Have you ever been disappointed? If not, you are a very unique person. I think that one does not have to have been living long before the first sense of disappointment occurs.
I am presently reading a book called “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom. Although not confessing to be a devout Jew, he still appreciates certain aspects of his tradition and one day he is talking with his aging Rabbi and “a commercial for an antidepressant drug flashed across the [TV] screen… [their conversation then turned to depression, happiness, etc in the light of this commercial as they reflected on] … Happiness in a tablet… [he concludes] … But pills were not going to change the fundamental problem… wanting what you can’t have … layering work on top of work and still wondering why you weren’t satisfied – before working some more.
I knew. I had done all that. There was a stretch where I could not have worked more … I piled on the accomplishments. I made money. I earned accolades. And the longer I went at it, the emptier I began to feel, like pumping air faster and faster into a torn tire [or maybe he could have said like chasing after the wind!].” (Mitch Albom, Have a Little Faith – A True Story, Sphere. 2009)
Well, he was not the first or the last to feel this way. As we continue to read Ecclesiastes, we sense the deep disappointment in Qoheleth as he seeks satisfaction and meaning in life. But, as C. Wright reminded us in my last Post, “If his whole project is based on purely empirical observation and deduction, this will be a bumpy ride… at this stage his wisdom is totally self-referential—I saw, I thought, etc.” (# 60) It seemed that it certainly was a “bumpy ride” which lead towards great disappointment and frustration. Consider his words:
2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
There are some key words/phrases here to help us understand Qoheleth’s “experiment”. They are “pleasure”, “what is good … under the sun.”
Firstly “pleasure”. The Cambridge Dictionary defines this as “enjoyment, happiness, or satisfaction, or something that gives this.” Well, most of us have no problem with this and there are many things in life that give legitimate pleasure including our relationships, food, certain activities, and the wonders of God’s creation. I am reminded though of a verse in the Bible concerning Moses. It says:
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26)
There are legitimate pleasures and there are the alternatives which the author of Hebrews here describes as the fleeting pleasures of sin. Moses had the insight to see the difference and not to ignore the consequences. In fact, the reward mentioned is thathe (like Abraham) was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10)
Secondly, “what is good … under the sun.” Well, there are many good things on this earth that are gifts from God for us to enjoy. Listen to a few of these things that Qoheleth mentions:
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
Quite a list!
So, with the expressed aim of wanting to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives, Qoheleth indulges in all these so called, “good things”! In fact he writes:
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
Pleasure for pleasure’s sake and the result:
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
But there is much more to life and Jesus told the following parable to explain:
“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
I think the message is obvious here. The rich man was depending on his possessions to bring meaning and happiness to his life, forgetting about God and his desire for us to live for him and for the blessing of others as well as meeting our own needs. Being rich toward God will always result in being generous towards others. One never knows when God will call us to account for our lives.
As John wrote The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
Worship and Wisdom - Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. 