What’s in Your Hands?

The Vanity of Envy, Loneliness, and Politics will Weigh Down Your Ability to Enjoy God’s Gifts

In this passage, Solomon is teaching on yet another three vexations that commonly weigh down man’s ability to enjoy the gifts of life his Creator has given him: The vanity of envy in work, the vanity of loneliness, and the vanity of politics. The interesting thing about these is: these three vexations are self-inflicted. But what this means is, they have remedies. If they’re self-inflicted, then man can actually do something (even under the sun) to temporarily relieve these common vexations. This has not been the case for the other ‘vexations’ and ‘vanities’ Solomon has recounted up to this point.

So, what can the workaholic learn from Solomon? The sluggard? The antisocial or lonely one? What about those who put their hope in politics and rulers? And how are the vexations of envy, loneliness, and politics connected? In Ecclesiastes 4:4-16, Solomon gives profoundly simple insight for answering these questions. It has to do with the golden balance he mentions: Having a handful of quietness, rather than two hands full of striving after the wind. This is only possible with a right view of God, and the gift of life he has given us.

Jared Millican

Former college pastor at Faith, Jared and his family are currently preparing to move to the Czech Republic and work as global outreach partners in 2024. He and his wife, Claire, have three children.

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