Solomon explains that, in such a situation, work is like a yoke because it demands so much of us physically and emotionally. It is a burden to bear: “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous for me, for all is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17). We are like animals; every day we take up the yoke appointed to us, grind out a few rows, break our backs, and strain our souls, and then come home too exhausted for much of anything else. Sooner or later, we die, completely unfulfilled (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21; 9:11,12).

Nevertheless, men expect their work to make them happy and to give them a sense of meaning and fulfillment; and, for a time, it does. But soon enough even our greatest achievements fail to satisfy, and we are left wondering if we’re ever going to know meaning and fulfillment in our work (Ecclesiastes 2:9-11). Besides, what is there at death to show for all our labors? Nothing we can take with us, that’s for sure. And it’s altogether possible that those into whose hands our estates now pass will simply squander what they did not work for and let all our legacy go to waste and dissipation (Ecclesiastes 2:18,19). This, too, can lead us to despair over our work (Ecclesiastes 2:20,21).

So perhaps the best we can do is use our work as a tool to get what we want out of life (Ecclesiastes 6:7). We’ll work ourselves to death so that we can have enough of this world’s goods to sate our lusts. The problem, of course, is that we tend to overextend ourselves in the pursuit of the good life: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). We never quite learn the wisdom of Solomon’s admonition: “Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 6:9). So we spend beyond our means, then have to work beyond our strength to pay the bills. The tool we thought we were wielding to hammer out a happy life becomes the very instrument driving the nails into our coffins.

“Under the sun,” all work can only ultimately leave us flat. Yes, there are temporary rewards and satisfactions; however, over the long haul, work cannot fulfill the job description we assign it, which is to make us happy, gives us fulfillment, satisfy our longings for meaning and security, and let us pass out of this life in peace. Work “under the sun,” in short, cannot be God.

Work under the Heavens

Thus Solomon counsels his son to take a larger perspective on the work of ruling that he is about to inherit. He should not look at his position as a means to merely selfish ends, or even as an end in itself. He should see his work as a gift from God, meant to be enjoyed but also to be used in serving the purposes of God for creation and mankind. Work, Solomon wanted Rehoboam to understand, is a calling from God, and only when we see our work in this light will we appreciate it for what it is—regardless of how grand or menial it may be—and make the contribution and gain the benefit of it God intends.