Ecclesiastes 2:1-17 – a verse by verse devotional commentary

Main Reading: Ecclesiastes 2:1-17

Discussion Question: Is there such a thing as pure pleasure in the world? (If you have it, you fear losing it or not having as much as others. Alcohol helps you forget for a moment, but it doesn't give answers. Sex gives the illusion of intimacy, but it doesn't cure loneliness. You can fill up a house and storage unit, but it still won’t answer the deeper questions of my life).

Growing up, one of my favorite things was playing drums to dozens of songs written by my dad. The lyrics to one of them was based on a poem by Percy Shelley, called “Ozymandias.”

In it, the narrator stumbles upon a disintegrating statue with a sign that says: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my Works, ye mighty, and despair!’” The statue made all these great claims, but nothing of the kingdom remained—only sand and wreckage. The poem portrays the inevitable and inescapable fact that even the most powerful people will lose it all.

Speaking of powerful people, my dad & I also played a song called “Richard Cory” by Simon & Garfunkel: “Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town, with political connections to spread his wealth around...He had everything a man could want: power, grace and style… The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes; Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show…And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht, oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got…So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read ‘Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head." The song shows that even those who “make it” in life still have problems they haven’t solved.

That said, I’m sure if we put our heads together, we’d come up with a long list of songs where the message is entirely about partying, “living it up,” and doing whatever possible to make yourself happy. But deep down, we all know that burying our questions and pain with fun and pleasure can’t last…But, for some reason, we keep buying into this idea, and so the culture keeps selling it.

Even the people at the top of the entertainment industry know that luxury doesn’t last: They advise us to avoid this endless search for success by the world’s standards…the actor Jim Carrey said: "Everybody should get rich & famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.” And the creator of Minecraft, the 2nd-bestselling video game of all time, said: “The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying…I was hanging out and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, but I'd never felt more isolated.” Well, it’s not just the tech giants and movie stars telling us this…the Bible tells us too—Solomon said it first.

v. 1 — “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.’ But behold, this also was vanity.”

In the previous section, Solomon gave his best shot at finding true meaning by becoming wise. He thought, “Maybe if I know everything there is to know, I’ll find the purpose of this place” But he was wrong…his knowledge only made his frustration with everything worse!

So, he says, “since wisdom couldn’t satisfy my search, maybe pleasure will!” And that’s the next theory he puts to the test. Just as the Queen of the South/Sheba came to put Solomon to the test with hard questions (1 Ki. 10:1), Solomon was going to put pleasure to the test…

Most of us don’t like tests—especially those that measure our knowledge on a subject, but a “test of pleasure?” you say: “Now that’s my kind of test!” All jokes aside, this is often what people do.

Once they’ve concluded that there’s no objective reason for life that can be determined by truth, wisdom, fact, or reality, they turn to subjective things like pleasure and personal preferences. They can’t make sense of anything, so they indulge their senses with what they can touch, taste, & see. We’re going to hear as Solomon tried all the pleasures he could possibly get his hands on: jokes (v. 2), alcohol (v. 3), art (v. 4), nature (v. 5-6), money (v. 7-8), music (v. 8), sex (v. 8), & work (v. 11).

v. 2 — “I said of laughter, ‘It is mad,’ and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’”

“Laughter is the best medicine,” they say. When people have a bad day at work, they often come home and say: “I need a good laugh.” Me personally, I prefer to watch mindless comedy movies to block out the noise of reality, because thrillers, dramas, & documentaries, depict too many of life’s real problems. Solomon did something similar—he tried laughing his way through life. Just picture him hiring the top comedians of his day to come perform in his palace. And this may work for a while…but there is a dark side to laughter…

❶ Laughter may distract you from life’s meaningless, but it doesn’t solve anything. "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief" (Proverbs 14:13).

❷ Laughing your way through life doesn’t always translate to eternity. "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25).

❸ At the end of the day, laughter doesn’t provide lasting comfort. "Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda." (Proverbs 25:20).

