(“The Ability To Enjoy Life Is God’s Gift”)

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 (NASU)

24“There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. 25For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25)

(A) HOW’S THAT AGAIN?!

(1) There is a rhythmic refrain in the first forty-one verses of the Book of Ecclesiastes (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:23) – a recurring theme and/or pattern (if you will) that has become familiar to our ears. It’s initially found in the book’s second and third verses, where Solomon exclaims: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:2b) – and then goes on to ask: “What advantage does (a) man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:3).

These two verses introduce us to Solomon’s inspired thesis – namely, that (in the long run) all the things men and women pour so much of their time and effort into often turn out to be worthless and/or of no lasting value¹ – especially when it comes to eternity, and/or eternal life – and/or to their relationship with the God through Jesus Christ (c.f. Luke 12:20).

(2) Solomon is speaking primarily of the “natural man” (c.f. I Corinthians 2:14) – the unsaved man – the man who lives his life “under the sun” (to use one of the king’s favorite phrases) (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:3, 14; 2:11, 17-18). In other words, he’s speaking of the man who lives life with little or no regard for “God” and/or “His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13) – who is focused on himself, even when he’s doing something that benefits others – who is searching for fulfillment, contentment, and/or lasting happiness in the things this world has to offer.

(3) I would like to be able to tell you God’s people never fall into this trap – that you and I are immune to the lure of finding long-lasting fulfillment, and/or even temporary happiness in the things of the world, instead of Christ (c.f. Colossians 3:17). I would like to be able to say that every Christian knows they can’t find real joy or long-lasting contentment in satisfy their own wants and desires first (c.f. Matthew 6:33), as opposed to striving to glorify God first (c.f. I Corinthians 10:31)!

Unfortunately, that’s not even close to being the case. Hence, Solomon’s warnings about the ultimate futility of human wisdom (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:12-18) – and of trying to find lasting happiness in pleasures, like laughter, wine and sex, that were designed to be temporary at best (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:1-8) – his warnings about the ultimate futility of devoting one’s life to accumulating as much as possible (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:4-7) – and most recently, his warnings about the futility of working all our life to build something of value “under the sun”, only to have death force us to relinquish it to someone else who may turn out to be a fool (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:18-21) – all the warnings about how these things are ultimately nothing more than “vanity and striving after wind” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:1, 11, 17, 19, 21, 23), are as much for us Christians as they are for those who are still lost in their sins! Indeed, we’re the ones whose ears are supposed to be open – which means we’re the ones who are supposed to be able to hear and understand what God the Holy Spirit is saying through Solomon!

(4) The rhythm established early on in Ecclesiastes is suddenly and noticeably interrupted in tonight’s text.

(a) For most of two chapters, Solomon has been asking the same question – “what advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:3) – “what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives(?)” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:3b) – “what does a man get (for) all his labor and (all) his striving with which he labors under the sun?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:22).

And for the better part of two chapters (with one possible exception), Solomon has been giving us the same answer – “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 1:14) – “I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:11) – “the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:17) – “I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:20).

(b) Now suddenly, after all this talk about “vanity and futility and striving after wind”, Solomon seems to change his mind, saying in tonight’s text that, “there is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good …” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24a).

In fairness, Solomon did say earlier in chapter two that he had gained some degree of pleasure from “his labor” – and that this was his “reward” for all the work he had done (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:10b). But he also gave us the distinct impression any pleasure he derived from his efforts didn’t last long – that the prospect of death, for example, quickly erased it – and/or having to leave the fruit of his labor to someone else made it all seem meaningless in the end!

(c) So which is it? Is all our labor “under the sun” ultimately “futile”, or is it “good”? Does our work on earth amount to nothing more than “vanity and striving after wind”, or is it “better” than that (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24a)? Should we “hate the fruit of our labor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:18a), or “tell ourselves our labor is good” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24a)?

