SOLOMON'S TEST OF PLEASURE (ECCLESIASTES 2:1-11)

A. Pleasure and vanity (2:1-2)

        B. “my wisdom” (2:3a)

                C. Life “under heaven” (2:3b)

                        D. “Great” works (2:4-6)

                        D'. “Great” possessions (2:7-8)

                        D''. “Great” status (2:9a)

        B'. “my wisdom” (2:9b)

    A'. Pleasure and vanity (2:10-11a)

                C'. Life “under the sun” (2:11b)

This section describes Solomon's first systematic test of pursuing what mortals feel will fulfill them while on earth. As expected, all his attempts lead to dead ends and fail to satisfy him.

The center section (Ecclesiastes 2:4-9a) consists of the test itself and is based on the common, but false, assumption that through significant accomplishments (Section D marked by verbs such as “made” and “built”) and accumulation of possessions (Section D' marked by verbs such as “bought,” “had,” “gathered” and “got”), one then becomes a “greater” person than others (D''). Note Solomon's matter-of-fact comment in verse 9: “So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem.”

This sort of earthly competition we set up for ourselves versus our peers (assuming we even admit that we have any worth considering) is widespread among humanity and probably occurs wherever you are and whatever your position in life happens to be. I will admit that when I was a graduate student, marks of status consisted of things such as how soon you could pass your cumulative exams and how many on-site job interviews you were given. Then, when I became a research chemist, the competition was to see if you could publish more technical papers and/or author more patents than your immediate peers. As a research manager, I am afraid that every time a new organization chart came out, I would actually count how many people I had reporting to me compared to other managers to see if I was losing or gaining in prestige. And each different group has its own way of counting status points. Just consider your own for a minute, and I think you will realize that I am correct.

Nowadays, it is often how many views, followers or “likes” you can get that distinguishes the superstar from the rank-and-file. The problem, of course, as Solomon found out in subsequent chapters, is that such fame is fleeting and there is always someone else who will come along and eclipse whatever we have done or the number of possessions we have accumulated. In addition, even if we do manage to scramble to the top of whatever small hill we are trying to conquer, the accomplishment will soon begin to feel hollow at the core. Or, I should say, we are fortunate if we do realize that it is hollow.

And note that this even happened to someone who was blessed by God not only with earthly wisdom, but with divine wisdom as well. However, look at how Solomon referred instead to “my mind guiding me with wisdom” in Section B and “my wisdom” in B'. Once we start taking pride in something we should be thanking God for instead, we can quickly begin to go astray.

Another main problem with such pursuits to bring meaning into our lives is that it only applies to life “under the sun / under the heavens,” synonymous phrases that conclude the first and last major blocks of material in this overall passage (C and C'). And, if we really took Jesus' repeated warnings seriously, we would remember that “the first will become last, and the last will become first” in the light of life eternal.