The Empty Expedition of Enjoyment
Illustration
This past Tuesday, Stacy and I went up to Freeport to encourage a local homeschooling support group. The group had advertised the event in their area, seeking to increase attendance a bit. I received an email from a friend of mine, Bob, who attends a Reformed church in Southern Wisconsin. Bob was excited we were coming near him and wanted to come by to hear our presentations and fellowship for a while.
Upon our arrival, I looked for Bob, but could not find him. The event started, with Stacy speaking, but still no Leverton family. Stacy does not like me listening to her talks (I guess I am a bit intimidating), so I went to the foyer to wait for her to finish, at which time I was to speak.
About 20 minutes later, in walks Bob. After the usual greetings to him and family, Bob apologized for being late. He then went on to tell me the reason – he had been driving up and down the street looking for the church, but could not find it. The reason? He was on the wrong street.
You see, you can look for an address all day long, but if you are on the wrong street, your quest will end in frustration.
Solomon seems to be describing a similar search in the Scripture before us today. He is looking for satisfaction, for profit, for meaning. But his quest for the address of meaning will never succeed because he is on the wrong street – he is on the Under the Sun Avenue when he should be Above the Sun Lane.
Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2. Our text will be verses 1 to 11.
Before reading the living Word of God, let us pray…
Prayer of Illumination
Father of lights, illuminate our minds today. May we see with spiritual eyes today. May we hear with spiritual ears. May your Holy Spirit guide us in our reception and application of Your Word. We ask for this in the name of your only Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen!
Scripture – Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
Blessing
May the Lord bless the reading of His holy, inspired and inerrant Word, and may He write its eternal truths on our hearts! Amen! You may be seated
You may be seated
Sermon
1. Background
a. Author – Solomon, King of Israel
i. A man blessed with a good father, a good gift, a good project, a good employment
ii. Solomon was also a man of compromise, he left the God of his father and pursued the many gods of his many wives
iii. A third time, the Lord comes to Solomon and speaks directly to him – I believe this revelation brought Solomon to his knees, and this book is the result.
b. Ecclesiastes - Letter of Repentance
i. Solomon has already given us his thesis in chapter 1, verses 1-12
1. This is the thesis – life under the sun, life without Christ, is empty
2. Solomon gave us the picture of our lives as a vapor
3. We strive for profit – something left over, but there is nothing.
4. Throughout this book, Solomon will give us proof texts that will validate this thesis.
ii. Solomon then went on to give us some examples from his own life. We covered the first example last week – the folly of wisdom
1. If you remember, Solomon mentioned how he made it his quest to obtain wisdom
2. And the purpose was to solve the great problems of his day
3. But he had already been given wisdom – godly wisdom, yet he put this wisdom aside, striving to solve problems with worldly wisdom
4. And, of course, this was futility and emptiness. The more you know, the more you will despair.
5. There was not satisfaction in worldly wisdom – the only sure way to understand the challenges of this world is through Godly wisdom
iii. But Solomon was still not ready to turn again to his heavenly gift. So, instead, he turns to various enjoyments to try to fill the emptiness in his soul.
1. Worldly wisdom didn’t work, how about worldly passions?
2. This is an expedition that many in our world undertake.
3. Indeed, most find the quest of enjoyment easier than that of wisdom
4. But, as we shall see, both quests, without God, end up empty
iv. This leads us to verses 1 to 11 of chapter 2.
v. Before we dive into this section of Scripture, I would like you to focus on three questions…
1. Are you joyful?
2. If you are not joyful, what are you seeking to satisfy your joy?
3. What will it take for you to be really joyful?
a. Fill in the blank, “I will be joyful when __________.”
4. Barna Research Group - the average American adult believes he needs an additional $8,000 - $11,000 per year to live comfortably. Tracking studies show, however, that even when adults reach or exceed the income levels to which they aspired, they still claim they need another $8,000 - $11,000 to live comfortably.
5. Like my friend Bob, we are on a quest, we seem to know what the destination is – satisfaction, but we seem to be on the wrong road.
2. The Endeavour
a. When a small plane leaves a small airport, they are supposed to leave a flight plan, giving their destination and route
b. Solomon does this here for us. His destination is found in the first portion of verse 1.
c. Ecclesiastes 2:1a: I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”
i. This is the quest of our day – entertainment and amusement seem to be the focus of our day.
ii. We work for the weekend – we strive for our vacations
iii. The philosophy of our nation seems to be hedonism – the pursuit of pleasure
iv. This is the endeavor Solomon begins – the flight plan is eternal Disneyland!
