Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 - The Failure of Materialism

Intro:

(Read 2:12-26 in its entirety).

You can use as a section header for this particular study - “The Failure of Materialism.”

What does Solomon realize in this section of Ecclesiastes?

He realizes something that brings him to the point of madness!

All the things that he has consumed himself with/obsessed over are WORLDLY things (things of THIS world):

That’s the most basic definition of materialism!

What are some of those things that Solomon obsessed over?

I heard a Don Blackwell sermon on it one time, very well alliterated!

In it, he described Solomon’s obsession over:

Wealth

Wisdom

Women

Wine

Work

The Whimsical (humor/merrymaking/etc.)

War

(And maybe a couple others; can’t remember them all).

But the point being — Solomon PURSUED it all, and he HAD it all — and yet, he was still miserable!

Mention Don Blackwell sermon from PTP - “How to Stop Being Miserable”

Text:

(Review verse 11).

V. 12 - Solomon considers wisdom (which he’s already discussed — it is problematic to place wisdom on a pedestal if it is wisdom for its own sake); and he also considers MADNESS and FOLLY.

Craziness and foolishness!

Well, now he delves into the fact that all this accumulating that he has done/all this building that he has done — it’s just going to exchange hands some day soon!

Do you get an idea that Solomon is looking over his shoulder at his son Rehoboam as he writes this, thinking — “Oh boy. My kingdom is in for a rude awakening when he steps up to the plate” ???

What has Solomon written down for Rehoboam?

Proverbs, right?!

“My son,” “my son,” “my son” — he writes this 23x in the book of Proverbs, hoping and praying that his son is listening up and will be imparted wisdom.

Does he?

Evidently not, because shortly after Solomon’s death, Rehoboam splits the kingdom, going off of the bad advice of his peers! (1 Kings ch. 12)

I wonder if Solomon had a suspicion that that was going to happen?!

He was very wise, after all — He certainly was no “dummy.”

Solomon writes here - “For what can the man do who succeeds the king? — Only what he has already done.”

I think Solomon KNEW that Rehoboam was unwise — I think he KNEW that he had failed to instill wisdom in Rehoboam (in spite of all the Proverbs he had written!) — And why do you think that is?

(He wasn’t LIVING it out!)

Kids can spot a hypocrite from a mile away!

V. 13 - I wonder if Solomon is examining his own wisdom in light of his son’s foolishness (folly) as he writes this?

“Night … and … day.” (Light excels darkness)

V. 14 - “The wise man’s eyes are in his head.”

Similar to sometimes we say, “Have you lost your mind?! (head)”

This is an expression saying that wise people have their eyes in their head to see! (They haven’t LOST them, like the fool who walks in darkness!)

Second part of the verse: What do you think “the same event” that “happens to them all” is?

(Death).

The following verses make this clear! (And it’s no surprise. Solomon talks about this a lot in his book).

V. 15 - Solomon asks, “What is the POINT, then, in all of my wisdom, if my end is the same as the fools?”

Answer — There IS no point in it … UNLESS said wisdom is used to “fear God and keep His commandments!”

In that case, it makes all the difference in the world!

But how many “wise men” don’t use their wisdom for that end goal? (Too many to count).

The same point could be made about our usage of riches/things/etc.

V. 16 - I’m reminded of the rich man and Lazarus

Death was the great equalizer in that story wasn’t it? (Equal in the sense that they both died and faced judgment).

But the difference is that one made it to Paradise, and the other was in Torment!

V. 17 - Solomon makes a strong, pessimistic statement here!

He HATED life?!

It DISTRESSED him — STRESSED HIM OUT!

Why?

Because, “What’s the point?!”

Again, before he had reached the point of “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” — before he finally figured that out in his “Eureka!” moment — he DID find himself utterly miserable, HATING life, and completely distressed.

SHOULD we hate life?

Of course not! — Life is a beautiful thing, created by God, in which He gets glory!

And Jesus promised that we could have “life and life more abundantly!”

But a person who’s priorities are all out of whack because he’s not pursing the fear of God and keeping His commandments WILL be miserable, whether he wants to admit it or not.

V. 18 - Again, I think Solomon knew full well what Rehoboam was going to do with his inheritance.

By the way, make the connection on inheritance here to Luke 15 - The parable of the Prodigal Son.

And also, don’t come away with the wrong idea here that it’s a bad thing to leave an inheritance to your descendants — That would be misapplying Ecclesiastes.

Prov. 13:22 says - “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

But pursuing inheritances and wealth for the wrong reason, making an IDOL out of it, absolutely is a bad thing that we must be careful to avoid.

V. 19 - This could be wishful thinking at best here.

Or maybe I’m wrong and Solomon is looking at Rehoboam with sort of a blank slate and doesn’t have a clue whether or not Rehoboam will be wise.

Either way, Solomon still realizes now the folly of putting his TRUST in his riches and his stuff, because when he dies, it ain’t going to be HIS anymore!

V. 20 - He was in DESPAIR, probably driving himself crazy thinking about whether or not all his stuff and his wealth would be secure once it was in the hands of his son.

Again, to me, if I knew I had raised my son RIGHT, I don’t think I would be in DESPAIR over this, but that’s just my opinion.

V. 21 - What often happens in great companies when the founders retire (or pass away) and hand the company over to their children/grandchildren?

A lot of times they don’t have nearly as much appreciation for things, they don’t pay attention to detail, quality of the product begins to suffer, and the business may eventually tank or even go out of business if it is bad enough.

Why?

Because they didn’t put in hard work and the “tender loving care” to get the business off the ground!

If they were just handed the business “on a sliver platter” without being taught a good work ethic (and, rather, being SPOILED by the wealth that came with the profits of the business), then we know where that often leads.

Same kind of thing Solomon is describing in this verse!

VS. 22-23 - “Burning the midnight oil.”

“No rest for the weary.”

“Working your fingers to the bone.”

“Moonlighting as a (fill-in-the-blank) for a second or third job” to put money back into the business to make it work.

You can work yourself to DEATH, and people often do — only for it to all go down the drain after retirement, or death, or kids sell the business off, etc.

“This is also vanity,” says the preacher Solomon!

V. 24 - I think Solomon puts this in here as a side note so we don’t misunderstand what he is saying.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying fruits of our labor — in fact, the Bible says a lot about that. (“You shall not muzzle the ox that treads the corn,” for instance).

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation nor shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

But we have to maintain the proper PERSPECTIVE on the things that are the fruit of our labors, because that’s what they are — THINGS!

Things that pertain only to THIS life, rather than the next!

V. 25 - Nobody, in Solomon’s day!

So basically he’s saying, “I think I know what I’m talking about here!”

V. 26 - Again, James 1:17.

This is a general rule of blessings that come to those who live righteously according to God’s plan, because God’s plan is the best, and there are inherent benefits that come with it, generally speaking!

But even still, at the end of the day — material benefits are still vanity and grasping for the wind!

Conclusion:

Needed reminders for our time, just as these things are needed reminders for all men of all time!

The Bible is timeless, brethren!

And the truths contained therein will help prepare us for the moment when there will be no more time — when we enter eternity!