The Futility of Wise Living (Ecc 2:12–17)

King Solomon’s assessment of life as he sees it is that it is futile. So far, he has been examining things in life that promise fulfillment. Knowledge and education are too limited in scope (1:12–18), and the pleasures of life were also unsatisfying (2:1–11). What could he do that would last and have some sense of permanence to it?
The Preacher turns to the issue of living wisely or living foolishly (2:12). Just as in the book of Proverbs, wisdom does not mean being smart or intelligent, but godly; that is, one who lives according to God’s wisdom. As Solomon looked at the pros and cons of living according to God’s law and living based on man’s thinking, he acknowledges that there is a benefit to living wisely (2:13). The wise person who lives according to God’s Word avoids many difficulties and struggles in their life. It is like walking through life with one’s eyes open instead of closed (2:14).
However, no matter how one lives, all men face the same future: death (2:15). This is a frustrating puzzle: some men live sinfully and foolishly, and others in a godly and holy way, but all men die. And sooner or later, the wise man and the foolish man are both forgotten (2:16). This also seemed frustrating and unsatisfying to King Solomon (2:17). What was the point of living wisely?
That is a pretty striking question: Why should we bother trying to do what is right? We will all live our lives and someday die, and that will be that, right? Of course, we haven’t reached the Preacher’s conclusion yet, but this is a question we certainly have all asked. An important answer to this question is faith. Faith is believing something we cannot see. If we live based on what we see and how things seem to us, we cannot help but be discouraged as we look at life. Instead, we must live life based on the truth of God’s Word. By faith we know that reality is what God says it is.