3. The Ending
a. Ecclesiastes 2:1b-2: but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
b. At the end of all Solomon takes on, he finds it empty
i. Please note, however, Solomon achieved does successfully hit his mark. We will see he gets all the pleasure and attainment he is after. It is just he finds it empty.
ii. As proof of this, he now takes us on a summary of his expedition through enjoyment
4. The Expedition
a. Solomon then confronts those who may question his pursuit
b. Perhaps he believes there will be those who say he didn’t give this pursuit his all – or that he did not really try everything.
c. Oh Contraire! Says the king. You name it, I’ve tried it. Let me give you a catalog…
i. Ecclesiastes 2:3-8: I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.
1. Solomon tried artificial stimulants
a. Some people try to find satisfaction in stimulants
i. Solomon mentions wine, today there are many other alternatives
ii. But they all do the same thing – they are an escape.
iii. There is also a prestige in collecting wine.
iv. I had a colleague during my engineering days who was very proud of his wine collection, he had a literal wine cellar in his basement
v. But he later developed pancreatic cancer, an aggressive cancer that sapped his strength
vi. I called him a number of times before he died, sharing the work of Christ
vii. But he seemed to just want to talk about the latest addition to his wine cellar
viii. And he died – the wine cellar was left behind
2. Solomon tried being a workaholic
a. Solomon had projects! Houses, orchards, gardens, pools
b. His own home took 13 years to build
c. Oh, the nights he must have worked, pouring himself over the latest blueprints
d. Balancing labor and materials to ensure all was where it needed when it was needed
e. We can fall into the same trap. I have been there!
i. I remember a time when I was working late into the evening, striving to complete a project.
ii. Dinner came and went, children’s bedtime came and went. And still, I was at my desk.
iii. Suddenly, my office line rang. I picked it up. Stacy was on the other end. She asked, “When will you e coming home tonight?”
iv. I was cut to the quick – I realized I had sacrificed my family – at least that evening – for my pursuit of satisfaction in work.
f. But the greatest house or project is just a shell without the love of the Lord
3. Solomon tried servants
a. Can you imagine this? A hairstylist could trim your hair throughout the month so you would always look good. You had a chef, you had a masseuse, you had a fashion consultant, you had a manicurist, you had all kinds of servants who spent their entire career working to make you happy.
b. He had them all! And yet, servants cannot make one happy
c. It has been suggested that the kings and queens of England, with all their servants, are some of the loneliest and bitter people the world has ever seen.
d. Princess Diana did not have to open her own car door, yet she died alone and empty
4. Solomon tried wealth
a. From taxes alone, Solomon earned twenty-five tons of gold in addition to the gold and exotic treasures brought by fleets of ships, accompanied his innumerable other investments and income streams. Solomon had real wealth which was unparalleled in human history.
b. Many falsely believe such wealth would solve their problems – but it doesn’t
c. I grew up very poor. When I was 18, I went to visit my aunt. I thought her home was a mansion! It was the nicest home I had ever seen.
d. She must have noticed how awestruck I was, because I remember her saying out of the blue, “James, the only difference between rich people and poor people is the amount of their bills.”
e. She knew there was no satisfaction in things.
f. Matthew 13:22: Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
5. Solomon tried lust
a. We already discussed Solomon’s 700 wives and 300 concubines
b. Solomon was striving to compete with the kings in the land, following the false belief that lust was a key to happiness.
c. In our day, this still goes on, but many seek to build virtual harems in their minds through the slippery slope of pornography.
d. Solomon found lust empty, as do men today.
e. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20: Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
6. Solomon tried music and amusement
a. Imagine this, when you want to listen to music to attempt to cheer your heart, what do you do? You turn on the mp3 player!
b. But in Solomon’s day, you would have to call the band. You would have to hire the singers!
c. There is something wonderful about music – it can sooth a discontent and burdened soul. It worked for Saul, at least for a while. It works for many in western bars. But the problem is, the music eventually turns off – and the silence reveals the emptiness of the soul.
d. Isaiah 5:12: The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands.
ii. All came up empty
1. Note how many times we Solomon references himself – 10 times he references my or myself – my heart, my flesh, my works, my house, my vineyards, my trees, my pools, my servants, my, my my, my my
5. The Evaluation
a. Ecclesiastes 2:9-10: So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.
