Ecclesiastes
Solomon, the wisest person who ever lived, the wisest king who ever reigned, wrote this book at the end of his life. All his life he watched and observed and studied every field of science and the humanities, and he recorded his findings here.
The key phrase in this book is, "under the sun" (16x). This refers to our life here on this Earth. In this world, no matter how great we are, or how much we accomplish, we will have to leave it all when we die. So it's all "chasing after the wind," or "toil[ing] for the wind" (4x).
So the best we can hope for in this World is to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labors (2:24, 3:12-13, 5:18-20, 8:15). This is a gift from God. I knew a man who worked hard every moment of every day of his life and built a beautiful home for his family and filled it with all kinds of lovely and interesting things. But he could never just sit down and enjoy the work he had done. God had not granted him this gift.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
