2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
- What did Solomon set out to test after evaluating wisdom and knowledge?
- What was his basic purpose in doing this?
- Why are pleasures so appealing and enticing?
- Why is laughter so appealing and enticing?
- How is laughter related to pleasure?
- What is wrong with experiencing pleasure and/or laughter?
- When do pleasures under the sun become a physical problem? A spiritual problem?
- What does pleasure accomplish?
- How long does pleasure last?
- How long does the thing that produces pleasure satisfy?
- Why did Solomon use wine?
- How did Solomon plan his use of wine?
- How did wine help Solomon take hold of folly?
So Solomon found hurt in seeking wisdom. What is the opposite of hurt? Pleasure. So he sought out pleasure and laughter. How often do we do that? We are hurt in some way so we seek comfort. Maybe it is food. Maybe a video game. Maybe sex. Maybe drugs or alcohol. You fill in the blank. Yet we all know what Solomon learned. It is vanity. It is empty. It is foolishness. The ice cream and chocolate only last a short while. The sex only lasts a short while. The alcohol only lasts a short while. Soon we want more. The hurt has not gone away but the relief has. It is all just vanity.
1 comment:
Solomon seems to be describing an experiment in a search for the meaning of life. After trying many things. it brought him to the realization that everything he tried was vanity. (See 2:11) The NIV says that all of these experiments was like "... chasing after the wind." As I look back on my own life, I can tell you there were times I tried desparately to "catch the wind." I was a "work-aholic" which brought me temporary pleasure. Thanks to a very good friend in Medina, Ohio, I was able to recover from this so-called "chasing the wind."
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