Ecclesiastes 2:1–11 – Rich and full life in God’s presence

In affluence Singapore, everybody is in a hurry and busy making money. Everybody is always going for that one last dollar available in life. Our culture of grab-all-you-can lifestyle has cultivated in many an insatiable appetite. At the end of the day, the nagging question such drive causes one to ask is the same old one, “Is this all there is to life?” There are probably more millionaires today then some 40 years ago. Yet despite being rich, many in our nation still suffer poverty of the soul.

Earlier in Ecclesiastes 1, Solomon tried reasoning to uncover the mystery of human existence, and he went away very dissatisfied and vexed. Because by rationalization no one has ever figured out the mysteries to human existence. He could of course sit back and remain frustrated and dejected or he could explore another approach to discovering life. The latter was exactly what he did. But for us sitting on the side-line and looking in, we are always better being a Monday morning quarterback. When spectators, like us, discuss a game played over the weekend on Monday morning, we always seem to have the right strategies to counter the opponent’s advances. Sadly, Solomon did not have the advantage of hindsight. We would have counselled him to go for God straight away and he would have been satisfied. 

But alas that was not to be. He thought to himself that perhaps he should experiment with pleasure. The word “test” in verse 1 suggests that what he did was an experiment, an attempt to discover what he was searching for through personal experience. The other word that probably caught your attention, as it did mine, is the word “I.” His whole concentration was on himself – “I, me, myself and mine.” He was totally self-absorbed. We can’t help but get his strong sense of self-indulgence. His aim was to make personal happiness his chief end, a hedonist of a sort. This is not just typically Solomon, many today also adopt that kind of life too. Self -aggrandizement is the call of the day. Solomon did not take too long to discover that pleasure cannot bring lasting satisfaction. So immediately, in the same verse we read, “But behold this also was vanity.” Pleasure was long on promise but short on delivery. So, he left very dissatisfied. 

In verses 2-8, he listed the whole catalogue of pleasures he indulged in. He tried comedy, it failed to deliver. His conclusion was that laughter did not last. As Bee Gees had so aptly said in their song “And the joke was on me.” That was how he felt. So, his final word on comedy and pleasure, “It is mad,” and “What use is it?” Then he tried wine, hoping the alcohol with its numbing effect could erase whatever dissatisfaction life had offered. The drinking might numb his senses, but it certainly did not erase the fact that life is brief and short and he only had a short duration to drink. 

In addition to pleasure and wine, he had enough to try out the lifestyle of the rich and famous. He built beautiful home, planted great beautiful garden, constructed well-irrigated vineyard for himself. This preacher was an architect, a developer, and a builder, all three rolled into one. With that mega-project he needed to get a large workforce to maintain and upkeep his property. So, he acquired servants and maids. To top his life of pleasure and to satisfy his sex cravings, he had many concubines. Besides, he had no shortage of cash, gold and what have you. Wine, women and song – Solomon had them all. His was a lifestyle of the rich and famous. He was not just the wisest man but also the richest man of his time. But for all that he had and all that he pursued, he came to one crushing discovery: “Behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” 

For all the wisdom and riches he had, Solomon was much poorer than David, his father. Hear what David said about joy and pleasure in Psalm 16:11, “You (Jehovah) make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Beloved, if we want joy, pleasure and true life, they can never be found anywhere else. It certainly cannot be found in self-aggrandizement. True life of joy and pleasure forevermore can only be found in the presence of God. Go for His presence and you will have true life – rich and full.