Ecclesiastes Chapter 4, Work Ethic

Ecclesiastes 4:4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. [5] The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. [6] Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

There is a universal, horizontal theme to explore with this passage. Bereft of God’s presence providing purpose to human existence, man must find his own. Or in other words, since we cannot look vertically to the heavens, where the Creator defines objective reality and truth for us, we look horizontally to our fellow man, and inwardly to ourselves for meaning.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in regard to the eminent apostles that vexed them, “But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise,” 2 Corinthians 10:12. Wisdom is God given, and using our fellow man as a measuring stick for success, progress or accomplishment is folly. Why? Because we are not identical; every man and woman is individual and meant for an individual purpose, uniquely accomplished in them by God for His glory and the benefit of others. I cannot look to those I may consider worse than myself to feel better; conversely neither can I look at someone I deem better than myself and rue my position. I have the ability, but not the authority to do this. If I choose to do this regardless, I am unwise because I am employing a system of measurement fundamentally flawed. I am not my neighbor. I am not anyone but the man God made me to be, and my singular purpose is to permit the Holy Spirit to transform me, step by faithful step, into the man He wishes me to be. 

When we look horizontally we can cherry pick who and what we deign to acknowledge; if we are an arrogant soul we will look at those seemingly beneath us. If we are a self-debasing soul, we stare with envy at those who appear above us. The preacher says that the skillful man does not receive praise, but envy from his lazy neighbor. The neighbor sees the skill his neighbor has, and simply becomes jealous. Skill implies work, effort, learning, growth, failure, and challenge. Those who are very skillful became so because they invested time and energy into their endeavor. It did not magically come to them; neither should skill be confused with some innate gift that simply transforms someone into a genius at whatever topic they excel at. The lazy man, as the preacher puts it, is not inspired by his fellow man. He doesn’t see the hard work invested paying off, and is likewise inspired to challenge himself and grow. Rather, he envies, folds his hands, and curses his neighbor as sloth destroys him. Work requires genuine effort to become good at it. No matter what we do, we must learn, grow, fail and try again as we take on opportunities. The easier or lazier path is to resign oneself to envy, thinking that whatever someone else has should be yours, they don’t deserve it, you’re so much better, etc.

The preacher refers to the envious man as a fool in verse 5, unwilling to acknowledge the toil, the labor his neighbor has put in to become skillful. But the skillful man is just so because that is what God wanted for him; the lazy man removes himself from considering his purpose, preferring to desire material acquisition without accountability. He wants to reap the benefit without paying its price, as it were. Envy is a terrible thing, because often it not only makes us covet what another has, but disdain or even outright despise the person that has it. It perverts our view of others. This is just one reason why comparing ourselves among ourselves is unwise, but when life under the sun is all that remains, what do we have left?

Finally, the preacher says that having a moderate amount of success, accompanied by peace, or quietness in his words, is better than much gain with toil and the futility of grasping after the wind, or chasing what one cannot actually catch. Paul wrote, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain…and having food and clothing, with these we shall be content,” 1 Timothy 6:6, 8. The handful with quietness of verse 6 seems to imply contentment with adequate success. We must know when enough is enough, so to speak. Material gain and money are important, but one works to earn provision. One’s life mustn’t consist in the endless pursuit of material comfort, in whatever form it appears. Our Lord once told His audience, “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses,” Luke 12:15. When the things we possess in turn possess us, we arrive at two hands full, accompanied by toil and futility. We work to gain so we work more, not really comprehending what we’re working toward or how much will ever be enough. The skillful man is gifted with wisdom to know when it is time to stop, because it is unnecessary to continue. 

The preacher goes from the skillful (we’ll call him balanced) man, to the sluggard, then to the workaholic. As the lazy man envies and perishes in his lack of ambition to better himself, the workaholic grasps at everything in a bid for more, which the preacher refers to as grasping for the wind, because no man can ever, or has ever, captured that elusive “more.” “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing,” Ecclesiastes 1:8. “Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied,” Proverbs 27:20. Both previous examples can better themselves, not in light of the first man, but in light of God’s revelatory purpose for every individual He has fashioned. God worked first, worked best, and completed His work. Until mankind is aware of WHY we should work (toward any goal and endeavor) all truly is vanity and chasing after the wind.