This week we are in Ecclesiastes Chapter 1. 

When I think of “toil” my mind goes to Shakespeare’s play Macbeth: 

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble 

Of course, the version I think of is not actually Shakespeare but the Looney Tunes version in which Witch Hazel (and her tiny high heeled shoes) endeavors to get Bugs Bunny into her boiling stew pot. She repeats Shakespeare’s famous line in the cartoon. 

“Toil” has a different connotation than “work.” While “work” is more of a neutral word, “toil” implies a laborious, ongoing struggle. Toil comes with a hassle factor. Mowing my lawn is work. Getting the lawnmower to start the first time every spring is toil. Here is Solomon’s take on toiling: 

What do people gain from all their labors 
    at which they toil under the sun? 
Generations come and generations go, 
    but the earth remains forever. 
The sun rises and the sun sets, 
    and hurries back to where it rises. 
The wind blows to the south 
    and turns to the north; 
round and round it goes, 
    ever returning on its course. (Ecclesiastes 1:3-6 HCSB) 

Solomon here is focusing on how a lot of time and energy can be spent only to end up with everything being the same as it was before. I want to focus instead on what happens in the interim. 

I grew up in a rural setting, and the cornfields look pretty much the same every year (weather permitting). Our daughter works in a library, and when she re-shelves books, the shelf looks the same as it did a few weeks before. When I go out for a jog, I always end up back where I started. 

Does all of this represent meaningless toil? Solomon asked what people gain from such labors, so I’ll take a stab at answering the question. 

People and animals benefit from the annual corn crop. Wisdom and knowledge are imparted by books that are borrowed and returned. The sweat-equity I invest shuffling around my neighborhood but going nowhere are long-term investments in my physical and mental health. 

Sure, some toil might be a waste of time, in which case we should consider other options. But work done in God’s name? Press on. 

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10 HCSB) 

By Mark Stuart 

Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley.