered for all his great works, and (2) he is uncertain who will inherit his fortune. It could easily be a person who has little regard for wisdom and much regard for silliness and jest.

Either way, Solomon will lose control over all the fruit of his labor. This is the inevitable result of laboring under the sun. How different is the picture for the Christian who one day shall rest from his labor with the sweet peace that his works will follow after him (Revelation 14:13)!

The legacy is of major consequences to the one who has acquired it because he applied wisdom, knowledge, and skill in the task of gathering and collecting. The term skill may also be translated efficiency which suggests hours of toiling and perfecting of trades. He is not like the one who came upon his fortune through happenstance or chance. Solomon has designed and labored toward such an end. He has placed his whole heart in his work. His fortune represents an entire lifetime of tireless effort and toil. Some of the magnitude of his despair is sharpened by his question concerning profit. He asks, For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun (Ecclesiastes 2:22)? His answer: He gets nothing! Thus he declares, I hated all the fruit of my labor. In addition he says, I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor. He places a label on the fruit of his labor. It reads: This too is vanity and a great evil.