Empty Pleasures

Ecclesiastes 2:1-17

©April 26th, 2020 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Ecclesiastes

Most adults remember that when we were kids our typical morning reading material was the cereal box. If you were fortunate enough to have a cereal marketed to kids, you probably remember some of the toys that were advertised on these boxes. They were typically cool-looking gadgets with awesome illustrations showing you all the cool things you could do with it. All you had to do was send in several box tops and some postage and handling and 8-12 weeks later (when you’d forgotten all about it), you would get your fancy new gadget in the mail.

I recall one such gadget from when I was a child. It was a spy camera, and it looked super cool on the box. I couldn’t wait to take pictures like a spy (I have no idea what I planned to take pictures of, but it sure seemed like fun!) When it finally arrived, it was a tiny piece of plastic that used some sort of obscure film. I think I might have used it once, never developed the film, and realized it really didn’t live up to the hype.

Chances are, you’ve had an experience like that before. Maybe it was with another cereal box toy, or maybe it was with something bigger. Maybe it was a career milestone, a major purchase, or an experience you hoped to have. Whatever the case, we often find that the pleasures we think will be so satisfying simply don’t live up to their promises. This is essentially what Solomon discovered and shares with us throughout Ecclesiastes. He looked for meaning in all sorts of things under the sun, but found them to be empty.

Indulging Desires

Last week we saw Solomon conclude that life was essentially meaningless because it was a cycle outside the control of any human being. In chapter 2, Solomon talks about some of the ways he tried to find meaning in life by indulging his desires.

I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, NLT)

Solomon sought refuge in a wide range of desires. He bought into the lie that happiness and fulfillment is found by giving ourselves everything we think we want. Most of us have bought into that lie in one way or another as well. Though we have heard many times that money doesn’t buy happiness, we often say that we’d like to put that to the test ourselves. It shows we don’t actually believe it. The difference between us and Solomon was that he had the means to indulge every desire he could possibly have. Even as he did every little thing his heart desired, it still didn’t satisfy. He shares his experience to help us avoid falling into the same trap as him. He lists several broad categories of pleasures that don’t satisfy.

First is alcohol. Solomon tried to find enjoyment by cheering himself with wine. Many people believe this same lie. Poll a group of adults and you will find some who believe you can’t really enjoy yourself if alcohol isn’t involved. Or they believe that life is a lot more fun if you’re drinking. Solomon tried this. It didn’t satisfy.

In the book of Proverbs (much of which was written by Solomon), he had a great deal to say about where indulging in wine actually leads. Here are a couple examples:

Wine produces mockers; alcohol leads to brawls. Those led astray by drink cannot be wise. (Proverbs 20:1, NLT)

31 Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. 32 For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. (Proverbs 23:31-32, NLT)

Solomon found that alcohol doesn’t deliver on its promise of making life fulfilling or more enjoyable. In fact, alcohol is usually more harmful than helpful. It promises escape, happiness, and fun, but in the end, it delivers pain, hurt relationships, and emptiness. Think about the drunk driving accidents, the decisions made with impaired judgment that you regret later, words spoken (or texted) that you can never take back, and the money and time spent to engage in all of these things. Alcohol may seem fun for a while, but as Solomon says, in the end, it bites you like a snake.

Second is building projects. Solomon built huge houses for himself. He built the temple. He built beautiful gardens, parks, and vineyards. He put his energies into building great structures he could be proud of, yet he found none of these things satisfied him either.

Solomon wasn’t saying that building projects are pointless, but that trying to find meaning by building monuments to ourselves is meaningless. Buildings decay. Kingdoms fall. Reputations wane. Ultimately, these things cannot satisfy. A bigger house, a fancy man cave, a beautiful car, or even a majestic church—none of these will bring lasting fulfillment. They may be fun for a while, but that feeling won’t last.

