Ecclesiastes 2:18-23
“I hated all my toil in which I toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my toil in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned about to make my heart despair concerning all the toil in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he must leave his portion to him who has not worked for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what does a man have of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he toils under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.”
This passage comes from the book of Ecclesiastes, likely written by a sage in ancient Israel, often identified with King Solomon, reflecting on the meaning and value of life "under the sun." It's part of a larger meditation on the human pursuit of wisdom, pleasure, and wealth, often concluding that much of it is fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying.
How does the observation that even diligent labor can lead to despair shape our understanding of true rest?