APR 14

Ecclesiastes 2:3-6
Memorise Proverbs 20:1
“Whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise…”

From Ecclesiastes 2:3-10, Solomon gives us a summary of all he did, as he sought to experience all the pleasures that the world had to offer.

Firstly, in verse 3, he tell us how he gave himself over to wine, seeing that it is through drinking that he saw the people around him having fun. And so he joined in with the people in their merry-making, their wild parties and revelling. But Solomon was wise, in that he did not fully give himself over to drunkenness, but continued to retain his wisdom. Intellectually, he certainly understood the dangers of dabbling with alcohol, for he himself warned in Proverbs 20:1 that “wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”. Yet he continued with his experiment, for his objective in the experiment was to try to understand how wine could be fulfilling in life, and whether it was a viable option of pleasure. Of course it was not and therefore in retrospect he describes this activity as trying to ‘lay hold on (meaning to grab hold of) folly’. He thought that to be involving himself in these things, he could somehow harness this folly, grab hold of it, experience it for himself, and find joy and satisfaction from it. Of course it was not a successful endeavour. It is indeed a foolish thing to think that by drinking one can solve all their problems, and forget their fears, stresses and anxieties.

Next, verses 4-6 describe how he sought after accomplishments in this life. He became an engineer, building houses and vineyards, designing gardens and planting all manners of trees. He even devised an irrigation system to water his plants, and provide water for his gardens. These building projects are recorded in greater detail in 1 Kings 4-10 and 2 Chronicles 2-9. It was entirely a self-fulfilling endeavour, where he sought to achieve all he could in this life, to satiate his pride and to show forth his wisdom. If you examine the dimensions of his own house, you would notice that everything that he built for himself was larger than the temple of God. This was really telling of the pride that was in his heart, for he sought to glorify himself more than God! Remember also what David’s wish was when he requested to build God a house: “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” (2 Samuel 7:2). For David, it was for the glory of God. For Solomon, it had become for the glory of self, where his own house of cedar far exceeded the house of the Lord.

Thought: What brings you the greatest fulfilment in this life?
Prayer: Lord, help me find the greatest joy by abiding in You!