Day 74, Year 1

Foolishness Leads to Weariness

“The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!” (Ecclesiastes 10:15 NKJV)

Many fools are diligent, but their diligence results in weariness. In biblical agrarian society, only a few people were lazy. Thus, the Bible assumes most people are hardworking, but the question is whether the diligence is directed rightly. The labor of the fools wearies them, and this might be due to several reasons.

First, they do not understand when to rest. Conversely, we believers should remind ourselves to rest up to stay energized.  Second, they engage in so many frivolous matters, leading to weariness. Some people are obsessed with trivial things that constantly leave them fatigued. So, when circumstances allow, we need to evaluate the value and significance of our actions and engagement. Third, they have incorrect life attitudes or directions. For instance, some people are accustomed to avoiding problems, suppressing negative emotions, and numbing themselves with harmful habits, which often results in exhaustion. Fourth, they refuse to seek God for empowerment. Many fools think that faith or worshiping God is a waste of time and thus refuse to rely on Him. As a result, they become weary in their labor. In fact, the Lord Jesus is willing to grant strength to us. Just pray to Him, and usually, He is happy to empower us. Those who receive God’s words and act accordingly are willing to labor because doing the Lord’s work and receiving His blessings are things we are happy to do every day. We rejoice even when we are tired due to working for God.

The phrase “go to the city” in today’s verse likely refers to going to Jerusalem to worship God. Indeed, many fools are busy and have never been to Jerusalem to receive God’s words, nor are they willing to ask God for strength. I understand this “city” could also refer to the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal heaven. To escape from foolishness, we need to know the path to heaven from where we are. It is a journey that begins in this life. The entrance to heaven is believing in Jesus Christ, and we need to come to know Him through the Bible. Therefore, we need to break free from the mindset of solely focusing on entertainment, making money, or earning a living without thinking about life and the afterlife. As mentioned earlier, different people often have diverse problems. Hence, each person would also have to overcome his or her unique set of obstacles and challenges before reaching heaven.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you consider yourself lazy? Do you need to rely on the Lord to become more diligent?

2) Does your labor make you weary? If so, how would you rely on the Lord to solve this?