“I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.”
And behold, it too was futility.
I said of laughter, “It is senseless,” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

“I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine
while my mind was guiding me wisely,
and how to take hold of folly,
until I could see what good there is for the sons of mankind
to do under heaven for the few years of their lives.”

“I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself,
I planted vineyards for myself;
I made gardens and parks for myself
and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.”

“I made ponds of water for myself
from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees.
I bought male and female slaves,
and I had slaves born at home.”

“I also possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.
I collected for myself silver and gold,
and the treasure of kings and provinces.”

“I provided for myself male and female singers
and the pleasures of the sons of mankind—many concubines.”

“Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.
My wisdom also stood by me.
All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them.
I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure,”

“For my heart was pleased because of all my labor,
and this was my reward for all my labor.
So I considered all my activities which my hands had done
and the labor which I had exerted,
and behold all was futility and striving after wind
and there was no benefit under the sun.”

The Weariness of Wisdom

“So I turned to consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness.”

“Then I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness
as light surpasses darkness.
The wise person’s eyes are in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.”

“Yet I knew that the same fate happens to both of them.
Then I said to myself,
“As is the fate of the fool,
it will also happen to me.
Why then have I been extremely wise?”

“So I said to myself,
“This too is futility.”
For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise
along with the fool,
since in the coming days everything will soon be forgotten.
And how the wise and the fool alike die!”

The Despair of Work

“So I hated life,
for the work which had been done under the sun was unhappy to me
because everything is futility and striving after wind.”

“So I hated all the fruit of my labor
for which I had labored under the sun,
because I must leave it to the person who will come after me.
And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?”

“This too is futility.
So I turned aside and my heart was desperate
in despair over all the fruit of my labor.”

“For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving
with which he labors under the sun?
Because all his days his work is painful and irritating;
even at night his mind does not rest.
This too is futility.”

A Glimpse of Grace

“There is nothing better for a person
than to eat and drink
and let his soul enjoy good in his labor.
This also I have seen
that it is from the hand of God.”

“For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
For to a person who is good in His sight,
He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy,
while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting
so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight.”

“This too is vanity and striving after wind.”

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Context and Meaning

Ecclesiastes 2 is Solomon at full honesty.
He runs the ultimate human experiment:

“Can anything under the sun satisfy the human heart?”

So he tests:

• Pleasure
• Wine
• Entertainment
• Projects
• Comfort
• Wealth
• Sex
• Fame
• Wisdom
• Achievement
• Legacy

And his verdict thunders through the chapter:

“All was vanity and striving after wind.”

Why?

Because:

• Pleasure cannot quiet the soul.
• Wisdom cannot stop death.
• Work cannot prevent loss.
• Wealth cannot guarantee legacy.
• Achievement cannot prevent being forgotten.
• The human heart is too deep for earthly things to fill.

Yet — just before the chapter closes — a shaft of sunlight cuts through the clouds:

Joy is possible, but only as a gift from the hand of God.

Life under the sun cannot give meaning.
But the God above the sun can.

Key Themes:

1. Pleasure Cannot Satisfy: It wears thin quickly (v. 1–3).
2. Achievement Cannot Secure Meaning: Accomplishments fade (v. 4–11).
3. Wisdom Is Better Than Folly — But Cannot Stop Death: Both end the same way (v. 12–17).
4. Work Produces Anxiety and Uncertainty: You cannot control who comes after you (v. 18–23).
5. Joy Is a Gift, Not an Achievement: Only God gives true enjoyment (v. 24–26).

Reflection and Impact

Ecclesiastes 2 exposes the lie every generation believes:

“If I could just have ______, then I’d be happy.”

Solomon had everything.
And he still felt the ache.

This chapter exposes idols:

• pleasure → temporary
• success → empty
• wisdom → limited
• work → exhausting
• legacy → uncertain
• wealth → unstable

It echoes the gospel truth:

• Only God gives joy – (v. 25) matches Psalm 16:11.
• Human labor is cursed – (v. 23) aligns with Genesis 3:17–19.
• Death comes to all – (v. 16) echoes Hebrews 9:27.
• Earthly treasure fades – connects with Matthew 6:19–21.
• Wisdom without God brings sorrow – parallels 1 Corinthians 1:20.

Application

• Stop Believing Earth Can Do Heaven’s Job: Pleasure cannot save your soul.
• Hold Earthly Things Loosely: You can’t keep them; you can’t control them.
• Receive Life as a Gift: Joy is not earned — it is given.
• See Work Through God’s Eyes: Without Him, labor is pain; with Him, labor is worship.
• Let Disillusionment Lead You to Christ: Only He can give rest (Matthew 11:28).
• Reject the Illusion of Control: You do not determine your legacy — God does.

Closing Thought

Ecclesiastes 2 is not meant to depress you — it is meant to deliver you.

It frees you from the burden of trying to wring eternal meaning out of temporary things.
It breaks the chains of idolatry with the hammer of truth.

“All is vanity under the sun… but joy is from the hand of God.”