Ecclesiastes 2:15 Commentary and Bible Study

Wisdom does not come without labour. It is a mountain that a man climbs and all the while he consoles himself that his effort is worthwhile because of the advantage that he gains. The same applies to all education. Study and the acquiring of knowledge are what so many set their sights on and for years they discipline themselves to make good use of their time and deny themselves so that they can gather knowledge in their chosen field, because they are convinced that it will all be worthwhile. Some become addicted to education and go on and on feeling that their earthly security increases as a result; having finished one course they feel compelled to start another. But it is all a total waste of effort, says Solomon, if wise and the fool, scholar and the ignoramus, come to the same end. Why study to be wise? Why put in all that effort to acquire an education? All motivation is undermined by Solomon’s conclusion, for it is not enough for man with an immortal soul to only make temporary gains in this world. What is the good of that if it will all be taken from him when he leaves this world? Man longs for permanent gain in order to make any work worth doing, to make that work the mainspring of his life. Therefore, the quest for wisdom is also vanity, a waste of time, an attempt to gain what has no real substance.