Verse: Ecclesiastes 4:4
4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Devotional Thoughts:
King Solomon was known throughout the world for his great wisdom – wisdom that was given to him from God. Outside of Jesus, it is commonly understood that Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is reflecting on life and the apparent vanity of it. In Ecclesiastes 4:4, he comments on an interesting observation – he said that people are motivated, not by the things of God, of pleasing God, of serving God, none of those things. They’re motivated because they’re jealous of the people around them.
Solomon says that for most people back then, and it’s true for most people now, life is simply a “show.” It’s one grand competition. And he compares this competition to chasing after the wind – i.e., it’s pointless and even crazy.
Points to Ponder:
A book I recently read made some interesting comments about this understanding of human nature.
We live in a counterfeit world where image is everything, appearance is more important than substance, and reputation trumps integrity. Life becomes a show. Ambition, when it’s not wedded to God’s will, always results in disrupting, rather than advancing, his kingdom. It’s sobering to realize how much of our lives we spend in the futile and time-consuming task of becoming and looking more successful than the very people Jesus has called us to serve and honor above ourselves. There’s nothing sadder than someone who has spent his whole life pursuing things that are worthless to God.
Solomon says the person who lives like that is simply “striving after the wind.” They’re living a life that is ultimately pointless and devoid of meaning.
I don’t want to be this kind of person. And I hope you don’t either. What I want for myself and for our church is to be kingdom-builders, people who are much more interested in following God and his agenda rather than our own.
