Days of Sorrow and Grief - Ecclesiastes 2:23

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon asked, “For what has man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he has labored under the sun?”, and in chapter two and verse twenty-three of his book Solomon said, “all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief”, where we read,

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; 

yes, his heart takes not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

 

The verse reads, “For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief;” Solomon began with the words, “for all his days” or “because, since and on account that each, every, the whole and everyone of his, the man who labors’, sunrises to sunsets” “are sorrows” which means “exist as painful and filled with anguish”, “and his travail grief” or “and his, the man who labor’s, occupation, job and employment exists as anger, vexation and provocation”. Solomon said each, every, the whole and every one of the sunrises to sunsets of the man who labors exist as painful and filled with anguish, and his job and employment exist as vexation. 

The verse continues, “yes, his heart takes not rest in the night. This is also vanity.” Daniel added  the words, “yes, his heart takes not rest” or “even so and indeed, his, the man who labor’s, soul, mind and will does not lodge, lie down or relax” “in the night” which means “within the nighttime hours”. “This is also vanity” or “this, no rest in the nighttime, exists even so and indeed as vapor, breath and wearisome dissatisfaction”. Solomon said the person who labors in anguish and whose employment is vexing is unable to rest and relax in the nighttime hours which also is as vapor and grasping at the wind. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Solomon how he considered the person who has grievously worked and is vexed within his soul and mind as one who perpetually has pain and anguish because of his vexing employment. This poor individual is so troubled that he is unable to rest and relax when the nighttime hours arrive, and it becomes emptiness and as grasping for the wind to him. God doesn’t want our lives to exist in that manner. He has an eternal purpose for us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days. When we surrender to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will not only guide us into His eternal truth, but also empower us to live in a manner that is forever pleasing to Him.

Next time Solomon says, “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink” and to “enjoy good in his labor”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".