Third is wealth. Solomon had vast wealth, more than we can fathom. In 1 Kings 10, we are told that gold was so plentiful during Solomon’s reign that silver was seen as worthless! In that same passage we learn that Solomon had collected specimens from around the world. He had a veritable zoo at his disposal. He had servants to take care of everything he desired. He amassed huge flocks and herds. There was nothing Solomon could not buy. Yet he said this too was meaningless.

Sadly, we just don’t believe him when he says that money won’t satisfy us. Think about how much we strive for more and more money and stuff. We sacrifice whatever we must in order to “get ahead”, and yet when you ask someone how much is enough, they will say, just a little bit more. If money satisfied, then the richest people should be the happiest. But time and time again we find that the richest people are often the most depressed people there are. Like Solomon, they discover no matter how much money you have, you will ultimately find it empty and hollow. They spend their lives climbing the mountain of wealth, only to get to the top and discover their efforts were wasted. Solomon denied himself nothing he desired, yet he still wasn’t satisfied. We should learn that lesson before it’s too late.

Fourth is companionship. In other places in scripture we are told that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Solomon seems to have believed that if he could just satisfy his sexual appetite then he would be satisfied. He seemed to think that if he could just meet the right person then he would be happy. And yet, he discovered this too was meaningless.

Is this not the same belief our culture preaches? We live in a culture that glorifies sex and says we should simply indulge our desires, because we aren’t hurting anyone. Whatever your particular desire is, we are told you should indulge it, because that’s an important part of life. But in this era of sexual “liberation” don’t we find even greater pain and emptiness? People find that they are simply used by others to satisfy their sexual desires. Their brief physical encounters leave them feeling used and empty, not satisfied or fulfilled. They carry with them even more pain and dissatisfaction, even as they indulge their desires. Clearly that’s not the answer.

The world also tells us that if we just meet the right person, they will make us feel complete and satisfied. But no person can do that. Solomon should know, he tried to find meaning with a thousand different women. But no woman (or man), regardless of whatever redeeming qualities he or she might have, can fill the void in our hearts.

These are all pervasive beliefs in our culture today. Solomon sought to fulfill these desires on a scale we can’t even imagine. He dove head-first into the notion of seeking pleasure wherever he could find it. But seeking pleasure as a means to fulfill us will ultimately lead us to the same conclusion as Solomon. Pleasure alone is hollow. And when we reach the pinnacle of our indulgence, we will find that everything we had sought is ultimately meaningless.

Now don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that these pleasures are inherently evil. But they do not satisfy. Listen to what Philip Yancey said about them,

Pleasure represents a great good but also a grave danger. If we start chasing pleasure as an end in itself, along the way we may lose sight of the One who gave us such good gifts as sexual drive, taste buds, and the capacity to appreciate beauty. In that event, as Ecclesiastes tells it, a wholesale devotion to pleasure will paradoxically lead to a state of utter despair.[1]

God did not design these things to satisfy us. He designed them for us to enjoy and cause us to turn to Him in praise. When we divorce them from their proper place, we end up frustrated like Solomon.

Wisdom and Knowledge

In the second half of our passage, Solomon laments the fact that wisdom is also meaningless.

12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:12-17, NLT)

If you have read the book of Proverbs, you might be surprised by Solomon’s statement that wisdom is meaningless. After all, the entire book of Proverbs extols the value of wisdom, as it will help to protect and guide us in this life. So why does Solomon say wisdom is meaningless?

He said wisdom was meaningless because the wise and foolish share the same fate: they both die. Solomon recognizes that it is much better to be a wise person than a foolish one. We will be spared much pain if we live with wisdom. But the result of life is the same for everyone—it ends in death. He is not saying wisdom is bad, or even that it isn’t valuable. But he is saying that wisdom alone will not satisfy us.

Think about how many extremely smart people have ended up exceptionally depressed. They spend their lives chasing knowledge, trying to understand ever more, only to realize that one day the clock of their lives will run out and all their accumulated knowledge won’t mean a thing. This realization leads many to despair.

