Reading for March 16th

Read Ecclesiastes 2.18-26. In 2.18-26: Experiement three: work. If humans are destined to die and have no control over who will enjoy the fruits of their labor, why work? The prospect is not only vanity, but indeed a great evil (v. 21). In verse 23: A grim account of the exhaustion of daily work. In verse 24: The Teacher's resulting advice: Enjoy the work itself, and don't make contentment dependent on the outcome of your labor. This ability to enjoy the task itself is seen by the Teacher as a gift from the hand of God. In verses 25-26: Though in previous verses the Teacher has attributted a common fate to all humans, here he distingusihes to work of the sinner is futile. Sinner is synonymous with fool; it does not refer to the person's moral standards. Comments or Questions..