The Path of Self-Indulgence

Continuing with our study of Ecclesiastes:

Eccl. 2:1-2 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

Solomon decided at one point to direct his energies toward participating in the things that gave him pleasure and made him laugh. He concluded that laughter and pleasure gave one no lasting satisfaction. I found a quote by Robert Burns that expresses it well: “Pleasures are like poppies spread; You seize the stem, the bloom is shed!”

This is not to say that pleasure and laughter are bad things or that it is wrong to enjoy such. It’s just that the benefits are fleeting and add nothing to the search for purpose and meaning in life.

Eccl. 2:3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

Next, he tried to find happiness through the intoxication of wine and the foolish actions that inevitably accompany that choice, yet still claiming to maintain control of his senses. He was claiming justification for his “folly” as necessary to his search to determine how best man should invest his time and energy during this lifetime.

Again, this is nothing new under the sun. Aren’t we always trying to justify foolish or sinful actions? I’ve come to the conclusion that every time the Christian engages in such justification, it usually reflects a lack of faith in God. It’s a declaration that we know better than God how to determine what is best in a given set of circumstances.

Eccl. 2:4-8 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

Solomon boldly declares that he also embarked on a mission to amass every type of material possession. He built houses and palaces; planted vineyards, gardens orchards of fruit trees; he built retaining pools to water the trees; he bought slaves that increased his investment by having children; he attained great herds of different kinds of cattle. He states that his possessions exceeded all that had preceded him in Israel (as represented by its capital city, Jerusalem). He also amassed great treasuries of silver and gold in the form of tribute from neighboring kingdoms to assure their standing of peace with Israel. Solomon evidently loved music because he seems to take special delight in being entertained by skilled musicians. Most of the translators equate “the delights of the sons of men” with a harem, and I have no reason to dispute this considering the record of scripture.

1Kings 11:1&3 “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites….And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.”

Solomon’s approach to life in this section certainly reflects the attitude of today’s world.
• “Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow we die.”
• “If it feels good, do it.”
• “You only live once, so take every single opportunity that comes by.”
• “Anything that feels good couldn’t possibly be bad.”