(d) I think Solomon’s answer would be, “Yes”. I think he would say, “Both are true”. Our job tonight is to see if we can figure out why.

(B) TEMPORAL BLESSINGS COME FROM GOD, SO ENJOY THEM WHILE YOU CAN

(1) We begin, then, with the fact that Solomon tells us God is sovereign over every facet of our lives.

(a) I know – you’ve heard me preach on this subject a lot lately – particularly about how God is sovereign over all the nations of the earth, right down to “their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (c.f. Acts 17:26) – and how He’s sovereign over salvation, so that Scripture says as Paul preached the Gospel: “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (c.f. Acts 13:48b).

(b) So, having recently devoted two morning messages to the attribute of God’s sovereignty, I will not elaborate on it tonight – except to draw your attention to the fact Solomon indicates God is sovereign over man’s ability to enjoy life – saying in verse twenty-four that to “eat and drink and tell (ourselves) … (our) labor is good” is a gift of His grace, or as Solomon put it, “This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24) – while in verse twenty-five he asks rhetorically: “who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:25).

(c) While we’re on the subject, we should note God’s sovereignty is also on display in verse twenty-six, where Solomon says He’s the One who gives men “wisdom and knowledge and joy” – and, that He often overrides the benefits of sinful men’s labor so that what they worked so hard to accumulate ends up in the hands of His redeemed people. In other words, sometimes God sovereignly redistributes men’s wealth – thereby causing the labor of the unsaved to become “vanity and striving after wind” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:26), at least so far as their receiving any lasting profit from it is concerned.

An example of this can be found in Moses’ words to the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Land of Promise, where he said, in part: “the Lord your God (is) giv(ing) you great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant” (c.f. Deuteronomy 6:10-11).² Hence, the psalmist said: “(God) gave (His people) … the lands of the nations, that they might take possession of the fruit of (other) peoples’ labor” (c.f. Psalm 105:44).

(2) Because God is sovereign, everything we have in life comes from Him, including the ability to enjoy what He has given us.

(a) Regarding the fact God gives us everything we have, Scripture says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father …” (c.f. James 1:17a, NIV) – and again: “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven” (c.f. John 3:27, NIV) – and once more, this time in the form of rhetorical question: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (c.f. I Corinthians 4:7b), that is, “what do you have that you did not receive from the Lord?”

(b) Nor are God’s physical and/or material gifts reserved solely for His redeemed people – for the Scripture also says: “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (c.f. Matthew 5:45b) – and again: “The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (c.f. Psalm 145:9) – even the command to love our enemies and do good to them is based on the fact that God is “kind to ungrateful and evil men” (c.f. Luke 6:35).

(c) These are things I suspect most of us already know. What we may not have thought about, however, is that the ability to enjoy the fruit of our labor, and/or even life’s simple pleasures, is also a gift from God. Hence, the Bible says: “God … richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (c.f. I Timothy 6:17b) … and again: “He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (c.f. Acts 14:17b).

(d) Solomon has given us several reasons why we can’t find PERMANENT happiness or LASTING contentment in the fruit of our labor, or even in the basic pleasures of life like eating and drinking. For one thing, they weren’t made for that purpose – hence, to try and get more from them then they were created to give is “vanity and striving after wind”.

Contentment and happiness are found in “fear(ing) God and keep(ing) His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13). But that’s not where the natural man looks for them – and even when it appears he may be doing so, apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (c.f. John 3:3-8), it will always be on his terms rather than God’s – which means his search will ultimately end up being “futile and striving after wind”!

That’s why some people say, “I tried Christianity once, and it didn’t work.” One reason it “didn’t work” is because they “tried to use it” the same way they’ve “tried to use” everything else – i.e. “so they can spend it on their own pleasures”, to paraphrase a verse from the Book of James (c.f. James 4:3). Hence, God, and Christ, and church, and the Christian faith are nothing more than tools to try and get what they want (whatever that might be).