This is why some of the brightest minds have chosen to kill themselves, because they saw no point in continuing the struggle if this is all there is. Solomon reached the same conclusion. He said he came to hate life because everything done under the sun was meaningless.

Conclusion

This is a pretty depressing conclusion isn’t it? Why is this in the Bible? Surely God doesn’t want us to be depressed, does He?

I think the reason this is in the Bible is to help us see that the meaning of life is surprisingly not found in this life at all. If that’s where we are looking, we will reach the same conclusion as Solomon. Solomon is trying to teach us something it took him a long time to learn: we will only be satisfied when we look to the Lord for satisfaction rather than the world around us. God designed us with a purpose. That purpose is not to chase after the trinkets of this world. Our purpose is to honor and glorify Him. When we stop looking to the things of this world to satisfy us and start looking to the Lord for meaning, our perspective will change drastically. Life is not meaningless, but it requires a different point of view than the world has.

So we need to look at the world differently. Instead of looking for ways to indulge our desires, we need to look for ways to use the things of this world to glorify God. Let’s look at Solomon’s own examples.

Wine, other drinks, and food are not things we look to for satisfaction or happiness, but things God made for us to enjoy the process of being nourished. He has given us the opportunity to share that joy with others. We can bake things for people. We can share our talents with them. We can share our food and drink, and by loving them in this way we can point them to the Lord. This brings meaning to food and drink.

Building and investing in the structures of this world won’t satisfy, but they can be resources we use to honor God. Your house won’t last, but if we use our house as a means of ministering to others, then that house has value. We can invite others to our homes for meals. We can host Bible studies. We can minister to the others who live with us. We can use other buildings we own to provide further opportunities for ministry. The structures we build are tools we can use to honor the Lord. When we view them this way, we find they too are meaningful.

Wealth won’t satisfy, but it does open doors for us to meet needs in the lives of others and to enable ministry that will create a lasting impact. When we stop viewing our wealth as a way to indulge our needs and start viewing it as a tool to honor God, we will find that suddenly our wealth does have meaning. We can help those in need, we can help a ministry continue to function, we can support missionaries who are taking the gospel to places we can never go. When we invest our wealth in the things of God instead of the things of this world, it becomes incredibly meaningful.

Relationships are good, but they cannot fill the void only God can fill. But when we use those relationships to learn how to treat others the way God treats us, suddenly those relationships have meaning. Relationships teach us to love other people, to look past ourselves, and to ultimately understand how God loves us as well. When we start loving other people the way God intended, we find positive changes happening in our lives and in the people we love. If we look at our relationships as an opportunity to love people like God loves us, as opposed to looking to relationships to meet a need only God can, we will see that relationships are not meaningless either.

Knowledge and wisdom are not an end in themselves, but we can use the things we have come to learn and understand to point others to the Lord. We can help those who are younger in the faith learn some of the lessons God has taught us. We can use the things we have learned through living to help the next generation avoid some of the mistakes we have made. We can apply our knowledge of all sorts of things to help explain the gospel to people who do not yet understand. If we use our knowledge and wisdom to serve the Lord as opposed to simply trying to make ourselves feel better, we will find meaning and value in wisdom and knowledge.

The thing all of Solomon’s pursuits had in common was that they were all focused on himself. He was trying to find ultimate meaning in his own power, looking only to his own needs and desires. When we focus only on indulging our own desires we will never be satisfied. The selfish life really is meaningless. But when we stop looking only to ourselves and start looking for how we can honor the Lord, our perspective about everything changes. We will view our resources differently. Instead of seeing opportunities for us to indulge our desires, we will see opportunities to make a lasting impact for the kingdom of God. That’s something that isn’t “under the sun”. It’s something that will last far beyond this life. And that is the only way to find true meaning, both in this life and the one to come.

[1] Yancey, Philip. The Bible Jesus Read, 159.

Empty Pleasures - Ecclesiastes 2:1-17