In my last blog, I touched on Solomon and wisdom. He was reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived. Yet, he found that his wisdom did not bring him happiness. No joy and no feeling of satisfaction. So what’s left?
How about pleasure? Why not? We can relate to pleasure! We live in a time when there are more pleasures available…….good and bad…..than we could ever experience. Our society is saturated with the pursuit of pleasure.
The Vanity of Pleasure: “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter—“Madness!” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 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.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3}
Who could test pleasure more thoroughly than a king? Solomon was one of the wealthiest men of his day. So if wisdom didn’t give him happiness then perhaps indulging in pleasure would bring the happiness he is seeking.
That’s not to say that enjoyment isn’t of value. Of course it is……life’s pleasures are a gift from God. Laughter can be therapeutic. We need it. What is more fun than a good movie with lots of laughs; a night out with friends; a lovely dinner with family…….these are the great joys of my life. How about you?
Here again…….if we leave God out of the equation then all pleasure seems meaningless.
What about our achievements?
I can relate this. I know you can also. Don’t you feel good at the end of the day when that dreaded task is completed? When something really turned out right? “Hey, I actually did something wonderful today… I got a big promotion at work; people congratulated me on how good I am at my job; I did something amazing!” (Hugs here)
“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. 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. No profit under the sun.” (Ecc. 2:10-11)
So, poor Solomon found no joy in his achievements. Whatever he did really didn’t seem to matter. Everything was still the same…….there was no “profit’ in what he had accomplished.
He reflected on all his achievements…making Israel a respected nation; providing a temple for God; his many enormous building projects. Yet was all this “vanity and grasping for wind?”
So what about us? How do we fit in this picture?
I believe that what we accomplish in life should reflect our desire to please God. We use His gifts to us as an extension of what he has done for us. Yes, we have sense of accomplishment in a job well done…however, we also remember that most of our accomplishments will be forgotten after we are gone.
I’m all for giving lasting memories to our families. Perhaps a few words of wisdom here and there; acts of kindness; a small gift with meaning attached. But mainly, it’s how we live our lives that will be remembered most.
Satisfaction is a gift from God. When we can take our knowledge, our pleasure and our work as gifts from God, then our search has found its goal.
If the righteous have their treasure in heaven (Matt 6:21), then their hearts will be there also.
AbideLines 