Introduction.
A. Solomon was in better position than anyone to pursue happiness to its greatest extent.
B. He left no stone unturned in his indulgence of the proverbial pursuit of "wine, women, and song" and more.
C. The books of Eccl., Prov., 1 Kings, and 2 Chron. reveal things about Solomon's pursuits.
1. After each endeavor, Solomon had a favorite expression which summed up the whole matter.
2. It was, "All is vanity and striving after the wind." Eccl. 2:11
3. Let's look at some of his endeavors. Happiness is not found in:
I.
WINE. "I searched in my heart how to gratify my
flesh with wine."
A. However, he wrote in Prov. these things about wine. Prov. 20:1; 23:29-35
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
[30] Those who tarry long over wine;
those who go to try mixed wine.
[31] Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
[32] In the end it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
[33] Your eyes will see strange things,
and your heart utter perverse things.
[34] You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
[35] They struck me," you will say, "but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I must have another drink."
1. Alcohol does not deliver the happiness it seems to promise.
2. In the end, the alcoholic reaches the point where he hates the whole thing; however, it has already taken control, and he has become it slave.
II.
WOMEN.
A. Solomon had a thousand women, but they didn't bring him happiness and contentment.
1. Instead, they lead him astray. 1 Kings 11:1-8
2. It seems that whenever Solomon saw a beautiful woman, he said, "I want her" and he took her to be his wife.
a. In this, the wisest man in the world seems to be the greatest fool.
3. Can you imagine a thousand women scheming to have first place with Solomon? It seems this would bring misery instead of happiness.
B. Eccles. 7:26-29 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. [27] Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— [28] which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. [29] See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
1. Solomon couldn't find one good woman among a thousand because of the kind of women he dealt with.
2. His dealings were with beautiful woman, not with god-fearing woman.
a. Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Eccles. 2:8
…I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man.
A. Solomon didn't need a stereo, radio, or TV to listen to music because he had the real thing.
B. Many people today seek out beautiful music and the singers who present it.
Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, [14] besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.
A. The gold coming to Solomon each year equaled around 200 million dollars, not to mention all the other wealth he had.
1. He was so wealthy he would make Bill Gates look like a pauper.
B. Many people think, "If I only had money, it would solve all my problems.
1. The abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
a.
Eccles. 5:10-13 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves
wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
[11] When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage
has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
[12] Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much,
but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. [13] There is a
grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner
to his hurt,
2. It is better to have only a little, than to much with have sorrow and trouble.
a. Eccles. 4:6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
Eccles. 1:13 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.
A. He started out by becoming a great engineer and architect but, apparently, he tried to "square the circle" and got into mathematics of the infinity.
1. He wanted to know everything there was to know, so he enrolled in "Madness and Folly, 101."
2. However, all this later proved to be a worthless endeavor.
3. He said, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh." Eccl. 12:12
B. There are advantages to higher education, but when academic education becomes a substitute for God, or causes one to not put God first, it becomes evil.
Eccles. 2:9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
2 Chron. 9:22-26
Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. [23] And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. [24] Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. [25] And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. [26] And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.
A. All this notoriety and power did not bring lasting peace, because he had to protect his kingdom at all times.
1. For example, he considered Jeroboam as a threat and tried to kill him. 1 Kings 11:40
VII.
POSSESSIONS.
A. He said, "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them." Eccl. 2:10
B. He had animals of all kinds. 2 Chron. 9:21
C. He had possessions of all kinds. Eccl. 2:4-8
D. He even made himself an elaborate ivory and gold throne. 1 Kings 10:18-19
1 Kings 10:18-19 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. [19] The throne had six steps, and at the back of the throne was a calf's head, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,
VIII.
SOLOMON'S CONCLUSION.
A. In all worldly pursuits, Solomon concludes that all vanity.
1. He used the word "vanity" about thirty times in the book of Eccl., beginning and closing the book with it.
2. Let's look at a few of those.
Eccles. 1:2
Vanity of
vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Eccles. 1:14
I have
seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a
striving after wind.
Eccles. 2:1
I said in
my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself."
But behold, this also was vanity.
Eccles. 2:11
Then I
considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it,
and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to
be gained under the sun.
Eccles. 2:21
because
sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must
leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is
vanity and a great evil.
Eccles. 4:4
Then I
saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor.
This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Eccles. 6:2
a man to
whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all
that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger
enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.
B. Fear God and keep his commandments. Eccl. 12:13-14
Eccles. 12:13-14
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. [14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
1. Though he gave the greatest advice, it appears that he did not follow it.
2. He was not to multiply horses, wives, or silver and gold.
Deut. 17:16-17
Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.' [17] And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
a. As we have seen, he failed in all three of these things.
b. His wives led him astray. Neh. 13:26
Neh. 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.
A. In spite of Solomon's failures, his message is a great one.
1. Any effort to obtain happiness which doesn't put God first is vanity.
B. Let us not be "minding earth things" or "chasing the impossible dream," but serving God with fear and trembling.