In chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon goes after pleasure, finding ways to please himself, thinking he can make himself happy. He goes after “the good life.” He drinks wine and tries to fill his time with laughter. He’s still trying to find satisfaction from the things of the world. He seeks to accomplish things. He has houses built and vineyards and gardens planted. He seeks to acquire things, getting as much for himself as he can, trying to satisfy his soul. It’s never enough.

He gets all he’s after and declares it all “vanity and a striving after wind.”

Vanity means futile, worthless, pointless.

Striving after wind means trying to get ahold of something you couldn’t possibly. You can’t hold the wind in your hand and it’s just going to move on and slip away from you. It’s not something you can hold onto.

We can’t hold onto the works of our hands. We will die and we can’t take it with us. Solomon couldn’t take with him all the silver and gold he piled up for himself.

In all of Solomon’s wisdom, he turns to despair and misses some truth. He is despairing that the wise and fool both meet the same end and will be remembered no longer. He doesn’t see the big picture. God not only uses Solomon’s wisdom to pass on wisdom to generations for thousands of years, but to teach them that the wisdom of this world is not all in all. Solomon certainly has been remembered. He was completely wrong about that.

The wise do have a remembrance. God remembers them. He sees those who please Him and rewards them.

Verse 26: For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God.

A life that pleases God is one that receives the reward. They don’t do the striving and the working. They just receive their reward.