2 I said to myself,[a] Come, I will make you experience pleasure; enjoy what is good! But this too was pointless! 2 Merriment, I thought, is madness; pleasure, of no use at all. 3 I tried cheering myself with wine and by embracing folly—with wisdom still guiding me—until I might see what is really worth doing in the few days that human beings have under heaven.
4 I took on great projects: I built houses for myself, planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself, planting every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I made reservoirs for myself to water my lush groves. 7 I acquired male servants and female servants; I even had slaves born in my house. I also had great herds of cattle and sheep, more than any who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, the treasures of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers for myself, along with every human luxury, treasure chests galore![c] 9 So I became far greater than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Moreover, my wisdom stood by me. 10 I refrained from nothing that my eyes desired. I refused my heart no pleasure. Indeed, my heart found pleasure from the results of my hard work; that was the reward from all my hard work. 11 But when I surveyed all that my hands had done, and what I had worked so hard to achieve, I realized that it was pointless—a chasing after wind. Nothing is to be gained under the sun.
12 My reflections then turned to wisdom, madness, and folly. What can the king’s heir do but what has already been done? 13 I saw that wisdom is more beneficial than folly, as light is more beneficial than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk around in darkness.
But I also realized that the same fate happens to both of them. 15 So I thought to myself, What happens to the fool will also happen to me. So why have I been so very wise? I said to myself, This too is pointless. 16 There is no eternal memory of the wise any more than the foolish,[d] because everyone is forgotten before long. How can the wise die just like the fool? 17 So I hated life, because the things that happen under the sun were troublesome to me. Definitely, everything is pointless—just wind chasing.
Reflection
When I first read this scripture I wondered how I could write a devotion that wouldn’t leave us depressed and despairing. After further reflection it seems that this scripture has much to say to us about the times we are currently trying to navigate our way through. Some days it does seem like we are chasing after the wind, seeking meaning and fulfillment that is always just
beyond our grasp. Our culture defines success by acquiring wealth and possessions, having your name on clothing and buildings, exercising power over others, and being a social media influencer with thousands of followers hanging on your every word and action. And yet, when we’re faced with death, all of this becomes pointless.
Set in the anxious and unstable post-exilic era, Ecclesiastes tells the story of a king, possibly based on King Solomon, who seeks to find meaning in life. The King has spent his entire life acquiring all the trappings of wealth, building monuments to be remembered by and living a hedonistic life, all in the pursuit of finding meaning and fulfillment, only to realize that he will die, the same as his poor and foolish subject. All of his life’s pursuits are “pointless-just wind chasing.” At the end of his life and facing death, the King realizes too late, that the only thing that would have brought meaning and fulfillment to his life was living a life that was pleasing to God and helping others (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
by Jeneene Reduker
For Pondering and Prayer
Many of us have had times in our lives where we were seeking fulfillment for that emptiness inside that only a relationship with God can fill. We may have pursued things that harmed ourselves and others and the process. But by God’s grace, we come to understand our identity as a beloved child of God. We have been saved to new life in Jesus Christ and find meaning
and fulfillment by loving God and loving others. The fifth century Bishop, St Augustine of Hippo, in his autobiography Confessions said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” We don’t need to chase after the wind, our hearts can be at peace and find meaning and fulfillment resting in God’s love and by sharing God’s
love with others.
Are you chasing the wind, or have you found meaning and fulfillment living your life for God? What can you do to help and encourage someone today?
Prayer: Holy and Loving God, help us to live a life that is pleasing to you, and help us to encourage others who may be discouraged or struggling at this point in their lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
