From my devotional ‘Daily Wisdom for Women’ by Carol Fitzpatrick
“At the end of his life, King Solomon, who is thought to be the writer of Ecclesiastes, concludes that the things of earth are but fleeting. Perhaps you too are prone to reflect on the tasks which occupy your days, concluding that nothing gets accomplished. From the very beginning my husband and I decided that I would stay home with the kids and he’d work to support us. We have always managed to own a home in a nice neighborhood , send our kids to good schools , and afford at least a summer ‘camping vacation’. At times I’d lust after the sumptuous decor of a neighbor’s home or envy those in the two-story homes in the adjacent tract. But we stayed put. Years later, I finally appreciated that ‘low mortgage’ when we were able to refinance and send three kids to college. As we go through Ecclesiastes, Solomon repeatedly uses two key word pictures, ‘meaningless’ and ‘under the sun’. As king over Israel he had seen ‘all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind…Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing pain’. (Ecclesiastes 1:14,18). Solomon had experienced the best the world has to offer…and it wasn’t enough.”
What do people get for all their hard work? Generations come and go, but nothing really changes. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea. Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. Ecclesiastes 1:3-8
Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what is the advantage of wealth–except perhaps to watch it run through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich are always worrying and seldom get a good night’s sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen in the world. Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. People who live only for wealth come to the end of their lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day they were born. Ecclesiastes 5:10-15
