Ecclesiastes 1:13

An Unhappy Business

- And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. -

Photo by Skitterphoto from Pexels

If we treat this as a second introduction to the book, then what we are being introduced to is Solomon’s method of how he proved his thesis: all is vanity.

It’s not clear why Solomon begins his journey in verse 13. Was he trying to prove what he already believed? Did he think there was some meaning out there and wanted to find it? Had his failed marriages and broken kingdom made him desperate to find something good?

You’re welcome to come up with your own theory.

Now, we need to be careful with the language in this verse. It’s tricky!

Solomon is exploring all that is done under heaven to find anything that isn’t vain. He wants to know everything that man has available to him in this life.

He applies some part of his psyche to begin this search and the word to describe it appears in your translation as heart, mind, or myself.

The actual word here is more complicated than any of those. It means something akin to the whole inner man containing the will, intellect, and feelings.

So, this whole inner man is dedicated to this search, and what is the walking stick it is bringing along for the journey? Wisdom.

This isn’t the right time to fully explore this topic, but isn’t it interesting he doesn’t use knowledge? Imagine a scientist going on this journey. Wouldn’t he use his knowledge to gain more knowledge?

Tuck that away and meditate on it.

He believes this journey is almost a curse from God. It’s a prattling question that can’t be solved; one that we return to repeatedly.

We can’t rest while it remains unanswered.

Now, what’s also strange is the phrase unhappy business. Depending on your translation, this too can read a myriad of ways including heavy burden, sore travail, burdensome task, or tragic existence.

So, I hear you, what do these words really mean? Well, the adjective is something like bad, unpleasant, and resulting in pain while the noun refers to a task or occupation.

The easiest way to think of it? This is a task by God that is sure to cause you misery.

Can I get an Amen?

Okay that’s all the pieces; let’s put them all together.

Solomon used his inner man guided by wisdom to understand all that is done on the earth to find if anything wasn’t vanity. He believed that this was a truly misery inducing task given to all mankind to keep them busy.

I think this best translates to our modern desire to understand the point of our existence, the “Why are we here?” question.

Now, what are the takeaways?

Well, in some manner of speaking how do you answer this question? Of course, Solomon has more to say on this topic, but what’s your answer?

Do you live it out? What’s the difference between belief and action?

Second, what in your life is so critical that it engages your whole inner self in a mission directed by Wisdom?

It’s strange, that question sounds decidedly ancient.

But I believe, our inability to live it out in this modern time eats at our souls every day.