What profit remains for the worker from his toil?

Solomon in his wisdom remarked in vs 10 - 14, "I have seen the painful labor and exertion and miserable business which God has given to the sons of men with which to exercise and busy themselves. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds (a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy), yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to get and do good as long as they live; And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor - it is the gift of God. I know that whatever God does, it endures forever: nothing can be added to it or anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will (reverently) fear Him (revere and worship Him), knowing that He is. That which is now already has been, and that which is to be already has been; and God seeks that which has passed by (so that history repeats itself). "

"Regarding the sons of men, God is trying (separating and sifting) them, so that they may see by themselves (under the sun, without God) that men are like beasts." vs 18

For without the wisdom of the Holy One of Israel, men are given over to the ritual of beasts and their ingenuity. And under the sun, "that in the place of justice there was wickedness, and that in the place of righteousness wickedness was there also' vs 16. An observation clearly made of this present day of trouble.

"For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even (in the end) one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath and spirit, so that a man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity and futility)!

Under the sun, we are all - of - dust. Solomon continues, ' Who knows the spirit of man and where his spirit will go, either upward or down. Nor the beast, downward to the earth?'

We are all given a portion to oversee, but we will not return to it after our toil is done. So what will men gain if they are granted the whole earth but lose their soul over it? "For I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time (appointed) for every matter and purpose and for every work) vs 17

My prayer today, is that we follow the wisdom given to us by Solomon. And we cultivate our hearts and minds with His eternity. With the beauty of Abbas' eternal quest for each of our lives. That our profit is made alive by His Spirit, renewed with purpose and nothing taken from it. As we offer ourselves to Him, He makes us whole with clear surrender.

It is not merely enough to live under the sun, for we are being separated and sifted out as Solomon in his wisdom has suggested, is the plight of men and beast. As we continue both Jew and Gentile to seek His wisdom, I hope we realize life only works well when He lives in our hearts and minds. That our dreams will flourish with His purpose, not coming from the profit we believe we deserve from our imaginings and myth making. His eternal purpose is greater than any earthly pondering.

As sons of men, we are subject to the Holy One of Israel. It is not just a matter of the mind. We recall, that we were made by Him to live on this earth to make ready His coming. We are to prepare for Him everyday. His presence eternal with us is not just a mindset or a wish. It is a way of life, a practice of being. A reality worth noting that is outside the dominant 'under the sun' existence.

We were never meant just to exist like beasts and to prey in its' vanity! Please consider the life He has for you. He is the time keeper and under His watch, every moment counts and makes beautiful everything He has made.

Amen. So be it!