On top of all that, the sad irony is that some of the funniest men to ever live died tragic deaths. Robin Williams (suicide), John Belushi (overdose), Chris Farley (overdose), Phil Hartman (murdered by his spouse).

So, laughter didn’t do it for Solomon…he had to try something else…

v. 3 — “I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.”

When people really want to let loose and laugh a bunch, they pull out the alcohol…So, Solomon does what only makes sense—he reaches for a bottle. If wisdom alone can’t uncover the meaning of life, maybe we should mix a little wine into the equation… It may sound crazy, but some people turn to substances in order to unlock deeper insight & understanding. [Just go read about the Oracle at Delphi, the smoking habits of Native Americans, or how The Beatles & rappers utilize drugs in songwriting].

While Solomon was using substances to search for meaning, he says, “wisdom stuck with me” And I can’t exactly decide what that’s about…He’s either telling us that his drinking habit was somewhat dignified—in other words, he wasn’t getting black-out drunk—he was a connoisseur, a social drinker looking for a good beer or a classy wine…Or, he’s confessing to us that, in the midst of his drunken nights, something inside him knew it was wrong. He felt convicted—it’s as if he could hear the Law of God telling him not to take this route…

Solomon did many stupid things in his life. But he says wisdom was with him the whole time.

After all, God Himself had given him this wisdom—a “listening heart” (1 Ki. 3:9). Solomon was aware of the trouble he got into, and he still went through with his plans. The same is true for every Christian. We have all deliberately sinned—even when we knew it was wrong.

v. 4-8 — “I made great works. I built houses…planted vineyards…made gardens and parks, planted all kinds of fruit trees…I made pools to water the trees. I bought male & female slaves, and had slaves born in my house. I had herds and flocks, more than any before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered silver & gold & treasure…I got singers, both men & women, and many concubines”

Well, when wisdom and wine don’t do the trick, maybe work will solve your problems! If pleasure doesn’t scratch your itch, maybe start a few projects! Distract yourself during this life with busyness. Solomon built houses—plural—one of which took 13 years to build (1 Ki. 7:1). I’m sure he had a beach house in Zebulun, a mountain cabin at Zion, and a fancy apartment in Jerusalem overlooking the city. He planted vineyards—not because he wanted to make PB&J’s…but to produce more wine. He planted gardens—which isn’t the easiest thing to do in Israel…He built pools for an irrigation system [you can still visit Solomon’s cisterns today]. He bought and bred slaves—he had permanent housing for them on his property. He kept a barn full of animals, collected treasure (likely from taxes), & booked evening entertainers. He even sought out many concubines—the Hebrew here is obscure; it might mean chests (furniture) or breasts (women), but knowing Solomon…I know what I’d bet my money on…

These verses take me back to that first month of COVID, when no one could go out or go to work, so we all picked up a new hobby—some people did DIY building projects, others gardening, buying new pets, making babies, etc. Just like we had all that time on our hands to got into all sorts of stuff, Solomon had the money, resources, and authority to do anything his heart desired. And he didn’t hold back…he brought Vegas to Jerusalem—buffets, partying, music, women, etc.

Then, Solomon looked around at everything he thought he had accomplished, and did you catch how many times he said “I did” and “for myself”? He had a bunch of stuff and a bunch of smarts…but he doesn’t seem to have much humility. He sounds just like the Rich Fool Jesus described in one of His parables. "And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry'" (Luke 12:19). He got as much money as he wanted, but realized that money couldn’t get him everything he wanted…

What’s worse than getting what your deepest desires is getting them and finding out they can’t satisfy you. Jesus Himself said “Everyone who drinks will be thirsty again” (John 4:13), and that earthly treasures can be stolen by thieves, or eaten by moths or rust (Mt. 6:19-20).

I think the saddest and most telling part in all this is Solomon planting gardens. His fixation on gardens, nature, & paradise is emblematic—of what’s really going on here: Solomon was trying to create the atmosphere of Eden all over again. A perfect world—a perfect place to live with no problems. Ever since human beings lost paradise, we’ve been trying to recreate it ourselves. And Solomon, I guess, came closer than anyone else at manufacturing Eden…

v. 9-11 — “So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

Solomon considered himself the greatest man alive. So he was gonna go after anything that looked good felt good or sounded good. He went on a see-food diet. He saw food and he ate it. He didn’t restrain himself or practice any “will power” at all while he chased after pleasure.

