Ecclesiastes 2:17-26: a reflection

17So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind. 18I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. 19Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun. 21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun? 23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. 24There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. 25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? 26For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

After despairing over the futility of toil, that we labor only to leave it all to another, the Preacher turns to a quieter truth: the ability to enjoy our work and its good is itself a gift from the hand of God. There is nothing better for a man, he says, than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. The Preacher had grieved that all his labor must be left to whoever comes after him, that we cannot finally hold onto or take with us what we work for. But he sees that there is a good to be had: not in grasping or keeping, but in the enjoyment of our work and its fruits along the way, and this enjoyment is a gift from God's hand, not something we can wrest for ourselves by toil. This shows that the ability to enjoy our work and its good is a gift from God's hand. The ability to enjoy your work and its good is a gift from God's hand. Enjoyment is received from God, not grasped by toil. Receive the good of your labor as a gift, rather than only laboring to accumulate. God gives the ability to enjoy, which no amount of toil can secure.

Notice the turn the Preacher makes. He had been despairing: all his labor was grievous to him, because he must leave it to another, who might be wise or foolish, and who had not worked for it. What, then, does a person gain from all his toil and striving? By grasping and accumulating, finally nothing that lasts, for it must all be left behind. But then the Preacher sees a different good, not in the grasping but in the enjoying: there is nothing better than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in one's labor; and, he adds, this too is from the hand of God. The ability to enjoy our work and its good is not something we can secure by more toil or grasping; it is a gift God gives. This holds a wisdom about work and enjoyment. We can labor and strive to accumulate, to grasp and hold and secure, and find, as the Preacher did, that this leads to a kind of despair, since we cannot finally keep what we gain. But there is a good to be received: the enjoyment of our work and its fruits along the way, received as a gift from God's hand. This enjoyment is not wrested from life by toil, but given by God; and it turns our labor from a grasping after wind into a receiving of good from his hand. We do well to receive the good of our labor, and the ability to enjoy it, as a gift from God, rather than only toiling to accumulate what we cannot keep. Receive the good of your labor and the ability to enjoy it as a gift from God. Do not only toil to accumulate what you cannot finally keep. Enjoyment of your work is given by God, not grasped by more toil. Let your labor be a receiving of good from God's hand, not a grasping after wind.

That is worth taking to heart, for the ability to enjoy our work and its good is a gift from God's hand, and we do well to receive it, rather than only toiling to accumulate, as the Preacher saw. We can labor and grasp to accumulate and secure, and despair that we must leave it all behind; but the Preacher saw that the enjoyment of our work is a gift from God's hand. Receive it. Do not only toil to accumulate what you cannot keep; receive the good of your labor, and the ability to enjoy it, as a gift from God's hand. Receive the good of your labor and the ability to enjoy it as a gift from God's hand, rather than only toiling to accumulate what you cannot finally keep, as after despairing over the futility of toil, that we labor only to leave it all to another, the Preacher turned to a quieter truth, that there is nothing better than to eat and drink and make one's soul enjoy good in one's labor, and this too is from the hand of God; for the Preacher had grieved that all his labor must be left to whoever comes after him and that we cannot finally hold onto or take with us what we work for, but he sees that there is a good to be had, not in grasping or keeping but in the enjoyment of our work and its fruits along the way, and this enjoyment is a gift from God's hand and not something we can wrest for ourselves by toil, which holds a wisdom about work and enjoyment, since we can labor and strive to accumulate and grasp and hold and secure and find as the Preacher did that this leads to a kind of despair since we cannot keep what we gain, but there is a good to be received, the enjoyment of our work and its fruits along the way received as a gift from God's hand, an enjoyment not wrested from life by toil but given by God that turns our labor from a grasping after wind into a receiving of good from his hand, so that we do well to receive the good of our labor and the ability to enjoy it as a gift from God rather than only toiling to accumulate what we cannot keep.

Lord, after despairing over the futility of toil, that we labor only to leave it all to another, the Preacher turns to a quieter truth: the ability to enjoy our work and its good is itself a gift from your hand. There is nothing better for a man, he says, than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. The Preacher had grieved that all his labor must be left to whoever comes after him, that we cannot finally hold onto or take with us what we work for. But he sees that there is a good to be had: not in grasping or keeping, but in the enjoyment of our work and its fruits along the way, and this enjoyment is a gift from your hand, not something we can wrest for ourselves by toil. Show me the turn the Preacher makes. He had been despairing: all his labor was grievous to him, because he must leave it to another who had not worked for it. What, then, does a person gain from all his toil? By grasping and accumulating, finally nothing that lasts, for it must all be left behind. But then he sees a different good, not in the grasping but in the enjoying: there is nothing better than to find enjoyment in one's labor; and this too is from your hand. The ability to enjoy my work and its good is not something I can secure by more toil; it is a gift you give. This holds a wisdom about work and enjoyment. I can labor and strive to accumulate, to grasp and hold and secure, and find that this leads to a kind of despair, since I cannot finally keep what I gain. But there is a good to be received: the enjoyment of my work and its fruits along the way, received as a gift from your hand. Take that to my heart. Keep me from only toiling to accumulate what I cannot keep; help me receive the good of my labor, and the ability to enjoy it, as a gift from your hand, Lord, letting my labor be a receiving of good from you rather than a grasping after wind.