(3) Moving on, it might appear to some that when Solomon said: “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself … his labor is good” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24a), he was adding his voice to the hedonistic chorus that sings: “eat, drink and be merry – for tomorrow we die” (c.f. Luke 12:19b; I Corinthians 15:32b).

(a) Is that what Solomon was saying? Was he telling us “there’s nothing better for a man” – a man with an immortal soul and/or eternal future at stake – (that there’s “nothing better for a man”) than to get whatever enjoyment from life while he can, for as long as he can, because its all going to be over very soon!?³ Is that what Solomon was saying? Not at all!

(b) Obviously, from a Christian perspective, the best thing any man can do (to use Solomon’s terminology) is, “fear God and keep His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13) – the very best thing any man can ever do during his few years of life on earth is repent of his sins, profess faith in Christ, and spend the rest of his life serving Him – “nothing better” can ever happen to a man between birth and death than to be graciously enabled to turn back from pursuing the “vain things” of the world, and start serving “the living God” (c.f. Acts 14:15).

(c) However, Solomon isn’t talking about that kind of “good” in verse twenty-four – rather, he’s talking about the “best” men can expect from the things of earth.³ It’s true God didn’t create work and pleasure to give people lasting contentment or never-ending happiness – as we’ve said many times already, those things are only found in Him!. Nevertheless, men and women can derive some measure of lawful genuine enjoyment from these things, IF their limitations are recognized – IF they are accepted for what they are –and/or IF they are used as they were intended.

(d) Obviously, there is greater potential for genuine enjoyment IF a man acknowledges that his life’s work and life’s simple pleasures are gifts of God’s grace, and IF he uses them first and foremost of all for God’s glory. Hence, Scripture exhorts us to “do (our) work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (c.f. Colossians 3:23) – while in another place we’re told: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (c.f. I Corinthians 10:31).

(e) Since non-Christians don’t always acknowledge life’s temporal blessings as coming from God’s hand – and, since they are spiritually dead (c.f. Ephesians 2:1) and therefore incapable of using them for God’s glory (in part because apart from Christ they are controlled by selfishness and sin) – (since these things are true) is it possible for non-Christians to draw some measure of lawful enjoyment from their work and/or life’s basic pleasures? I think it is – under the umbrella of God’s common grace.⁴ Otherwise, we’re saying no non-Christian has ever drawn any measure of enjoyment from a timely rain (c.f. Matthew 5:45) – hitting a game-winning home run – sitting down to a good meal – getting married and having children – or receiving praise for a job well done.

The pitfall non-Christians (and many Christians) face is trying to draw lasting happiness and/or satisfaction from these things – the danger is trying to get more out of them than God designed them to give.⁵ When that happens, pleasures that might otherwise be lawful – pleasures from which a man might otherwise have drawn genuine enjoyment – are reduced to “vanity and striving after wind”.

(f) Neither non-Christian nor Christian, however, will find any of life’s potential pleasures enjoyable unless God enables them (and us) to do so. Hence, Solomon says the ability to do “is from the hand of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24b) – a truth he repeats in the next chapter, saying (in part): “every man who eats and drinks (and) sees good in all his labor – it is the gift of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:13) – and again in chapter five: “every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:19).

The point is, it does not lie in our power – be we a Christian or not – to enjoy what we do, and/or to enjoy such basic pleasures as eating and drinking. Not only the food, but our ability to enjoy preparing it and/or eating it comes from God. Not only what we drink, but our wherewithal to enjoy drinking it comes from God. Not only our work, or the strength to perform it, but also our capacity to enjoy it while we’re doing it comes from God!

(g) Therefore, since “there is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good” – and, since the ability to enjoy what life “under the sun” has to offer comes “from the hand of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:24a) – we Christians would be wise to thank our Savior for these things (even the simplest and most basic things of life), and pray that He would enable us to enjoy them within the parameters He means for them to be enjoyed.

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