He – the one who worked so hard to be wise – will die just like the one who spent no time at all gaining wisdom. There’s no way you can find meaning in anything like that. The Book of Ecclesiastes – Absurdity Pointing to Meaning. He’ll return to it in a few chapters. The word "Ecclesiastes" is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word Koheleth, or "the preacher." And so now we’re given the key. Laughter and mirth are personified, hence treated as masculine. 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. Now, he sums up all of this in Ecclesiastes 2:9. Tagged ecclesiastes 2, solomon. You don’t think it’s easy to construct buildings or build houses or arrange landscaping and food sources, do you? We’ll see a glimpse into a worldview that isn’t dominated solely with the here-and-now. Quotes available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. So, let’s read Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 to begin, where we learn that enjoyment of life is a gift from God. It’s God who allows you to eat and drink and work. Popularity relative to other verses in Ecclesiastes chapter 2 using average monthly Google searches. (i) Meaning, in this world. Ecclesiastes 1:2 The Hebrew term hebel, translated vanity or vain, refers concretely to a “mist,” “vapor,” or “mere breath,” and metaphorically to something that is fleeting or elusive (with different nuances depending on the context).It appears five times in this verse and in 29 other verses in Ecclesiastes; Ecclesiastes 1:5 Or and returns panting; Ecclesiastes 1:11 Or former people; … And then he starts drinking alcohol! And so, Qoheleth looks at that reality and he despairs. I said of laughter – “Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. Based on how we finished Ecclesiastes 1, we might think – Ah! Favoriting is a great way to keep a list of sermons, programs, and ministry resources in your account. And then he starts drinking alcohol! Then the farmer planned to tear down his current facilities and build new ones to store his extra produce. We find meaning and satisfaction and lasting achievement in him. This is also vanity. And that caused him to hate life in Ecclesiastes 2:17. Qoheleth started off on a quest for meaning in life. Or, 2. Yeah – all these things are fun. And – you know what? Again, it’s done “under the sun” – without an acknowledging of God’s role in one’s life. 19 And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Is Kohelet questioning whether people are superior to animals or not? No, it was hard painful work. He says in Ecclesiastes 2:10 that he didn’t withhold anything from his eyes. But then we have the sinner. Pleasures Are Meaningless. Buildings, food, beautiful landscaping, water, entertainment, people to serve you, sexual fulfillment, money. A worldview that values spiritual realities. No ultimate meaning. Ecclesiastes 2:2 : Ecclesiastes 2:4 >> Ecclesiastes 2:1-26. Ecclesiastes 2. Ultimately, work for work’s sake – work without an eye on God – is meaningless – because it goes to someone else ultimately. Meaningless!” says the Teacher. 17 So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind. But then look at the end of Ecclesiastes 2:14. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; ... Ecclesiastes 2:2; Ecclesiastes 2:3; Ecclesiastes 2:4; … And, now, do you remember how Qoheleth got all of his stuff? Your email address will not be published. And under those circumstances, you’ve been taught what to value in life. Ecclesiastes 3:8. The teaching given in the book and its use of numerous Aramaicisms and late … Browse Sermons on Ecclesiastes 2:2. This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Here’s the secret: God. What permanent accomplishment had he made by all of this labor? Perhaps meaning could be found in that. And we’ve been left wondering where we can find meaning in life – because we all want it. And that work contributes not to his own well-being – but to the benefit of the one who pleases God. That was Ecclesiastes 1:12-18. All this while, he enjoyed his own independent life. Solomon concluded, “I said of laughter, `It is madness’; and of mirth, `What does it accomplish?’ ”(Ecc. This ancient and fascinating document both intrigues and disturbs its readers. He gives the sinner the task of accumulating stuff just to hand it over to the one who knows God – the one who has transcended mere life under the sun. Remember the one who created you, he says, verse 2… 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: It seems that the first part of verse 2 is referring to one’s deteriorating vision as he gets older. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. It was Rehoboam. Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. However, most scholars take it as an emblem of gray hair. And really, even a generation after Solomon, a good deal of his work had been squandered by the foolishness of the one who would come after him. Solomon was the wisest man in the world, people came from all over the world to hear his … Mirth: “Thoughtful pleasure, the joy of religious festivals (Numbers 10:10, Judges 16:23), gratitude in serving the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:47), or the proclamation of a king (1 Kings 1:40).” (Eaton) i 4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; 5 I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit; 6 I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared; 7 I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem; 8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts. And yet, his wisdom remained with him. “I planted me x”. - I said of laughter, It is mad. 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