Pr Ko Lingkang

A Picture of a Vain Life (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)

Introduction

In the eyes of the world, Solomon had a very successful and enviable life. He was the richest, most powerful, and most famous man in his kingdom. He was reputed for his intellect, and many came from distant lands to marvel at his wisdom and knowledge. He had everything that the world desires. Yet his own testimony was one of vanity and vexation of spirit! There came a point of time in his life that he looked back on all his endeavours and could only cry out in sorrow and regret. He said that he hated life (Ecc 2:17), and hated all the labour that he had wrought (Ecc 2:18). He was in despair, and He realised that he had wasted his life in the pursuit of the vain things of this world. In his misery, he could not even rest or have a good night’s sleep (Ecc 2:23). Despite having such an illustrious career, with all his accomplishments and luxury, Solomon found no joy or fulfilment in life. 

Are we headed down the same path in life that Solomon did? Are we vainly pursuing after the pleasures of this world, thinking that these things can grant us happiness and satisfaction in life?

Solomon gave this personal testimony of his life not to boast of how great he was, but really as a warning to all of us, that these earthly pleasures are but fleeting enjoyments, and can never bring full and complete joy. 

A Desire for Pleasure (v. 1-2)

(2:1)  I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. (2)  I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?    

Solomon’s objective was to seek after mirth and pleasure, to see what the world had to offer, and try to enjoy life as he observed in the sons of men. He communed with his heart, and decided within himself that he would now want to seek after the pleasures of this life.

Before he describes what he did exactly, he straightaway informs the reader that indeed the whole endeavour was vanity. He declared of laughter, of mirth and of jesting, that it is ‘mad’, in that it is an activity that is devoid of wisdom, foolish and cannot fulfil. He warns us that such a quest for pleasure and laughter is never one that will succeed. 

Indeed that is what we would realize about laughter, merry-making and revelry as well. A moderate amount to de-stress or to crack up a tense situation is not wrong. However excessive jesting and laughter becomes a very vain activity, and fulfils nothing at all. We can try to seek all the entertainment that the world can offer; we can surround ourselves with the most humorous and fun-loving people; we can try to go out to enjoy all the fun that life can offer; but at the end of it all, to what end? 

Sadly, many Christians have been lured by the temptations of this world, and they too have given themselves over to the blind pursuit of pleasure. Is this your desire as well? 

The Pursuit of Pleasure (v. 3-8)

From verses 3-8, Solomon will give us a description of the various things that he did in trying to enjoy the pleasures of his world. 

Partying and Drinking: (3)  I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

First, he gave himself over to wine, seeing that it is through drinking that he saw the people around him having fun. So he joined in with the people in their merry-making, their wild parties and revelling. But Solomon was careful, in that he may not have allowed himself to be completely inebriated but continued to acquaint his heart with wisdom. Intellectually, he certainly understood the dangers of dabbling with alcohol, for he himself warned in Proverbs 20:1 that “wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”. Yet he wilfully and sinfully continued with his experiment, for his objective in the experiment was to try to understand how wine could fulfill his life, and whether it was a viable option of pleasure. 

In retrospect he describes this activity as trying to ‘lay hold on (meaning to grab hold of) folly’. He thought that by involving himself in these things, he could somehow harness this folly, grab hold of it, experience it for himself, and find joy and satisfaction from it. Of course, it was not a successful endeavour. It is indeed a foolish thing to think that by drinking one can solve all their problems, and wipe away all their fears, stresses and anxieties.

Alcoholism is such a prevalent vice in the world today. Like it was in Solomon’s day, so many today indulge in this foolish activity, thinking that drinking is harmless fun and an effective way to relive stress. Yet how many lives have been ruined by this dangerous drug? Our desire for holiness and a testimony for the Lord should cause us to stay far, far away from any such foolishness, realizing that it is not for Christians to give ourselves over to such sinful activities. 

Works and Accomplishments: (4)  I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:  (5)  I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:  (6)  I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: 

Next he sought after accomplishments in this life. He became an engineer, building houses, vineyards, designing gardens and planting all manner of trees. He even devised an irrigation system to water his plants, and provide water for his gardens.

