Chasing Success vs. Pleasing God | Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Welcome to The Daily. We go through the bible verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter, every single day.

Our text today is Ecclesiastes 2:24-26.

Today, I will show you again how to study the bible inductively. I like to do this occasionally so you can see how I prepare devotionals and learn how to study a text from the Bible on your own. Let's read the text and dive in.

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. — Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Inductive study involves deriving meaning from the text through observation, interpretation, and application. Essentially, it includes what the text says, what the text communicated to the original audience, and what the text conveys to us today. Today, I will keep this short and highlight some more interesting points.

Observation | What The Text Says
Key Phrases:
Eat, drink, enjoy toil → Emphasizes life’s simple pleasures.
From the hand of God → Acknowledges that enjoyment comes from God.
Apart from Him, who can eat or have enjoyment? → Suggests that true satisfaction is impossible without God.
Wisdom, knowledge, and joy → Gifts given by God to those who please Him.
Gathering and collecting → A contrast between those who work meaninglessly and those who find fulfillment in God.
Key Characters:
The one who pleases God → Receives wisdom, knowledge, and joy.
The sinner → Works endlessly only to see his labor ultimately benefit others.
Structure & Flow:
Verse 24 is the premise: Enjoying life’s basic blessings is good.
Verse 25 is the rhetorical question: Apart from God, true enjoyment is not possible.
Verse 26 is the contrast: Those who please God with those who do not.
Interpretation | What The Text Says To The Original Audience
Solomon is speaking to his audience during his time. In his time, labor was physically demanding, and wealth accumulation was often seen as a sign of success. But Solomon, one of the wealthiest and wisest men, declares that wealth and toil apart from God are meaningless.

Application | What The Text Means To Us Today
Without God, all our striving is empty. We work, we build, we chase success—but if He isn’t at the center, our efforts become meaningless, like chasing the wind. True satisfaction doesn’t come from what we achieve but from who we serve. When we surrender our work, our ambitions, and even our simple daily joys to God, we find fulfillment that the world can’t offer.

Here are some things you could do today to live this out:

Start with Gratitude – Thank God daily for the ability to work and enjoy life.
Shift Your Perspective – View work as a calling, not just a duty. Whether in the office or at home, let it be to glorify God.
Live Faithfully – Seek wisdom and lasting joy in God rather than chasing empty achievements because without him our greatest successes feel hollow.
#MeaningfulWork, #BiblicalWisdom, #Ecclesiastes

ASK THIS:
What areas of your life feel empty without God’s presence?
How can you shift your perspective to see work as a gift from God?
What’s one way you can seek joy in God rather than in accomplishments?
Are you building something temporary or investing in what lasts eternally?
DO THIS:
Take a moment today to thank God for both your work and your ability to enjoy life’s simple blessings.

PRAY THIS:
Lord, help me to find joy in the work You have given me and to seek fulfillment in You rather than in worldly success. Remind me that true satisfaction is found in living for You, not in what I accomplish. Amen.

PLAY THIS:
Trust In God.