Pain With no Gain, and Joy in the Mundane

Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 In this passage Solomon turns from describing his pursuit of gain through wisdom and folly. Now he begins to explain what he learned through a deep evaluation of that pursuit. ‘What does he have to show for it?’ In other words, he’s still trying to answer, “What does man gain by all his toil under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3). Well, a sobering realization is reached when Solomon concludes that, in the ultimate sense, the wise man is no better off than the fool. “Why then was I so very wise?” is his regretful refrain. Looking back, Solomon realizes he missed out on precious opportunities to enjoy life. Why? He was too focused on trying to get more from life than life had to offer. He Failed to recognize that all we have is a gift from the hand of God. So, Solomon calls his listeners to not make the same mistake.