Ecclesiastes 2:7-11

Chasing After the Wind

2:7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house.

I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.

I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man.

9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my work,

and this was the reward for all my labor.

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind

nothing was gained under the sun.

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way we think, and the way we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

Are we all just "chasing after the wind"?

This passage by Solomon brings a song to mind. I will quote a few lines below if I can remember them.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan

"How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind."

All the material things on which we spend our time, our money, and our priorities will one day be meaningless to us. We live in a world where our jobs, what we do for a living, is the way we are judged by our fellow (wo)man.

Having Everything but Happiness

Solomon had just about everything on earth one person could possibly want and money could buy but he was not satisfied. If we work our entire lives most of us cannot fathom having a minute fraction of the riches of Solomon. So, if the good king couldn't find happiness being the richest man in the world (think about Howard Hughes) then what chance do we have of "buying" joy?

God gives real meaning and real joy

To find true meaning in life, we absolutely must turn to God. Even though we are not wealthy in the same sense as Solomon, we can be rich in the love God offers us freely through His son, Jesus Christ.

We can "live abundantly" which has nothing to do with worldly riches but has to do with God's promise of everlasting life. Wealth and position in this life is fleeting but God is eternal. Which would you rather have?

Love in Christ

- Bob

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 - A Meaningless Life