Ecclesiastes Part 03

In verses 12–18 of chapter one, Solomon was searching for meaning in life. His position as a great king to whom God had given greater wisdom than anyone else made him uniquely suited to explore the issue. He observes in this passage, 

“this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be humbled.” 

How humbling it can be to try to find true, long-lasting meaning in temporary lives!  

The statement “What is crooked cannot be made straight” does not mean that no problems can ever be straightened out today. The reference is to “all the works that are done under the sun” or the totality of the human experience. “No amount of investigating or using the resources of earth will ever straighten out all that is crooked, twisted, perverted, or turned upside down” (NKJV Study Bible, note on verse 15). Indeed, God has subjected the world to adversity because of man’s wrong choices, and His will cannot be contravened (compare Ecclesiastes 7:13). The second line of Ecclesiastes 1:15, “And what is lacking cannot be numbered,” means either that missing elements in the puzzle cannot be taken into account in trying to solve it (because you don’t know what you don’t know) or that the deficiency of elements essential to a solution is too vast to comprehend. 

Chapter 1 ends with verse 18, 

“For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” 

We can see that Solomon was speaking from his own experience in learning wisdom. He was the wisest and richest man, yet this still frustrated him! He noted that those who take life seriously can never take it lightly. This is similar to a quote by Horace Walpole, “The world is a comedy for those who think, a tragedy for those who feel.” Most people believe that life must have some meaning, if only they could find it! We should remember how blessed we are when we are called by God. He is the only one who can reveal life's true purpose to us and to all people in due time.    

In the king’s investigation of “madness and folly” (Ecclesiastes 1:17), he plunges into the pursuit of mirth and pleasure, which he labels “madness” and “folly” (Ecclesiastes 2:1–3). Life at Solomon’s court was an ongoing party. Dr. Walter Kaiser comments: “With what hilarity and laughter must the palace halls have echoed as Solomon, his courtiers, and his guests exchanged jokes, drank wine, listened to the witty merrymakers from all over the region, and feasted bountifully each day on ‘thirty measures of fine flour, sixty measures of meal, ten fat oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, one hundred sheep, in addition to harts, roebucks, fallowdeer and fattened fowl’ (1 Kings 4:22–23)! Some estimates suggest that it would take thirty or forty thousand people to consume that much food each day. No wonder 1 Kings 4:20 says, 

‘Judah and Israel were as many as the sand, which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.’ 

The whole plan was to sample mirth, pleasure, wine and folly until he could determine what was ‘good’ for the sons of man” (Ecclesiastes: Total Life, pp. 55–56). 

Solomon sought sensual gratification while, he says, “guiding my heart with wisdom.” This is surprising, for the extent of the king’s hedonistic exercise seems to have been rather foolish—indeed we know from other scriptural reports about him that he overindulged in more than food and wine. How does he maintain that there was any wisdom guiding his heart? What seems to be implied is that Solomon never wholly abandoned himself to mindless dissipation. Rather, as he experimented with various pleasures he was always thinking them over and considering their worth in making life better and in fulfilling man’s longings. We should realize that the wisdom Solomon speaks of here is not ultimate godly wisdom, but rather the height of human reason employed in examining life’s opportunities. Solomon came to recognize that living for the sake of pleasure is pointless.   

Consider, however, that at the conclusion of this section in Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 Solomon will advocate finding enjoyment in life. Yet, as he will make clear—especially in the book’s overall conclusion—this comes in the context of a right relationship with God, experiencing His blessings within proper boundaries as part of a life committed to Him. We will never find fulfillment in pursuing enjoyment for its own sake. True joy and happiness are the byproducts of a life properly devoted to God. 

Solomon next moves on to material pursuits—accomplishments and amassing wealth and luxuries (Ecclesiastes 2:4–11). He says the great building projects and acquisitions here were for himself—using the word “myself” six times in this section (verses 4–8). So, this was just a different way of pursuing personal pleasure (verse 10). 

Solomon’s statement in verse 9 that his wisdom remained with him does not mean he was acting wisely. It could mean that he always retained wisdom in his head despite what he did. The statement may have the same sense as that about guiding his heart with wisdom in verse 3, referring to him always evaluating his worldly pursuits and gains, considering whether or not they brought fulfillment. As he acknowledges in verse 11, they did not—being vanity and grasping for the wind and not containing the profit or benefit sought at the outset of the book (Ecclesiastes 1:3). All that money can afford does not buy happiness. Solomon’s mention in Ecclesiastes 2:9 of being the greatest and wealthiest is important in this regard. As David Moore writes in the Holman Old Testament Commentary: “If the most powerful and wealthy man in the world could not find happiness in possessions apart from God, then the futility of pursuing such things becomes evident for the rest of us. This lesson is similar to what Solomon learned about being the wisest man in the world. 

Indeed, as the Preaching the Word commentary points out: “If we were able to find lasting satisfaction in earthly pleasure, then we would never recognize our need for God. But satisfaction does not come in the pleasures themselves; it comes separately. Satisfaction only comes in God himself, so that our dissatisfaction may teach us to turn to him...God is not a spoilsport. He is not trying to take pleasure away from us but to give it to us. Once we learn how to find our satisfaction in God himself, then all his other gifts become the best and truest pleasures” (p. 52, 54). 

Wisdom Literature is a course taught at ABC by Dr. Urwiller. Recordings from the 2018–2019 class year are available to listen to on the ABC website.      

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.