And What?

Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes chapter two is quite telling. Solomon reports his attempt to find out what matters in life. The list of what King Solomon tried and discovered it gives no pleasure is unfortunately the very same things we are aggressively pursuing.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 King Solomon discovered that pleasure, laughter, and wine are meaningless. They are not the greatest goal one should pursue in search of satisfaction. Pleasure and laughing are meaningless at the end. Wine or getting high on alcohol or whatever else substance makes us high is waste according to the wisest man who ever lived. He tried and discovered it’s not worth it.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-6 tells us of Solomon’s building projects. He built various projects. Beautiful projects. Fully equipped. State of the art. Highly admirable. This is exactly what we do. When we get some money, we build so that we enjoy owning and being admired for such great work. The building has become a measure of having succeeded in life. Yet Solomon in his unmatched God-given wisdom tells us that, even such huge projects were meaningless as a goal of life.

Ecclesiastes 2:7 Solomon employed people. There is some pleasure in being an employer. Some evil has the evil of pleasure of ordering employees around and giving them crazy assignments just to exercise authority. That feeling of having employed people and they depend on you. Solomon says it’s ultimately meaningless!

Solomon goes on to confess the emptiness of owning herds of cattle, amassing wealth, having top-notch entertainment of singers, and even having a harem for sexual pleasure. Solomon says that it is all meaningless. It is not worth the efforts we put if we think it will give us meaningful satisfaction. It is meaningless!

Solomon lists many things including the meaninglessness of employment, Ecclesiastes 2:17. So what should one do since everything is meaningless? Ecclesiastes 2:24 tells us to find satisfaction in whatever we are doing. Do not work towards satisfaction, no. Find satisfaction in what you are doing. Enjoy the process, don’t wait to enjoy the end. Whatever it is, just enjoy it.

Enjoy the relationship, don’t wait to enjoy the marriage. Enjoy the studies, don’t wait to enjoy the final results. Enjoy and find satisfaction in what is happening now. King Solomon tells us that this too is from the hand of God.

Our text today concludes this chapter by telling us, God grants these things. Others try to get through their own efforts but God grants it for free. God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness. And what?

God gives happiness? Oh what a wonderful piece of news that happiness comes from God. Others seek happiness in achievements but our God gives it to us. Others seek happiness in material possessions, but God grants us that happiness. God gives wisdom, knowledge, and what? And happiness!

May God grant us happiness, in Jesus’ name Amen!

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