17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind (NIV).
Much could and should be said today about the virtue of diligent working, for each generation must be reminded that laziness is a sin (Proverbs 10:26; 12:24; 12:27; 13:4; 15:19; 19:15; 19:24; 20:4). But there is another sense of “work ethic” to which today’s passage speaks: one’s motivation for work. In other words, our motivation for work is a moral issue.
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 causes us to wrestle with our perspectives on work. Do we work so that one day we will have enough to get more? Or do we work so that we please God?
Verses 24-26 give some motivation indicators. What does the one who pleases God receive from God’s hand? What is the lot of the one who does not please God? Into which category do you fall? Are you able to eat, drink, and enjoy your work? Or are you vexed at night by fears and anxieties about what will happen with your wealth and how to get more of it, so that you may have more stuff? How you answer these questions may indicate your motivation for work.
Some other questions concerning motivation:
· Do you work quickly and efficiently, so that you represent God well in your workplace?
· Are you dependable (e.g., Are you on-time for the start of the day and appointments?), so that you represent well God who is trustworthy?
· How do you talk about your job in the presence of your children? That is, do your children see your job as a necessary evil or as a calling from God?
· How do your children approach their chores or job? Have you taught them to do their work to please God or simply to receive an allowance or a paycheck?
Passages for Further Reflection:
Matthew 6:19-34; Luke 16:19-31