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.
The old man said, “I am an old carpenter who is waiting for my son. He is not my son biologically. In fact, he came to be my son in a most unusual way. But I loved him dearly as any father can love a son and I cannot fully enjoy heaven until he arrives.”
Jesus looks closer and shouts, “Father?”
The old man looks back at him and says, “Pinocchio?”
That’s funny right there. I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there. Yes, it is funny. Yes. It. Is. Yes, it makes us chuckle, but no it does not lastingly change our heart. Humor is at times only a band aide and masks over hurt that remains even after laughter. Laughter and silliness are good, but will not bring us the lasting meaning we are looking for.
READ Proverbs 14:13 (ESV)
Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.
Solomon concludes in a brief one verse, that in terms of lasting pleasure, laughter is harmless and foolish and good, but temporary and not lasting.
ILLUSTRATION… pastoralcareinc.com/resources/sermon-helps/jokes-for-sermons/
Ok, you convinced me to tell another joke:
Bragging Boys: Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he then calls it a poem, they give him $50.00.” The second boy says, “That’s nothing, My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.00.” The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!”
DELIGHTING THE SENSES: Wine (verse 3)
Solomon says he secondly set his heart on wine. Wine is not necessarily a metaphor for something… the word here means… wine. It could also mean the finer things in life if you want to look at it more broadly. Solomon wants to know if the finer things in life will bring him lasting pleasure and happiness and fulfillment. He also uses the word “folly” which we can interpret as parties. Solomon is asking the question and investigating if drinking at parties leads to lasting pleasure and fulfillment. Does it?
For us we might ask:
Does drinking a six-pack of beer after work help me or hurt me and make me happy?
Do I need to drink wine at dinner for it to taste good?
Do I need to smoke the cigar on the back porch in order to relax and be happy?
Do I need a joint to mellow out and relax?
The question at the moment is not if those things are right and wrong, but do those things create lasting happiness and meaning. So what does someone get when they give themselves over to drinking for the long-term on a regular basis to try and find pleasure?
ILLUSTRATION… cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
The CDC says over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including:
High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.
Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum.
Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick.
Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.
Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
Social problems, including family problems, job-related problems, and unemployment.
Alcoholism.
Honestly, for me the list from the CDC could have stopped at rectum cancer, but that’s just me and my rear end. Later in this section of Scripture (verse 11), Solomon will declare that everything he investigated is meaningless and a chasing after the wind. Wine and alcohol and I would add certain types of drugs do not give long-term happiness, but short-term happiness followed by throwing up. Short term happiness is not what Solomon is looking for, but lasting fulfillment of the soul.
DELIGHTING THE SENSES: Myself (verses 4-6)
Solomon says he thirdly set his heart on doing many things for himself to see if the delight of his senses would remain. In verses 4-6, the word “I” appears 4 times and the word “myself” appears 3 times. We need to make sure we understand that Solomon did not build homes or gardens or parks or zoos or pools or even things called ‘public works’ for anyone else but himself and wanted his name attached to it. He did stuff for himself. All of his hobbies were for himself. He spent his wealth on himself. What did that get him? He would say in verse 11, again, nothing permanent.
ILLUSTRATION… self-words are all bad (p)
Every word that we have that is tied to self is bad it seems like and is a negative word.
“Selfish” is a word all about ourselves and is a bad word.
“Self-involved” and “self-centered” both mean only caring about yourself.
“Self-deception” means you lie to yourself.
“Self-checkout” is annoying and takes away people’s jobs.
“Self-conscious” means you don’t like something about yourself.
“Self-harm” or “self-injure” is a cry for help and painful.
“Self-immolate” means to set oneself on fire as a protest and that can’t ever end well.
“Self-justification” means you were probably wrong but can’t admit it.
“Self-righteous” means you are not righteous at all according to the Real Righteous One.
Almost everything tied to self is negative for a reason. We cannot permanently make ourselves happy or fulfill ourselves in the long-term even if we do something for ourselves or build something and put our name on it in big letters. Keep in mind that he includes all things he did for himself in verses 4-6 as also being “chasing after the wind” (verse 11).
DELIGHTING THE SENSES: Wealth (verses 7-8)
Related to verses 4-6 are verses 7-8 which continue Solomon’s thoughts about himself and serving himself. Solomon says he fourthly set his heart on using his wealth to see if having money and spending money and having more stuff would bring him happiness. It makes total logical sense that being wealthy and spending the money on yourself would bring lasting happiness. It makes sense, but it isn’t true.
We know Solomon was beyond filthy rich because in 1 Kings 3:7-15, specifically in verse 13, God promises Solomon, “I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days” (ESV). When I think about Solomon’s wealth, I also think about 1 Kings 4:26 which says, “Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen” (ESV). He was ridiculously wealthy and had more stuff than any one person could enjoy.
ILLUSTRATION… https://www.motorverso.com/how-many-cars-does-jay-leno-have/
I think about Solomon’s horses and chariots and then I think about cars.
For a regular person, owning 3 or 4 cars is already a collection. But around the globe, there are a few car collections that would blow your socks off. And one of those car collections belongs to popular comedian and a legendary TV show host, Jay Leno. In his collection, he has over 181 exotic cars along with 160 motorcycles. Jay Leno himself is worth $450 million and his car collection is valued around $52 million. The entire collection could be worth as high as $100 million. All these valuables are stored in his garage in Burbank, California. It started out as a 17,000 square foot space in 1991 and today it is almost 122,000 square feet… I think that is like 3 acres of cars and motorcycles. Among the 181 cars that Jay Leno has, almost all are 6 figures or more.
