The Myth of More

James founded and built his own company from the ground up, owns a fleet of luxury cars, vacations in the most beautiful places, and has the admiration of all his peers. One evening, as he sits in his grand home, he gazes at all he’s accumulated—the accolades, the wealth, the possessions. Yet, instead of feeling joy and fulfilment, an unsettling thought grips him: “Is this all there is?”

He remembers the tireless nights spent chasing success, sacrificing relationships, and always thinking that just a little more would finally bring fulfillment. But now, standing at the peak of his achievements, he feels strangely hollow. His soul aches for something deeper—something lasting. There seems to be a myth that more is better—That’s when he realizes that even the best this world offers is unsatisfying and fleeting. He has stored up treasures on earth, but what of the treasures that truly matter?

This sets the stage beautifully for Ecclesiastes. Solomon, like James, had every imaginable luxury, yet he, too, saw the futility of life lived apart from God. The myth of more deceives us into thinking that fulfillment is just beyond the next achievement, James and Solomon have discovered our big idea for today:

Big Idea: Lasting satisfaction and meaning are not found in earthly abundance, but only in being rich toward God.

In this next section of our study in Ecclesiastes, I want you to consider the question: What is Solomon trying to learn? What is he trying to figure out? Remember, he was given DIVINE wisdom! When we read this book, it’s very dark, and depressing!

Think about this— we learned last week that Solomon actually requested the gift of wisdom so that he could be a good king! He wants to use that gift to figure out how man should best use his time— what the meaning of life is! Along the way— we are observing that he is travelling some very difficult pathways.

I. A royal experiment

Ecclesiastes 1:12–13 NIV

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!

A. Solomon applied his mind to study the world. (v.1:12-18)

Think about Solomon's position as king – he had the resources and authority to conduct this grand experiment. "Imagine the power and access he had!"

Every book— every resource of data and observation. Everything in the powerful kingdom, at his fingertips.

Sort of like “Google” and “A.I.” today. In his time, Solomon had access to everything — so he applied himself to learn everything… That’s probably a little different then— as opposed to trying to do that now!

Here’s something that might astound you like it did me:

The growth of human knowledge has been studied extensively, and one popular model is Buckminster Fuller's "Knowledge Doubling Curve." According to Fuller, human knowledge doubled approximately:

- Every 1,500 years until around the year 1500.

- Every 250 years by 1750.

- Every 150 years by 1900.

- Every 25 years by 1945.

- Every 1 year by 1982.

- And now, some estimates suggest it doubles every 12 hours due to the explosion of digital information!

This exponential growth is fueled by advancements in technology, the internet, and the sheer volume of data generated daily. For example, Google processes 3.8 million searches per minute

Highlight the deliberate nature of his study: "He applied his heart – this wasn't a casual observation." But an intentional study of facts, methods and information to know how the world functions.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

There is a "heavy burden" – the frustrating, often illogical nature of the world's happenings.

And now we can’t even keep up with it all! Solomon had at least a chance to “know” everything that was available in his time!

Why such a burden?

Even with all this knowledge- he hit a wall of sorts— there are still problems, still hurts and wars and sin.

Ecclesiastes 1:15–16 NIV

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 NIV

17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

More knowledge doesn’t seem to be the answer to fixing a fundamentally broken system with minor tweaks. He seems to even have considered what it be like if he didn’t have any of the knowledge and wisdom—- "Some things are just inherently crooked."

Ecclesiastes 1:18 NIV

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Solomon seeks out knowing everything, and trying to apply meaning or value to any of it.

But more knowledge and wisdom only seems to produce more sorrow and grief.

There’s an old adage/saying: “Ignorance is bliss”. Meaning that actually not knowing something— knowing less is better.

Solomon may have even joined me in remembering the earliest account where more knowledge was not a good thing:

The Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3) – Before Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they lived in a state of innocence and peace. Their ignorance of good and evil allowed them to exist without shame or fear. Once they ate from the tree and gained knowledge, they experienced guilt, separation from God, and hardship.

