Part 2 of 4
In our previous article on the book of Ecclesiastes, we saw that satisfaction cannot be found in wisdom and knowledge (1:12-18). In this article, we will see that satisfaction cannot be found in wealth and pleasure (2:1-11)
Satisfaction cannot be found in wealth and pleasure (2:1-11)
The Bible tells us that besides wisdom and knowledge, Solomon was famous for his abundant riches and wealth. And with riches and wealth come the ability to obtain a whole host of other things that are designed to bring pleasure to the senses.
What did Solomon try or experiment with in order to obtain pleasure? Well, he tells us in this section that he experienced mirth, enjoyment, laughter, and wine, probably to the point of drunkenness and intoxication. He amassed to himself extravagant possessions – houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, pools of water, servants, great and small cattle, silver, gold, royal treasure, choirs, all sorts of musical instruments and every other imaginable sort of gratification. The phrase in verse 8 “and the delights of the sons of men” is an indirect reference to sexual pleasures.
Verse 10 summarizes it all, “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy…” In short, Solomon tried to create for himself a paradise on earth.
Interestingly, the word translated “orchard” in verse 5 is literally the word paradise. The verse could be translated, “I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.” The first paradise in Eden was lost because of the fall. Solomon used his immense wealth to try and recreate another paradise, complete with all kinds of fruit bearing trees, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden.
Now if I were to ask you right now to make a list of things that your heart and your senses desire, what would you write down?
Some years ago, I read on the front page of our newspaper an article about a 50-year-old man from Taiwan who became the 40th million passenger passing through Singapore Changi Airport that year, which, at that time, was a new record in terms of the number of passengers handled by our airport in a year.
And so to commemorate that, the airport gave him a forty-minute shopping spree in the transit mall during which time he could take whatever he wanted up to a maximum of $40000. Now, put yourself in his shoes. What would you have bought with $40000 in forty-minutes in the airport terminal?
Well, this man picked up a diamond ring for his wife, which cost about $9000, two watches for over $12000, two handbags of almost $10000, several Apple computers, lots of chocolates, and a few other things for a grand total of $40311. Wow, that must have been the shopping experience of a lifetime for many people!
But you know, that kind of shopping spree must have been peanuts to Solomon. You see, $40000 might seem like a lot of money, but still, that Taiwanese man had to be very selective and he couldn’t simply take everything he saw or wanted.
But Solomon was in a different league altogether. Here was a king who was so rich and so wealthy that he had the power to possess everything that he set his eyes on. Imagine that!
You can read 1 Kings 10 on your own for a fascinating description of his immense wealth and prosperity. For example, verse 21 reads, “And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.” In other words, gold was the standard material for the cups and utensils in his house. Silver was considered too common place or ordinary to be used there. Amazing!
Now what is important to recognize is that in all his enjoyment of riches and self-indulgence, Solomon remained intellectually and mentally alert and aware of what was going on. Verse 3 says, “yet acquainting my heart with wisdom” or “still being guided by wisdom,” and again verse 9 says, “also my wisdom remained in me.” What this means is that he was thoughtful throughout his pleasure-seeking experiment, and he analyzed and studied all his experiences of pleasure.
This is important to note because so many people who indulge themselves in pleasure do so mindlessly and thoughtlessly. They do not ever step back to evaluate their situation or to ask themselves if what they are doing really brings satisfaction. They just go on and on and on.
But not so for Solomon. He analyzed and reflected on things, and his conclusion is found in verse 11, “behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” In the end, it is all meaningless and dissatisfying. Wealth, riches, pleasure and enjoyment – lots of it, but still no true and lasting satisfaction. The key to life is not found in these things.
Dear friends and brethren, children, youth, young people, adults and even those who are older, we all need to take heed to Solomon’s thoughtful evaluation. Don’t go down that path. It is a dead end. It doesn’t lead to true meaning in life.
And don’t ever think in your heart, “Hey, it’s not fair! Why does Solomon get to “enjoy” all these things before coming to his conclusion? I too want to be able to taste and experience them and then decide for myself whether they bring satisfaction or not.” If you think in that way, then it means that you really don’t trust and believe God’s word. And it’ll be the same problem that our first parents in the Garden of Eden faced all over again, for rather than taking God at His word, they wanted to decide and determine for themselves what was good and what was evil. They did not want to simply trust what the Lord had said.
Solomon literally went down the path of destruction and it is only by God’s grace that he came back out of it to warn us not to go down that same path. If you refuse to take heed to his inspired warning and decide to travel down that path of self-indulgence and pleasure seeking, you will only be tempting God and that is a very dangerous thing to do.
So, satisfaction is not to be found in wisdom and knowledge and neither is it to be found in wealth and pleasure. In our next article, we will consider yet another two things that cannot satisfy.