I don’t know what Jay Leno says, but I know King Solomon says the masses of silver and gold and horses and chariots and material things do bring pleasure, but not lasting pleasure or lasting happiness or fulfillment in our hearts that help us feel whole and full of purpose. Money doesn’t grow on trees and life is harder when you don’t have it, but it also doesn’t bring lasting happiness and joy in our heart… at least according to Solomon.
DELIGHTING THE SENSES: People (verse 8)
Solomon says he lastly, in verse 8, set his heart on being served in all ways by the people around him. He was free of hard labor or even light labor and was served by an army of male and female slaves. He was entertained by singers. He also mentions that his sexual desires were fulfilled by concubines. Having servants did not bring him lasting happiness. Having singers at his beck and call did not fulfill him. Even a rotating catalogue of women did not fulfill the longing of his heart for meaning and identity. The truth is, there is not a person alive who will fulfill you and give you a solid identity. No one can give you esteem enough to fill the longing of our hearts.
Did you hear that? Someone needs this today. Not one person in your life can give you esteem and meaning and identity enough to fill the longing of your heart. True fulfillment doesn’t come from another person no matter how they look, how much money they have, how they treat you, what they say to you, and on and on. No one can fulfill the God-sized hole in your heart. Ever.
Solomon set his heart to investigate much about life and sought to delight his senses with everything he could find and I would dare say everyone he could find. It all came to nothing. As I mentioned before, he says in verse 11 that it was all meaningless to him. In verse 17, even after some more thoughts about him being a wise king, he says, “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:17, ESV).
APPLICATION: VERSES 24-26
Suddenly in verses 24-26, the Teacher of Ecclesiastes gives us a glimpse of what he really believes and it parallels his thoughts at the end of the book in chapter 12. Again, remember that we are meant to read Ecclesiastes all the way through to the wise punch line at the end. In chapter 2, he describes his quest for fulfillment in laughter, wine, self, wealth, and people. He dove headfirst into those things and found only an empty pool.
In verse 24-25, he tells us that life without God is not enjoyable. Life is toil. Life is meaningless. Except for those who live for God. Without God we invest our life in everything we think is important, but in the end it either goes to someone else or comes to nothing. With God, there is a dimension to life which is endlessly fulfilling with meaning and purpose. The things from the hand of God, verse 24, are what fulfills us in life. The things from the hand of God, verse 24, are what fulfills us in life.
WISE LIVING: ECCLESIASTES 12:13
At the end of Solomon’s deliberations about life in the Book of Ecclesiastes, he arrives in chapter 12 with a thought to end all thoughts which absolutely is the same thought at the end of chapter 2.
READ Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
You see life is absolutely meaningless, pointless, futility, fleeting, a brief breath and a quick vapor unless you and I have a God-given perspective about life. The end of the matter for the wisest person who ever lived was that the whole duty of a human being is to live in a proper right relationship with God.
* Laughter and parties are fleeting, but only joy in the Lord is lasting strength.
READ NEHEMIAH 8:10 (ESV)
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
* Wine and fine things are temporary, but being drunk on the Spirit leads to the eternal.
READ EPHESIANS 5:18 (ESV)
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit
* Self and doing everything for our own name leads to emptiness, but serving others is from God.
READ PHILIPPIANS 2:4 (ESV)
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
* Wealth focuses our heart on earth, but we must have a Heaven-ward focus.
READ MATTHEW 6:19-21 (ESV)
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
* People only give us temporary esteem, so our identity must come from God.
READ 1 JOHN 3:1a (ESV)
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
ILLUSTRATION… preceptaustin.org/ecclesiastes_illustrations_i
Elvis Aaron Presley, nicknamed the King of Rock and Roll, rose from poverty to fame in the 1950s. He built his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. His songs topped the charts, and he starred in Hollywood movies. His fame and riches seemed to know no end, and he became recognized for his extravagant lifestyle, paying cash for Cadillacs and private airplanes. But all of his riches could not buy happiness. Twenty years later, Elvis’s life spiraled out of control, and in 1973 he died of a drug overdose, leaving everything he had so carefully acquired. I really think, in the end, Elvis would have agreed with Solomon.
King Solomon discovered the same truth and tells us. Earthly riches cannot satisfy. Even the acquisition of all of life’s pleasures can leave a person empty and longing for more. The king had acquired everything his heart could possibly desire. King Solomon was known for his 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11). He built vast palaces and vineyards. He acquired people and animals. He stockpiled gold, silver, and treasures. Certainly, most would assume, this type of extravagant wealth would result in absolute daily happiness. Yet the more he acquired, the more he was dissatisfied.
He describes possessions, activities, and entertainment. He wanted his mind and hands to be busy and all of his senses delighted. But it was never enough. He says in 2:10 “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired” (ESV).
Throughout Scripture, we see this trait of humankind: the sinful desire to have more. The thing about this Truth is that most of us hear it, but we don’t believe it is true. We want to experience it for ourselves for some reason. We don’t take Solomon at his word. So, when you find that laughter, wine, self, wealth, and people all really come to nothing, remember Solomon’s words at the end.
RE-READ Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
PRAYER
INVITATION