So Solomon concludes that having more knowledge and wisdom only gives us all the more reason to be pessimistic and to lose hope.

What else could he pursue?

B. Solomon attempted the pursuit of pleasure. (v. 2:1-3)

Ecclesiastes 2:1 NIV

1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:2–3 NIV

2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

A shift in Solomon's experiment: from intellectual pursuit to the pursuit of joy and sensual pleasure. "He thought, 'Maybe the answer isn't in deep thought, but in having a good time!'"

Explain his testing of "fun" and "laughter" – the pursuit of lighthearted enjoyment. "He tried to find meaning in just having fun."

Highlight his deliberate indulgence in wine, yet with a measure of wisdom. "He wasn't just reckless; he was testing even this."

Emphasize his underlying goal: to find what was "good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their life." "He was still searching for that elusive 'good life'."

What really is a “good” life? What’s good? Right?

It seems that we might have different answers based on many factors, right?

The key word ‘good’ has a very different meaning for very many people; however, there are some aspects of ‘the good life’ that most people can probably agree on such as:

“What is the ‘good’ life?” (Vanderweele, 2017, National Academy of Sciences study)

Material comfort

Wellbeing

Engagement in meaningful activities/work,

Loving relationships (with family and friends)

Belonging to a community.

The study ends up suggesting that generally a “good” life is one that is lived in a “values-based” way. Are you living according to your values? To me, this cannot be attained by merely being really smart and knowing a lot— nor by having all the comforts and worry free life we can.

So— wisdom and knowledge came up short—

Pleasure and fun come up short...

Let’s read on!

Ecclesiastes 2:4–5 NIV

4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

Ecclesiastes 2:6–10 “6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.”

C. Solomon tested the accumulation of achievement . (v. 2:4-10)

Speaking Points:

Solomon attained impressive accomplishments: houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, water projects, servants, livestock, wealth. "This wasn't just getting by; this was extravagant success!"

Stress the scale of his acquisitions – he had more than anyone before him in Jerusalem. "He reached the pinnacle of worldly success."

Point out that he denied himself no pleasure. "He had access to everything his heart desired."

Have you ever dreamed of having a lot of money? Come on, admit it— I’ll start… I have! Who hasn’t?

I did some math for us— If you and I had 1 million dollars, we could spend all of it in one year if we spent:

$2,740 per day for 1 year.

That’s $82,200 per month.

now wait— how about if we invested the 1 million dollars so as to receive a modest 6% annual return? That’s another 50,000— almost 1 more month of spending at that rate...

It’s would be exhausting in my opinion.

Solomon’s internal reflection amidst all this success: "And my heart found pleasure in all my toil..." – yet this pleasure wasn't lasting satisfaction. "Even in enjoying the fruits of his labor, there was still something missing."

Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

D. Solomon concluded that it all leads to nothing. (v.2:11)

Speaking Points:

That is a stark realization. REALLY?

The return to "vanity" (hevel) – despite all his efforts and enjoyments, it felt ultimately insubstantial. "It was like trying to grasp smoke – it slips through your fingers." Catching bubbles.

Emphasize the phrase "striving after wind" – a picture of futile effort "All that energy, all that achievement, and it still felt like chasing the wind."

My grandfathers were two of my greatest fans. They were hardworking wonderful men— My dad’s father was kind of a crusty, hard shelled, child of the depression and world war two kind of guy— he used to joke with me about running Track. “You’re spending a lot of energy to just end up in that same place you started! Meaning that when I would run — I usually ran in increments of “laps” — 1 lap, 2 laps, 4 laps, 8 laps… We all started and ended up “going” nowhere.

“What’s the point?” Much like Solomon’s conclusion here— it all doesn’t matter.

Even the pursuit of wisdom, without God, ultimately led to the same feeling of emptiness as the pursuit of pleasure. "Both paths, when walked apart from God, led to the same dead end."

