Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.”

Hate is a strong word. It is a dangerous attitude when directed in the wrong directions: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” It’s okay when directed at the things God hates. “Hate what is evil; hold onto what is good.”

In this case the writer hates the very things he had worked so hard to get. That might be easy to understand if there were something defective about them. Anyone who has ever sunk money into a car that was a lemon knows how fast the initial glow of owning the vehicle you had set your heart on can give way to anger, frustration, and even hate. The same goes for other gadgets and devices and possessions that don’t work right.

The author of Ecclesiastes, however, makes no complaints about the defective spokes on his chariot wheels that the chariot dealership can’t seem to get right. He isn’t griping about the new oil lamp that is costing him a mint because it burns through the oil too fast. Why does he hate them?

“Because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” He has come to understand the truth that there is no U-Haul behind the hearse. Ancient Pharaohs may have been buried with their royal treasures, even food for the next life. When I visited Norway, I learned that Vikings were buried in their ships with their weapons. You may be buried in your best dress or favorite suit. But all these things must still be left behind. The same goes for all the things that don’t make it into the tomb. No matter how expensive, how useful, or how enjoyable they are, we don’t get to keep the things we worked so hard to get forever.

Worse yet, we can’t even depend on them to give us a lasting legacy when we are gone. “Because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun.” Some people look for their “immortality” in the legacy they leave behind. Maybe it’s a family fortune big enough to provide for generations that follow. Maybe it’s a business, a company, or even a charity that can keep the family name alive. If I can’t take it with me, maybe I can live on through my life’s work. I can be somebody, a person of significance, even after I die.

But who knows whether the person who takes over our legacy will have the wisdom to know what to do with it? Names like DuPont, Rockefeller, Ford, Disney, have survived for generations now. But whoever talks about Rob Barnaby? As recently as 1985, his WordStar software was the most popular word processing software in the world. His name should be remembered with Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Today, no one uses his work. Many young adults have never even heard of it. Many other products and companies have suffered similar fates. How many family fortunes haven’t been drunk, snorted, injected, or partied down to nothing?

If we have poured ourselves into work as though we could enjoy the things it brings us forever; if we have counted on it to keep our name and fame alive after we are gone, then God needs to show us its true meaning. Hard work is a good thing, but it is not the meaning of all life. When we let it climb too high on our priority lists, it can even hurt us. It may damage families, who suffer from neglect.

Worse yet, the person who hopes his work will satisfy the longings suggested by these verses is looking for it to provide something only God can: a source of enjoyment that never ends, a sense of significance even after we die. That turns work and wealth into false gods.

The biblical writer is inviting us to despair so that we can discover true satisfaction in the work that Christ has done. His saving work endures forever. His life and death offer real and lasting peace. His redemption gives our lives genuine value. His resurrection provides hope beyond the grave. His call and claim on us lead to a different kind of legacy measured by faith, and love, and gospel witness. This can bless us and the people with whom we share it for eternal ages to come.

Labor for God’s glory and your neighbor’s salvation. These will retain their value, and make your work meaningful.