SERIES: Ecclesiastes
TEXT: Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26
MESSAGE: “The Pursuit of Happiness”

What’s the meaning of life?

Q: “Are you happy?”

“Nothing ultimately satisfies. We think we “need” more to be happy, but when we accumulate more, we are still not happy. In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon attempts to expose this philosophy as garbage. He tells us that he had it all and came away empty. Our struggle will be believing Solomon when he says, “I have had it all and done it all, and it was all meaningless.” Most of us look at stories of stars who had it all and their life turned out to be a wreck, and we think, I would trade places with you in a heartbeat. If I had all of that money and fame, I would know how to enjoy it. If I could trade places with the rich and powerful, I would appreciate it more and not make the foolish decisions they made. Solomon lovingly attempts to undercut our faulty thinking. In modern vernacular he exposes the emptiness of the American dream.” — Daniel and Jonathan Akin

“In this world, those who follow Jesus Christ never find a permanent home. We find peace with God through Christ, and there is rest for the weary and burdened. But the gospel does not lead us into a settled life of contented ease. This has always been true of God’s family.“ — David Gibson

TEXT: Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26

What are the dead end paths that Solomon addresses today and where can we find hope? He addresses two problems and a solution. He addresses reasons behind our…(1. Endless Problems 2. Empty Pursuits 3. Eternal Perspective)

1. Endless Problems (v. 1:12-18)

“I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” — Genesis 3:1-7

• Geisel Library
• Serpent Path

2. Empty Pursuits (v. 2:1-4)

“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. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.”

“…CEOs may be depressed at more than double the rate of the general public (which is already about 20%). Some popular articles have argued that extreme success has so many strings attached that it can pull a person down completely. Some studies even suggest that rich kids are, counter-intuitively, more depressed and anxious than their middle- or low- income peers. And we know from a cross-national research that depression is more common in wealthy countries than in the less wealthy, less industrialized ones.” — Alice Walton

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself…” — Blaise Pascal

3. Eternal Perspective (v. 2:22-26)

“What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.”

“It is interesting that from 1:14 to 2:23 God has been entirely absent from the writer’s Frame of reference; the striving self is at the center. But now in 2:24-26 God is mentioned 3 times in quick succession. The emphasis is on what God gives. He is the one who gives enjoyment and satisfaction in life…” —David Gibson

• “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” — Romans 8:8
• “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” — John 8:29

TAKEAWAYS: How can apply this?

I. What is your source of happiness?

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” ― Augustine

II. Do you believe your life is about “gift” or “gain?”

“For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy…” — Ecclesiastes 2:26

“…and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” — Matthew 3:17