Today in God's Word—July 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
July 14, Ecclesiastes 2
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself. But beheld, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" - Ecclesiastes 2:1-3
Sometimes young preachers and other inexperienced speakers are taught how to introduce, deliver and close their presentation with the following outline: "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them." Solomon seemed to follow that advice as this self-styled "Preacher" wrote the message of Ecclesiastes. He gave an overview of what he was about to tell at the beginning of the book. Beginning in Chapter 2 he gave a detailed account of his experiments to find meaning in a life lived under the sun. By that he meant living apart from God and without regard for any life except the here and now. But in the end, Solomon counseled his readers to "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
Chapter 2 is Solomon's first person account of his search for meaningful life through indulgence in pleasures of every kind. He tried intoxicants. He built fine structures. He cultivated lavish sprawling gardens and forests. As king, he enjoyed unlimited freedom and money to pursue whatever crossed his mind. He had slaves, concubines and entertainers. He followed every whim of fancy, every urge of passion. Solomon exhausted every avenue of self-gratification he could imagine. Look at all those personal pronouns. See all the I, me, my and mine references in just the first paragraph?
Solomon claimed that he followed and kept his "wisdom" throughout the experiment. Yet he also admitted, "And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil." He worked overtime because he wanted to do it. He never told himself "no.” And even then, the
return on investment of his time, effort and expense was only momentary pleasure. He found nothing of lasting significance or value.
It's important to remember that Solomon labeled what he found from all this indulgence as “vanity.” Solomon was not giving life advice in these words. They are a confession and a warning. Like the line from an old Kenny Rogers’ song, “Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.” Solomon admitted that his extravagant experiment was a failure.
When Solomon followed his desires wherever they led, he hated his life and feared his death. He was afraid that his fame and fortune would be equalized by the inescapable fate of death. His anxiety turned to, "Who is going to get this stuff when I'm gone?” Solomon’s estate wasn't just knickknacks, jewelry, money or property. Solomon left behind a kingdom when he died. He feared it would fall into the hands of a fool. If he was thinking specifically about his heir apparent Rehoboam, his anxiety was prophetic. Rehoboam lost the kingdom soon after he followed his father on the throne.
Will we learn from Solomon's failed experiment? Do we fool ourselves and think we can get a better result than the vain emptiness he experienced? God gives his rich, full abundance to his faithful ones. But the self-willed and indulgent ones come up empty. Let's learn from
Solomon's painful folly.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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