And, along the way, he found that the pursuit of pleasure (the “toil” of it) is the only actual fun part. Planning, desiring, and anticipating pleasure is better than the underwhelming results…

And the same goes for work or toil in general. The only thing you gain by work is whatever satisfaction the job itself brings you.

v. 12-16 — “So I considered wisdom, madness, & folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all. ‘What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?’ And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. For of the wise and the fool there is no enduring remembrance…in the days to come all will have been long forgotten…the wise dies just like the fool!”

Like many of the kings before him, Solomon was intrigued by knowledge but loved actin’ a fool. And his goal was that no king after him could accomplish anything bigger than what he had done. They would all be copycats, repeats, or poor men’s versions of what Solomon did…

Well, along this journey for joy, Solomon learned that, in a sense, it is better to be wise than a fool. Foolish people have eyes and brains, but don’t always use them…They walk in darkness and are more likely to stub their toe, get lost, or fall into a pit. You can really hurt—or even kill—yourself by living foolishly! Wisdom can help you avoid some of these inconveniences, sure…but you know what? Both a wise person and a fool have the same big problem at the end of the day—death. You can outsmart a lot of people but you cannot outsmart death. And because Solomon knew this, here’s what he says:

v. 17 — “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.”

Solomon hated life—if you can relate to that, don’t feel bad, you’re not the only one…

Solomon, who had everything he could ever want, hated life. And this hatred came only after he had looked for satisfaction, pleasure, & joy in loving the world. See, after trying your darnedest to love life—and failing—you’ll begin to hate it. And that’s exactly where God wants you. Listen to what Jesus said in John 12:25, "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Only after you become totally dissatisfied with this world, will you start to desire the next.

Where Solomon—and all of us—go wrong is by thinking that pleasure is something we can earn. But you have no power to chase down, tackle, or trap pleasure…C.S. Lewis said:

joy is like a butterfly—if you chase it, it flies away. But if you sit still long enough, it lands on you. Like everything else in the Christian life, pleasure & joy are not things to achieve, but you receive.

And, based on what you’ve heard, you might think Christianity doesn’t have any room for pleasure…But the Church isn’t—or, at least, shouldn’t—be trying to rid your life of happiness or joy. We’re not paranoid that people are out there pursuing pleasure too much…Instead, we should be concerned that they aren’t seeking it enough! We don’t want you to settle for the local liquor store when you can have communion with Christ, not just at church here, but at His table in eternity. We don’t want to settle for a buffet when a banquet awaits us in heaven. We don’t want to settle for a few jokes when there’s joy everlasting. God Himself asked the people of Israel: “why do you spend your money and your work on things that don’t satisfy you? Listen to me and delight yourselves” (Isaiah 55:2).

Jesus never told people that pleasure is bad…He told them of a day when those who believe in Him would “enter the joy” of their Master! Ironically, all of Solomon’s questions about life and pleasure can be answered by something his father, David, wrote. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

And for us, today, as we look at everything we’re working on and wondering where the progress is, where the satisfaction is, where the pleasure in our performance is, we should turn to the story of Saul. Saul was the most accomplished Hebrew of his time. He was born to the right family, went to the right school, did all the right things, and had all the confidence in the world. But eventually, he saw that all this “gain” he had toiled after was actually a loss compared to knowing Jesus (Philippians 3). Because Jesus not only gives joy—He gives you justification in the eyes of God. And Jesus doesn’t make this life better…He will resurrect you and give you a new life.

So, Christians actually want people to have “pleasure” and “gain”—we just don’t want anyone to be a fool. Solomon says “fools walk in darkness” (2:14) after all…Through the gospel, I want you to understand that— in Christ—God has transferred you from darkness to light (Col. 1:13).