1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors-- and they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
Solomon begins again with “under the sun” mindset. The oppressed are his next target on the road to finding what is meaningful, and in the temporal mindset, there isn’t much hope. His conclusion: because of oppression and sadness, it is better that man never is even born.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. 6 Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
In this part of scripture, Solomon brings our attention to achievement. He makes the case that whatever path we choose, whether it be idleness or action in achievement, both lead to the same meaninglessness. The achievement of others also brings envy and hate into the mix. If you look at our society, you’ll see this in action. As a society we build up individuals only to ultimately bring them down. We do this because of our dual nature. We want to see others succeed, but once they succeed we feel inferior. In this inferiority we become jealous, envious and ultimately devious. We find a way to demonize achievement so we can feel better about ourselves.
When Solomon says “Fools fold their hands,” he draws attention to another trapping of society, and ultimately, our own impure motives. That is the act of envying without any action toward it. Sometimes we simply envy and just allow it to fester and further complicate our conscience. We stew. We let it eat away at us. It consumes us, or ruins us internally.
Solomon’s assessment: it is better to be content with less than to be constantly grasping for more (chasing of the wind).
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless-- a miserable business!
Have you ever known people who are completely consumed by work, so much so that they’ve sacrificed having a family, friends, and any sort of life outside work? Work becomes such a cornerstone to his life that, to remove it, is to remove the largest part of him?
Solomon drills down on his argument that toil (work) is meaningless in this “under the sun” mindset. Why? Because in this case, the the work is all there is. The person doesn’t have the connection with anyone else, thus work is meaningless without connection to others.
We have to stop here for a moment and investigate our design. We are all created for work, for connection with others, and for fellowship with God. If any of those elements are missing in our life, we get a little out of whack. Just like if our devotion to God is so full it knocks away the reason we are here (work) or the people we need to affect (connection), then we are acting against our design.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Solomon doube-downs on this concept by explaining that accomplishments, although ultimately meaningless, are further meaningless when not shared with others. The elements that others bring to our lives are important: partnership (good return for their labor), lift each other up (if one falls down), give and receive help, give comfort (keep each other warm) and security (two can defend themselves).
A cord of three strands cannot be broken. If you imagine a one-strand rope hanging over a cliff face, you can imagine, that if someone is hanging at the end, the part that is against the rock at the lip of the cliff gets frayed and can break. But imagine that same rope that is spun with two other strands. Even if one strand is frayed or even breaks, the power of the rope will hold.
This is the picture Solomon wants us to see in regards to our relationship with others and God. The three elements of a strong life has God at the center and relationships with others. It helps us through life and helps us play to the way we were designed.
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
The first strike in this passage tells us something important: if Solomon could have done it over, he would rather have been poor and rich rather than a rich and old fool. It is important because, in our society, what do we generally strive for? We often times strive for those very things Solomon cautions against. Money, power, ambition, success, acclaim, adoration. These things culture tells us to chase, but what culture is really telling us is to get on a hamster wheel and chase something that you cannot catch.
This passage is essentially about the fleeting promise of fame. The young man rises and is applauded by the people, but the successor does not like or recognize the former leader. And so the cycle goes. We aspire for fame and glory and then, over time, our accomplishments are erased.
It has happened all through time. In ancient Egyptian politics, the incoming Pharaoh would systematically erase the previous Pharaoh’s accomplishments by scratching his name out of the stone records, scrub him away from obelisks, destroy his monuments. In our current society, we demonize the last administration, overturn its accomplishments. The idea is this: fame is a temporary state, no matter how long one has it. And as said before, our society tends to take down someone who reaches a certain level of fame.