- Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. -
Everyone, I’m a huge fan of these next three verses. I even like the formatting!
In my ESV Bible, each one is broken out into its own paragraph, emphasizing the idea contained within each sentence.
What’s this mean for us? Allow the next three verses to speak to each other; they are distinct but not meant to be read alone.
With some careful forethought, you may even be able to predict Solomon’s upcoming points.
You could also just read ahead, but that’s super lame.
Let’s get started! It may strike you strange in how much Ecclesiastes talks about our work. Doesn’t that sound like every self-help book, teaching you how to handle your job and have it all?
There’s a lot to say there. One is the concept of a “career” wasn’t around at this time, at least not in the way we conceptualize it.
Work then was associated with survival. This means growing the food your family needs. Sure, some people performed other trades, but that was the exception not the norm.
Today, we find it to be the exact opposite. We’ve gotten so good at “surviving” that the problem preoccupying us is how to survive entertained.
You’ve been fooled if you don’t think that question exists in the cubicle.
Truth is, you can survive a long time without earning a dollar in most 1st world countries. It’s a remarkable feat and true testament to our excess.
Now, humans are humans. Our foibles, flaws, and defects occur in every age, and none are new to us or surprise God.
Despite that, what might surprise us is that Solomon looked out to those working the fields for their food and saw in them what we associate with Wall Street.
Coveting.
Even owning less and being closer to a more natural lifestyle doesn’t remove our need to have what the other man does.
The interesting question at this point is what did the other man have?
Perhaps it’s simple like a second animal or more boys to work the farm. Could it be jealousy over a spouse?
The important thing to remember here is it’s directly related to effort. Solomon explains to us that man works because of envy. That means working provides the solution to obtaining his desires.
This is more than likely material goods. Shiny new tools, more animals, a new painted fence, i.e. all the trappings of success.
Why does Solomon call it vanity?
Listen, its obvious. The cows die, the plants whither, and the plot of land becomes a strip mall in enough years.
What am I saying? Everything is striving after the wind.
We know it’s worse than that. To work like this is to deny the purpose of work.
Why did the farmer grow his crops? For food. Why did he toil out of envy?
He might tell us it was to provide the best for his family. The devil’s in the details. Is that what your family needed, or did they need Dad to put down the plow and talk?
It’s easy to kid ourselves that what others have is our responsibility to give to our family, denying them all their non-material needs.
Is your family sheltered, fed, and flourishing? You have done your job as a provider.
Rest and feed their souls.
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