Chasing After the Wind: Finding Rest in God

Ecclesiastes chapter two lets Solomon run the experiment most people only imagine. Solomon had more money than anyone could spend, more wisdom than anyone could gather, and enough power to chase every avenue all the way to the end. Solomon says, “I will test you with pleasure,” and right up front the test comes back empty. Pleasure, laughter, wine, and folly can give a moment of delight, but they cannot put a restless soul at rest.

Solomon’s world building gets massive. He builds houses, plants vineyards, makes gardens and parks, fills reservoirs, owns flocks, gathers silver and gold, brings in singers, and denies himself nothing his eyes desire. Solomon almost tries to recreate Eden for himself, but the problem is that a self-made Eden still has the self on the throne. His heart takes delight for a minute, but when he surveys everything his hands have done, the verdict is still the same: meaningless, chasing after the wind.

Wisdom fares better than folly, but wisdom cannot save the soul either. Solomon sees that wisdom is better than foolishness, just like light is better than darkness. But the wise and the fool are both headed to the same end. Recognition, degrees, books, intelligence, and being “more learned” than the people around someone cannot change the fact that every person stands before God.

Work becomes the next place Solomon searches for satisfaction, and work turns into grief when it carries the weight of identity. Solomon hates the thought that all his labor, skill, and accumulation must be left to someone else, and who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish. The restless mind keeps spinning even at night because toil that is all about the self cannot be handed over to God.

Ecclesiastes then turns the corner. A person can eat, drink, and find satisfaction in toil only when that gift comes from the hand of God. Without him, even good things become crushing because they are asked to do what they were never meant to do. God made the soul for himself, and the heart stays restless until it rests in him. Christ calls the weary and burdened to come to him, not to another project, not to another pleasure, not to another achievement, and he gives rest for the soul.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Pleasure cannot settle the soul Pleasure can be tested, chased, and maxed out, but it still cannot answer the deeper ache inside a person. Solomon does not say every pleasure is evil, but he does say pleasure makes a terrible savior. The wandering soul keeps looking for something to satisfy it, and only God gives the rest it is actually seeking. [38:03]
• 2. Self-made Edens still collapse Solomon builds a world with houses, vineyards, gardens, music, wealth, and every desire within reach. The tragedy is that even a beautiful world becomes empty when it is built around the self. A person can get the thing, stand in the middle of it, and still ask, “Is this all there is?” [40:29]
• 3. Wisdom is better, not ultimate Wisdom is not mocked in Ecclesiastes, because light really is better than darkness. But wisdom becomes meaningless when it is treated as identity, rescue, or ultimate security. The wise and the fool both die, and human brilliance cannot change the need to stand before God. [46:14]
• 4. Work cannot carry identity Work is good when it is received and offered before God, but it becomes grief when the soul asks it for meaning. Solomon sees that labor, skill, and wealth all pass into someone else’s hands, and the anxious mind cannot rest. The question is not whether work matters, but whether work has been made to bear a weight only God can bear. [52:28]
• 5. Rest comes from God’s hand Ecclesiastes does not end by rejecting food, drink, labor, or joy. The text says those things can be enjoyed only as gifts from God, not as replacements for God. Christ’s invitation to the weary is the answer to the restless heart: come to him, and find rest for the soul.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [34:07] - Solomon the Teacher Begins
• [35:01] - Testing Pleasure for Satisfaction
• [36:01] - The Supersize Me Picture
• [37:47] - Wandering Souls Chase Rest
• [39:16] - Solomon Builds His Own World
• [40:29] - Chasing After the Wind
• [43:28] - Success Still Leaves a Hole
• [45:12] - Wisdom Meets the Same Fate
• [51:08] - Work Turns to Grief
• [53:41] - Workaholism and Anxiety
• [56:49] - Satisfaction From God’s Hand
• [58:04] - Made for Another World
• [59:35] - Restless Until Resting in God
• [60:23] - Jesus Gives Rest for Souls
• [62:37] - Prayer and Sending

1. What three main areas did Solomon test to find satisfaction (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)?
2. How does Solomon describe the outcome of his labor and accumulation of wealth (Ecclesiastes 2:17-23)?
3. What contrast does Jesus offer to those who feel burdened by life’s striving (Matthew 11:28-30)?
4. According to the sermon, why did Solomon’s self-made “Eden” ultimately fail to satisfy him? [40:29]

1. Why might Solomon’s wisdom and achievements still leave him feeling empty, even though he acknowledges wisdom is better than folly (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16)?
2. How does the temporary nature of work and possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19) create anxiety, according to the sermon? [53:41]
3. What does Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 reveal about the difference between worldly striving and rest in God?
4. Why does the sermon argue that even good things (like work or wisdom) become “crushing” when separated from God? [57:05]

1. Where have you personally chased after pleasure, achievement, or recognition, only to feel a lingering emptiness afterward? What steps could help you redirect that longing toward Christ?
2. Solomon’s “self-made Eden” collapsed because it centered on himself. What areas of your life (career, hobbies, relationships) might subtly revolve around your desires rather than God’s purposes? [40:45]
3. The sermon mentions workaholism and nighttime anxiety over “who will get what I’ve worked for.” How can you practice entrusting your daily labor and its outcomes to God? [53:57]
4. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy.” What burdens (guilt, perfectionism, people-pleasing) do you need to lay down to experience His rest?
5. The sermon warns against treating wisdom or success as identity. How might you celebrate God’s gifts (intelligence, skills, resources) without letting them define your worth? [49:39]
6. What practical habit (prayer, Scripture, worship) could remind you daily that your soul is made for God, not for the temporary things you chase? [59:35]