What does "all the labor and striving" reveal about human pursuits? Context of the Passage Ecclesiastes 2:22: “For what does a man get for all his toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?” Meaning of “all the labor and striving” • The Hebrew words paint a picture of relentless, back-breaking work paired with anxious mental effort. • Solomon lumps every career ambition, project, and late-night brainstorm into one exhausting package. • He places the whole bundle “under the sun,” stressing a viewpoint limited to earthly horizons. What It Reveals about Human Pursuits • Limited payoff – Tangible returns are short-lived: “All go to one place; all come from dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). • Inner restlessness – Endless activity cannot quiet the soul: “Moreover, all his days his work is filled with pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest” (Ecclesiastes 2:23). • Competitive undercurrent – Effort often springs from comparison: “I saw that all labor and all success spring from man’s envy of his neighbor” (Ecclesiastes 4:4). • Disconnected from God, it is vanity – Without divine purpose, the treadmill leads nowhere: “Vanity of vanities… all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). How Scripture Re-orients Our Work • Dependence on the Lord – “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). • Eternal investment – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). • Gospel profit – “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). • Work that lasts – “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast… always abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Living the Truth Today • View every task as stewardship, not ownership. • Measure success by faithfulness to God’s call, not by visible results. • Schedule regular rest, confessing that outcomes rest in God’s hands. • Redirect ambition toward kingdom purposes—serving people, spreading the gospel, reflecting Christ’s character. |
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