v. 17-26 "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. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 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. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 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. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. 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, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the tasks 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."
This man who had everything said he hated life. All he accomplished was bitter tasting because it was for selfish gain instead of for God. If you work really hard in your life and then left all you had to your children and they just wasted it, that we be frustrating indeed. Hard work done for right reasons (taking care of family, etc) is not wrong, but if done for selfish reasons, then the results will never satisfy your soul. Some are so concerned to amass a fortune that they make themselves sick trying to figure out what to do with it when they are gone. I have seen what appeared to be mild mannered people be vicious to others in their family due to what someone put in a will. Once we leave we will not be worried about who gets what, there is something so much better than all the cares of this world. What Solomon said came to pass, his son made a foolish decision and divided the kingdom. When something is divided it will not be as strong as if it stayed together in the first place.
Chasing the wind is a hopeless effort. We can't see the wind, but we can see it move through the trees. It is not ours to keep. Yet how many try to chase things that will never satisfy them, that will never fill the void in their soul. You can not grasp what is untouchable. Even at night his mind does not rest, how many of us can not shut down our brains to rest? I have a difficult time shutting down my brain. By nature I am a night owl, I do my best writing and get my best ideas at night. The price to pay is when I need sleep and my mind is racing and I can't stop it. Solomon says that from God is the gift to eat, drink and find satisfaction in our work. Nothing extravagant, just basic things in life should bring us joy. There are some who have the best outlook on life with the worst jobs, other have the easy rich life and are miserable. To those that please God, He will give wisdom, knowledge and happiness, despite your job or position in this life.
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