b. Solomon is reminding those who read this letter of repentance that he had all the resources, unlimited resources and his quest for pleasure was complete.
c. Whatever his eyes desired, he had
d. He withheld no pleasure from his eyes
e. And his heart rejoiced in all his labor
i. For a time, he did find reward
ii. But like the man who makes it to the top of Mount Everest, he came down.
iii. It’s like commercial for the amusement park, Solomon, at the top of his game, achieving it all, wine, women and song. The camera is thrust in his face and a voice says, “Hey Solomon, you’ve done it all! Now what are you going to do?” And Solomon, says with a big grin, “I’m going to Disneyland!”
iv. Can you imagine what would happen next? The smile may begin to disappear. Disneyland? How can this compare? I’ve done it all – and I want more. But there is no more.
v. A fulfilled expedition for enjoyment finds at the end empty futility.
6. The Ending
a. Solomon repeats for us his ending in verse 11
i. Ecclesiastes 2:11: Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
b. Why was his quest empty? Why was it not satisfied?
i. The heart is never full
ii. Marketing companies seem to know more about the heart of man than we do
1. 20,000 times per day, the average American is presented with an opportunity to buy
a. Waking to the AM radio
b. Reading the morning paper
c. Billboards on the road
d. The ads in the magazine at the dentist office
e. The internet
f. The evening news
g. We are bombarded with promises of satisfaction from yet the latest bottle of goo
2. Yet, the marketing companies know these will not provide satisfaction – actually, they make us hungry for more!
a. So we have the new and improved?
b. Why did we need cheesier Doritos? Because the old ones had lost their flavor
c. Why have television programs become increasingly racier? Because the old ones do not shock us – excite us!
d. Once again, the law of unfulfilled expectations and the law of diminishing returns – and the marketing companies know these well.
e. But there is another law of this self seeking – the law of unexpected consequences
i. Did the alcoholic expect to become one when he had his first drink?
ii. The person infected with a sexually transmitted disease – was this their goal as the pursued the forbidden fruit of sexual satisfaction?
iii. Or the man addicted to pornography – did he expect to lose his family when he clicked on the link in the email?
iv. A few years ago, I read of a man who was in a battle with Chevron, the large oil company, to keep his health benefits. Why? He had been terminated because he was addicted to online gambling. At the end, this addition cost him his family, his church relationships, his job and his health.
c. At the end, it is not pleasure that is sinful and empty, but it is the attempt to fill the emptiness of the heart with enjoyment
d. The question set before us is this – is God at work in our enjoyment?
i. In your leisure moments, is God the focus?
ii. In your recreations, would you be embarrassed to know the Lord is with you?
iii. In your employment, do you acknowledge the Lord’s gifts and abilities, seeking to bring glory to Him as you move toward your goals?
iv. It comes back to the first question of the shorter catechism
1. What is the chief end of man?
2. Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, (1 Cor. 10:31, Rom. 11:36) and to enjoy him for ever. (Ps. 73:25–28)
a. 1 Corinthians 10:31: Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
b. Romans 11:36: For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
c. Psalm 73:25-28: Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.
3. All the things Solomon sought were empty, because he lost sight of God!
a. We rejoice with wine at the Table of the Lord!
b. We work, not for ourselves, but to rejoice in the gifts He has given us for the advancement of His Kingdom!
c. We are to serve one another and so show the world the love of God in action!
d. Wealth is a gift from God, a blessing that is reflected in stewardship
e. And intimacy in marriage is a joy that is reflected by a love between a husband and wife that becomes a reflection of the Gospel!
4. The solution for man is not to forsake the quest for pleasure, but to find pleasure in God!
Closing Illustration
"All men seek happiness," says Blaise Pascal. "This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end." We believe Pascal is right. And, with Pascal, we believe God purposefully designed us to pursue happiness.
Coming back to the questions I asked earlier – are you joyful? Do you know what it will take for you to be joyful? Are you on the right road to find this joy? Or are you looking up and down the wrong road, as my friend Bob last week.
Seek pleasure, happiness and fulfillment in God!
Let us pray.
Concluding Prayer
Father, we come to you as those who have sought pleasure in many places, yet, like Solomon, we have found at the end emptiness. We thank you Lord, that through you Son Jesus Christ, we have joy overflowing. Through Him and Him alone is their abundant life!
Father, help us to quit our pursuit of pleasure apart from you, and help us to glorify you and enjoy you forever.
We ask for this is Jesus’ name, Amen.
