People try all avenues to bring meaning and purpose to their life.
I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:1)
You name any field, professional sports, business, politics and if you do just a little searching you will find that what they found in the end was, it did not bring meaning and purpose. Even the awards that they sacrificed to achieve do not satisfy after they reached the height in their field.
Leonardo DiCaprio finds fame "empty and pointless". He said, "You learn, after you've been in the business for a while, that fame is empty and pointless."
Today many are re-evaluating the lifestyle of seeking pleasure. The rich and famous are coming to the same conclusion of another rich and famous person Solomon, “meaningless”.
It would be wonderful if we could learn from others’ mistakes. We are drawn into the meaningless pursuits. We neglect the meaningful in pursuit of the meaningless. It happened to the son of King David, and it still is happening all around us. How do we keep it from happening to us?
“Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. (Ecclesiastes 2:2-3)
As a baby you most likely learned to laugh before you learned to say your first word. Our laughter can create a powerful connection with others. There are many wonderful benefits to our lives from laughter, but at some point, it fails in bringing the deep meaning to our lives. There are some gifted comedians who made us laugh but their lives were very empty.
It is great to have a sense of humor, but if we lack other range of emotions, we will have a shallow life. In the next chapter Solomon says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh.
Along the same line as laughter, Solomon says the same for cheering ourselves up with wine. There may be some short-term sense of cheer, but that is different than long term meaning. Look at how Solomon is searching. He said, I wanted to see. He was seeking. He could really say he had been there and tried that. When he said laughter and wine are not bringing meaning it is because that was his experience.
What about the pleasures of wealth. Solomon was an expert in this. He was the wealthiest person in the world. He is not talking theory here.
Probably everyone has come across a person who felt like if they won ten million dollars in the lottery then everything would be great for them. It is shocking to read stories of those who do become instantly wealthy, and it destroys them and has just the opposite effect of what they thought would happen with wealth.
There are some things money can do. It can allow you to run your air conditioner on a hot day. You could afford a reliable car. But money controls people and soon chasing money is stealing our quality of life not adding to it. This is summed up as the rat race. When no amount of money satisfies, and everyone wants more.
The story of the Mexican village fisherman points out the folly of the rat race. A boat was docked in a tiny Mexican fishing village. A tourist complimented a local fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long” he answered.
“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” The fisherman explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” “I sleep late, play with our children, and take siestas with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”
The tourist interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And after that?” The fisherman asked. “With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of boats. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City!!! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” “Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years.” replied the tourist. “And after that?” “Afterwards? Well, my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the tourist, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the fisherman. “After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
“With all due respect sir, but that’s exactly what I am doing now. So, what’s the point wasting twenty-five years?” asked the fisherman.
The fisherman knew that chasing money would not bring meaning. He still was not completely on target to find meaning. Meaning does not come from a siesta having wine with friends. He is getting close to the meaning Solomon will point us to when he values a life that gives him time with family.
Our meaning comes when we are rightly related to God. This is what Solomon needed to learn from his father King David who was a man after God’s own heart. Instead, Solomon is searching for meaning in the wrong places.
Look at some of the ways that Solomon found out did not bring meaning. One is great building projects.
I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. (Ecclesiastes 2:4)
Solomon was charged to build the great temple of God in Israel sometimes called “Solomon’s Temple.” Solomon was a great builder. He built multiple cities, roads, a navy fleet, stables, city walls and a palace. But by far Solomon’s most noteworthy achievement was building the temple. This temple was magnificent.
Not only did Solomon have courtyards with gardens, but they were filled with exotic plants and even imported exotic animals. It did not bring meaning for him. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
(Ecclesiastes 2:5-6)
I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. (Ecclesiastes 2:7-8)
How rich was Solomon. Well, the queen of Sheba said the half has not been told. Solomon was a trillionaire by today’s dollars. If you look at the richest people of all times guess who is listed as number one in the history of the world? Yep, it’s Solomon. He called it meaningless.
Solomon had a harem that included 700 wives and 300 concubines. Not only did Solomon’s harem not bring meaning, but it caused him great spiritual harm. It did the opposite of bringing meaning. We will find out that it is a relationship with God that is what brings meaning. Solomon’s harem took his heart in the opposite direction of God.
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1 Kings 11:3-4).
What about becoming the GOAT? Does being the greatest of all time bring meaning? Not true meaning. There might be some temporary high that comes crashing down and leaves a hangover and depression in its wake.
9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-9)
In the end Solomon was no better than Samson that let his lusts and his passions and pursuit of pleasure take his heart away from God. We need a solution to our problem of our heart being led astray. A savior is born for all people. That is the good news of great joy for all people that was announced when Jesus came.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil. (Ecclesiastes 2:10)
Through Jesus meaning is there for the rich or poor, good gardener or bad gardener. For the GOAT or the one who struck out every time they got up to bat.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
There are so many things that allure and offer promise. If you drive the right car. If you live in the right house located in the right neighborhood. If you have the right salary. If you let yourself go on the path of alcohol and sex outside of marriage. These are pleasures that make false promises of meaning.
The list is long as to what does not offer meaning. We should ask what does offer meaning? As a believer you have Christ in you the hope of glory. This is meaning. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly that our life would have meaning.
All around us people are coming to the harsh reality that what they thought would bring meaning left them empty. It leaves them broken. There is hope for the broken. Jesus is the answer to give meaning.
Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10) Have you found meaning in Jesus Christ. Good. You have been blessed to bless others. You need to share with others how you experienced peace. They want to know how you have meaning.
You will experience more meaning when you share Christ with others. There are hurting people everywhere. Only Solomon is the richest man in the history of the world. But all around us are people who are broken when they discover what they pursued all their life does not bring meaning. We can share the love of Christ with them.