These building projects are recorded in greater detail in 1 Kings 4-10 and 2 Chron 2-9. It was entirely a self-fulfilling endeavour, where he sought to achieve all he could in this life, to satiate his pride and to show forth his wisdom. If you examine the dimensions of his own house that was recorded for us in 1 Kings 7, you would notice that everything that he built for himself was larger than the temple of God. This was really telling of the pride that was in his heart, for he sought to glorify himself more than God! Remember also what David’s wish was when he requested to build God a house: “That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” (2 Sam 7:2). For David, it was for the glory of God. For Solomon, it had become for the glory of self, where his own house of cedar far exceeded the house of the Lord. Realize the number of occurrences of the word ‘I’ here. It shows that all these endeavours were all centred on Solomon himself – a very prideful and self-centred experiment that he did.

There may be some Christians who may say, “see, I don’t party and drink like those people. I work hard and do well to earn a good honest living”. However, if their hearts derive pleasure and satisfaction from their own accomplishments, and are vainly seeking the success and accolades of this world, it is still a proud and vain existence. 

Riches and Luxuries: (7)  I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:  (8) I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Third, he also accumulated wealth and all the things associated with wealth for himself. He acquired servants, both male and female, great possessions of great and small cattle, where his herd was larger than what anyone else in Jerusalem had before him. He also gathered silver and gold in abundance, along with whatever other treasures that kings would seek out. With his wealth he also hired singers, indulged in entertainment, and did everything that would delight men, such as musical instruments, and whatever thing that was popular at that time. All these were the delights of men, exclusive luxuries that only the rich and powerful could afford. All this, he had in abundance, and he luxuriated in all the best things that money could buy.

For many, they see this as their end goal in life. They want to amass all the money they can, and then indulge in all the luxuries that money can buy. Is this your goal too? 

The Vanity of Pleasure (v. 9-11)

 (9)  So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. (10)  And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor.  (11)  Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

And so, through all this, he proved that he was indeed a great and capable king. The wealth that he accumulated became the envy of all the surrounding nations. He did achieve fame and fortune. He was great, and his reputation spread far and wide, so much so that when the Queen of Sheba made a trip down to see his wisdom, she was so impressed with his kingdom and the way he administered it, that she gave him more riches! (1 Kings 10)

His intellect remained with him, and thus he was able to do all that he did. He was guided only by the principles of his own carnal desires, for whatsoever his eyes desired, he acquired. If he saw anything that he thought would give his heart joy, he got it. In all this, he did indeed labour hard, for it was no mean feat to do all that he did. Remember of course, that he was the king! With all the wealth and power of the nation at his disposal, we can only imagine what sort of luxury, opulence and carnal pleasures that would entail. Coupled with his great intellect and labours, he would certainly make for a successful self-made man, at least in the eyes of the world.

However, as Solomon surveyed the fruit of all the works which his hands had wrought, and the labour he had laboured, we can see this sense of despair and grief that he had, as he cried out, “behold, all is vanity and vexation of the spirit!” Despite all that Solomon had accomplished, and the seemingly good life that he lived, he still found no satisfaction in the life that he had. Instead, he realized that there was really no profit in all that he did.

Why did he feel this way? This was because he realized that he had been pursuing a life that is centred all on himself. It was a life that was lived under the sun, apart from God. All that he did was in accordance with his own will and was never done to please God. In the process of it he transgressed numerous commandments and wasted all the talents that God had so graciously bestowed upon him. 1 Kings 11 also describes how he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and these women turned his heart away from the Lord to seek after other gods. At the tail end of his life, as he returned to the Lord, he realized that these things which he once held on so dearly and thought could satisfy him, had only disappointed and angered his Lord. His heart was vexed, for he saw the futility of all such endeavours. This is the result of pursuing a life that is centred all on self, and not on God.

After reading such a description of life, are we envious? Do we too desire such riches and wealth and accomplishments? Because these things are exactly what the world seeks after, and inevitably, the Christian is also so often drawn in and tempted by the ways of the world! We must understand that the reason why Solomon recorded all this for us, was not to show off. We must look at his life and realize that though he was great and had all these things, it was a vain and sinful existence. Solomon shared all this with us, so that we can learn from his life and not repeat the same mistakes. Solomon, with all his achievements and privileges, asks us to learn from his mistakes, and realise that all these trappings of the world will never bring true joy, but only sorrow, grief, and vexation of the spirit.