Vanity of the Toils (Ecc 2:18- 23)

VANITY OF THE TOILS (Ecc 2:18- 23):

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes couldn’t find meaning and purpose in any of the things around him in the world. Already he asked rhetorically while he starts the book that what does the man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun. Again the author continues his self-reflection after experiencing all the power, position and pleasure. He says that he hated all his toil which he had done under the sun because he had realized that he had to leave everything he toiled to the man who will come after him in the future generation. And also the author couldn’t be sure whether the person who will come after him will be wise or fool and he expresses it through a question. The author also knew that whatever the kind of person might be his follower, he will be a master of all for which the author had toiled using his wisdom under the sun. The person succeeding efficient and recognized person will enjoy all the privileges because of the impact of the efficient person who had used all his wisdom, which seemed to be the vanity in the eyes of the author.

When the author looked at how his efforts are going to an uncertain person who may continue with the good wisdom or may spoil with foolishness. He turned to himself and gave his heart up to despair over all the toil of his labors under the sun. The author is very perplexed and worried because there are people who sometimes toil very genuinely and justly with all their wisdom, knowledge and skill they had got, through much hard work, but anyway they had to leave all of their toils to be enjoyed by someone else who hadn’t toiled for it, when they need to face the destination. The author sees it as vanity and a great evil because there is no definite purpose and long-lasting reward for the toils of a person in this earth, under the sun.  

The author asks rhetorically, what do a man have from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun. The desires of the heart has its own limitations and the desire will not exist once it is fulfilled and also there are certain desires and strivings which could be never satisfied unless it is tamed.  The author sees that there are certain people who are very sincere and never rest in the night throughout their days of life, they make their lives sorrowful through their travail that causes grief. Also those people do it without knowing that they have to leave everything to another person and couldn’t take the benefits of their toil along with them in their destination and some of them pursue it without a direction and purpose restlessly, which is also vanity.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What does the author hate? Why?

2.    What kind of person will be successor after him? How he will be?

3.    What was author’s reaction when he foresees his successor being master of all his toils? Why?

4.    How a person succeeding a wise person enjoys everything?

5.    What a man has from all his toils?

6.    What does a man have following the striving of his heart?

7.    How does a man who is sincere and passionate, toils? Why?

8.    What are the characteristics of the passionate person?

9.    Why does the author see the toils as meaningless, as a whole?

10.    How can we really make our toils meaningful and purposeful?