My fellow missionaries and I have been doing an Ecclesiastes Sunday Chapel Time series for the past several months. In this study’s passage, the Teacher continues to investigate what is good for people to do during their life, focusing on pleasure and accomplishments.

Prior to this study, we studied the end of Ecclesiastes 1. We learned that the Teacher had sought knowledge and wisdom, but he realized that to do this was meaningless. The more you learn, and the more knowledge and wisdom you acquire, the more grief and sorrow you’ll experience. As such, true happiness and satisfaction can’t be found in knowledge and wisdom. It’s like trying to grasp the wind. Impossible and pointless. Hevel.

But what about pleasure, possessions, and accomplishments? Before reading the passage, take some time (by yourself or in a group) and think about this first discussion question. Then read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11.

The Problem with Pleasure

The Teacher here decides to thoughtfully give himself completely over to pleasure. While the Teacher explored high-status activities of studying and learning before, he’s now examining the pastimes that most people fill their days with. A great number of people throughout history have tried to make the most of life by just enjoying themselves. “Just enjoy life!” “Just do what makes you happy.”

British radio broadcaster John Walters famously said, “Life is short, so enjoy it to the fullest.” This concept has deeply permeated our society today, and most people agree with this idea. It seems reasonable to us. We like pleasure. We like having fun. So the Teacher decided to try and “enjoy life to the fullest.” 

Laughter is Madness

But the Teacher wasn’t satisfied. He said that laughter was “madness,” and wondered what pleasure accomplished in the end. Let’s think about laughter. What does it really do for us? Why do we do it? Sure, some studies say it improves our moods and psychological health, which in turn could help us live longer. But so what? Even if you live longer, you still die. The end result is the same. 

Or let’s think about laughter in the sense that you laugh at anything and everything in order to have a good time. You try to hide your grief, your guilt—any bad feelings you have behind laughter. Maybe, if you laugh enough, you won’t feel that pain anymore. But that’s not how it works, is it? Your pain, your sadness, your guilt—all the bad feelings that are stored up inside of you are still there. They aren’t erased; just hidden. The moment you stop laughing, you remember those feelings. So you laugh—ALWAYS.

But think of how ridiculous that is. Imagine someone that laughs at EVERYTHING—whether it’s funny or not. They might come across as crazy. Or maybe like a cry for help. You wonder, “What’s wrong with them? Why don’t they take anything seriously? Are they okay?” Finding joy and satisfaction in laughter itself only makes you look foolish. Madness. Hevel.

Pleasure

Or what about pleasure? What does it accomplish? The Teacher tried to find meaning in enjoying good food, good wine, and the other pleasures of life. But he found that pleasure and enjoyment themselves don’t accomplish anything. It doesn’t build anything; it doesn’t produce anything tangible or physical. Pleasure doesn’t help others, either. It only serves you. Sure, pleasure produces endorphins and serotonin, which improves our mood for a time… But then the hormones fade, and we want more. We become addicted to these things, seeking that long-term pleasure, and our lives are completely ruled by these addictions. So much for that good life.

Possessions and Achievements

But the Teacher doesn’t just look at pleasure. He also considers possessions and achievements. Think about this next discussion question.

The Teacher, exemplifying a life of great wealth where he could get anything he wanted, whenever he wanted, increased his riches and possessions beyond what we could ever hope to accomplish. Houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, reservoirs, servants, slaves, livestock, silver and gold, singers, concubines, you name it. And he worked hard to get these things, too. These are all physical displays of his wealth, accomplishments, and status. But what of them?

These things are all temporary. They only take up space, and you can’t bring them or use them when you die. Moreover, if you’re seeking validation from others through your achievements and possessions, that also doesn’t matter in the end. Not only do you die, but those people that you want to approve of you also die. Their opinions and treatment towards you are meaningless. Hevel. We all ultimately end up in the same place. So why are we working so hard to get things that we can’t hold onto forever? Why do we work so hard for temporary pleasures, possessions, achievements, and validation?

It’s All Hevel

The Teacher allowed himself to deeply explore all avenues of pleasure and achievement to an extent that we will never be able to. Anything he wanted, he got. He rewarded all his work and struggles with all the pleasure he saw as appropriate. You know, the “treat yourself” mindset. “I worked hard. I deserve a reward for my work.” And through his great wisdom, he was able to properly analyze his investigations, and deduced that it’s all hevel. Meaningless. Vapor. Everything he worked for, everything he achieved was futile—a “pursuit of the wind.” 

Verse 11 says, “There is nothing to be gained under the sun.” Concerning earthly things, there is nothing that we can truly gain. We may have some things for a short time, but we don’t keep them. We can’t. Either those things disappear, or we do. Our possessions? They break, are stolen, lose their usefulness, get replaced or lost. Our achievements? Forgotten, surpassed, misattributed.

Temporary vs. Permanent

I know this all sounds really depressing. But we need to get a solid grasp of our situation in this world. We think of ourselves as more than we really are, and that inevitably leads to dissatisfaction, because we are always expecting more than we can ever accomplish or acquire. However, Christians don’t seem to have this dissatisfaction problem. Why is that? The problem with finding meaning and living for pleasure or status or achievement or validation is that these things are temporary. We need something that’s going to last. We need something that’s going to satisfy us and give us a purpose that transcends us. But nothing on this earth can accomplish this.

Seek Something That Will Last

That’s where God comes in. That’s where Jesus comes in. Jesus is God, and therefore has existed for all time, and continues to exist for all eternity. Jesus promises us eternal life, where we can then live and enjoy the blessings of God, which are NOT temporary. That’s what we should be seeking. That’s why Christians have a sense of satisfaction and purpose about them.

Will you continue striving for something that’s going to continue to escape your grasp, like the wind? Or will you turn your attention towards Jesus, and seek His eternal promises and blessings that are freely and securely given to you?