Whew—

Wisdom, pleasure, and even achievement— all come up short in providing us the lasting significance or meaning. Knowledge, comfort and wealth— those are not evil things— but they are not able to satisfy Solomon’s deepest yearning for meaning and purpose.

II. A bitter inheritance.

Ecclesiastes 2:12–13 NIV

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? 13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

Ecclesiastes 2:14–15 NIV

14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”

Ecclesiastes 2:16 NIV

16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!

A. Solomon concludes that everyone faces the same end. (v. 2:12-16)

Reiterate the Teacher's comparison of wisdom and folly, noting that wisdom does have a relative advantage (like light over darkness). "Wisdom is better than foolishness in a practical sense."

Introduce the unsettling question: what will become of all his hard work after he's gone? Will his successor be wise or foolish? "He couldn't control who would inherit everything he built."

Emphasize the injustice of the wise toiling and the foolish potentially benefiting. "Imagine pouring your life into something, only for someone irresponsible to squander it."

Highlight the Teacher's resulting "loathing of life" – the frustration and despair at the apparent lack of lasting impact. "He was deeply discouraged by this reality."

B. Solomon discovers hard work is seemingly useless. (v. 2:17-23)

Ecclesiastes 2:17–18 NIV

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.

Ecclesiastes 2:19–20 NIV

19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.

Imagine the emotional toll of relentless labor: worry, frustration, sleepless nights. "Think of the stress and anxiety that often accompany great achievement."

Underscore the irony: working hard to accumulate wealth, only to leave it for someone else who may not appreciate or use it wisely. "You pour out your energy, and someone else reaps the reward – and maybe even ruins it."

Emphasize the question: "What has a man from all the toil and striving of his heart with which he toils under the sun?" – the ultimate lack of personal, lasting gain. "At the end of the day, what do you really keep from all your hard work?"

Connect this back to the "under the sun" theme – these are the limitations and frustrations of a life lived solely within a worldly perspective. "These are the harsh realities when our focus is only on what we can achieve and possess here on earth."

We are talking about “paradigms”— In the world— the “stuff” is all we have. The more stuff, the more happiness, right? Not according to Solomon’s experience. In fact, he appears to “LOATHE” the toil itself, AND what it produced.

III. True meaning is found in being rich toward God.

Remember, each week we are attempting to reconcile Solomon’s observations with Jesus’ teaching—

I want you to turn to Luke 12.

Listen to the teaching of our Lord:

Luke 12:16–21 “16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

How can we be rich toward God?

Matthew 6:19–21 “19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We must understand that the relentless pursuit of worldly pleasures and achievements, while seemingly offering temporary comfort and satisfaction, ultimately leads to emptiness and frustration when separated from God. True and lasting joy, and even the ability to enjoy the simple things in life, are gifts from God. We are to seek a life rooted in Him, where even the burdens and uncertainties of this world can be viewed through the lens of His provision and grace. The answer to the "meaningless world" isn't in striving harder "under the sun," but in looking to the One who is above it.

A. Jesus teaches that there is no security in treasures under the sun.(Luke 12:16-21)

B. Jesus encourages us that we can store up treasure beyond the sun. (Matt 6:19-21)

How?

Being rich toward God.

Spend that million— we have a reservoir of love, and grace, and encouragement. It only multiplies the more we give it away! It’s a result of what He’s done for us!

Everything is to be understood IN RELATIONSHIP to God. How is He calling us to live differently? Are we chasing being really smart or really wise? Are we seeking our own comfort and pleasure ahead of serving God’s plans in our life? What are we trying to achieve? No one is immune to the temptation to chase after the wrong things.

We shouldn’t fear failure— we should fear being extremely successful at all the wrong things.

At the close of Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon, through his own personal quest and experience, discovered that enjoyment, meaning, and satisfaction in life can only be truly gained when everything is understood in relation to God.

John D. Currid