So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 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. 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 2:9-11 NLT
Sure, why not? The wealthiest, wisest human on the planet spins the wheel of life and looks for something, anything to satisfy his craving for meaning. No wonder few wander into the book of the teacher. It’s hard to posi-spin his opening volley, “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” It is so much easier to jump to the end when Solomon discovers that God is the only one who makes sense. AFTER you’ve read the whole book, look up Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
What does the teacher seek right from the start? Pleasure. In his own words he tells us, he has everything he needs to make all his dreams come true, so why shouldn’t he just go for it? He’s the king and can make it happen. Solomon does write a positive thought before kicking off his pursuits, “Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” Here’s some of the things Solomon pleasurely pursued.
▪️“Laughter, then wine,” clutching at foolishness. Nope, he finds no meaning.
▪️“Building huge homes, planting beautiful vineyards, making gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. Building reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.” Great idea. Did it work? No.
▪️Buying people – ”Buying slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. Acquiring large herds and flocks.” Still no meaning.
▪️ “Making great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces?” No.
▪️ “Hiring wonderful singers, both men and women.” No.
▪️ “Acquiring many beautiful concubines.” No.
Solomon admitted he had everything a man could desire. But did he find what he was looking for? Was he happy, was he satisfied, was his life fulfilling and full of meaning? No! Anyone reading this list might think, “well it didn’t work for Solomon, but it might work for me?” That would be foolishness upon foolishness to not learn from the wisest person in ancient days.
The teacher’s conclusion is that although there were rewards for his labors (building things), it still left him empty. Like he had just chased the wind. His search, his pursuits did not yield what he suspected he would find. Honestly, I think deep down he knew he was looking in the wrong place. The teacher’s search continues for the next ten chapters. It’s all kind of depressing until you get to the end. Still it’s a good read. Isn’t it interesting that Solomon chose to pursue pleasure first? Is that what you would seek if you had all the money, time and power you needed to make it happen? It left him empty. It would leave us empty as well. It is not a worthy pursuit and all who have gained it will tell you, it DID NOT WORK.
Prayer
Dad,
Before I even had a chance to think about how I would build my own life, you were there to offer me real life and real meaning. For the longest time, money scared me. I saw what little my parents had and how easily my Dad would drink it away. I never wanted the allure of what money could provide, nor did I want the responsibility of understanding how it worked. At forty years old you began to teach me about generosity rather than gain and I’ve been happily allowing you to guide our finances ever since. Thank you! Amen.