"Therefore I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 2:17 KJV)
"For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live." (Philippians 1:20-24 NLT)
As should be expected, once we realize where we have gone and what we have become, we start to get a little hateful towards this world, as if it is to blame for corrupting us. This really isn't that uncommon for people to do; we are totally prone to blame our sins on someone or something else, it comes naturally and usually without any remorse.
In this instance, Solomon blames this work, whether it was made by him, or whether it is what made him to be what he had become, it all became wicked and evil, as if it had a life of its own. When we get to that point in life, we realize that the life we have made for ourselves spins on its own, sometimes it is spinning out of control; so much so, we just feel like walking away and leaving it all behind.
Believe it or not, but I have thought about that several times, over the last several decades. But, thanks be to the Lord, He has reminded me that I have a work to do, which is far more important than what I might feel like doing! The more people you have to be responsible for, in one way or another, the harder it is to walk away from being responsible for caring!
I can't even imagine what Solomon must have felt, having a thousand wives and concubines; let alone all of those servants, guards, and all the things that needed to be cared for. Work that is grievous becomes a monster; one that eats more than you had prepared for or thought that was needed. But then again, this was his own doing, and now he has something to talk about...
"So get rid of evil behavior. Be done with deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God." (1 Peter 2:1-5 NLT)
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