Delighting The Senses Series

WISE LIVING: DELIGHTING THE SENSES

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

#wiseliving2022

READ ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 2 [person from congregation]

INTRODUCTION… Little Bit About Solomon

As we get started this morning, I have two introductions. The first is about the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes because it is important to know who we are listening to and who God inspired to write these words. We know the author of Ecclesiastes is a man named King Solomon. We know this from the first verse of Ecclesiastes and a little bit of description in chapter 1. The author of Ecclesiastes describes himself as the Teacher King in Jerusalem. He was also the son of King David. This is Solomon. This is the same King Solomon who asked God in prayer for wisdom in 1 Kings 3:7-15 and received not only wisdom, but wealth and health and peace and everything that comes with life. This is the same King Solomon who built the first temple for God in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6). Solomon not only wrote Ecclesiastes, but he also wrote most of the Book of Proverbs and also the Song of Solomon. It is King Solomon son of David in Jerusalem who God inspired to write the Book of Ecclesiastes which teaches us about wise living when life seems pointless.

INTRODUCTION… Little Bit About How to Read Ecclesiastes

I also wanted to mention, by way of the introduction, that we had a very fruitful discussion about Ecclesiastes last Sunday evening, but the discussion did bring up an issue of which I want you all to be aware. Ecclesiastes is a book of wisdom literature, but it is not necessarily a collection of sayings like the Book of Proverbs. Ecclesiastes is more like the Book of Job in that a story is being told and should be read in one sitting to get the whole impact. You might notice we are doing one chapter a week which honestly is not so beneficial for the way Ecclesiastes was written.

The story of the Book of Ecclesiastes is that wise King Solomon took a journey through life and investigated much about life and found it to be pointless and meaningless and mundane. We get that definitely from chapter 1 (last week), but that is not the whole story. Solomon came to the conclusion that life is pointless and meaningless and mundane and temporary, but he also came to an additional conclusion that he writes about at the end of the book that then cascades back over everything he discovered about life. The conclusion very much has to do with God.

This is why last week, even in chapter 1, I fast forwarded us to Ecclesiastes 12:13 because it is in 12:13 where he drills down to serious ‘meaning of life stuff.’ Solomon takes our heart on a depressing journey chapter after chapter, but slides in with hope at the end. So, basically I am saying that you should read Ecclesiastes in one sitting and not chop it up into 12 parts and preach it over three months. Do as I say, not as I do.

DELIGHTING THE SENSES

This week we are in Ecclesiastes 2 where Solomon describes a journey that is a bit of a science experiment. He wants to know what in life brings lasting pleasure (2:1). Solomon applied his heart and effort to delighting his senses and he wanted to know what would bring him lasting happiness. Area after area he experimented and lived and sought pleasure and what would permanently delight him.

Pleasure is good. Pleasure is created by God and Heaven will be pleasurable. Happiness is an emotion we are all created to enjoy. It is part of us.

READ Psalm 16:11 (ESV)

“You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

READ 1 TIMOTHY 6:17 (ESV)

“nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

We are meant to have happiness and joy in this life, but is that all life is about? Is life all about having pleasure and being happy? Again, Solomon applied his heart and effort to delighting his senses and he wanted to know what would bring him lasting happiness.

DELIGHTING THE SENSES: Laughter (verse 2)

Solomon says he first set his heart on laughter and silliness and harmless amusements. He wondered what lasting pleasure silly foolishness would bring in his life. His basic question in verse 2 is the same question in all of chapter 2: ‘What does it accomplish?’ Laughter and silliness are good and most of the time are harmless, but what lasting good does it do?

ILLUSTRATION… “What’s So Funny About God?” by Steve Wilkens, page 59

I heard/read a great joke in the book “What’s So Funny About God?” by Steve Wilkens: Jesus had just arrived in Heaven after His Ascension and the first person He saw was a white-haired man who looked vaguely familiar. Jesus asked him who he was and what he was doing at heaven’s gates.