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Ecclesiastes Chapter Two Pleasures Are Meaningless ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) What did Solomon say he will test himself with to find out what is good, but what did that turn out to be?
______________________________________________________________________________ Solomon conducted his search for life's meaning as an experiment. He first tried pursuing pleasure. He undertook great projects, bought slaves and herds and flocks, amassed wealth, acquired singers, added many women to his harem, and became the greatest person in Jerusalem. But none of these gave him satisfaction-"Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (2:11). Some of the pleasures Solomon sought were wrong and some were futile when he pursued them as an end in themselves. We must look beyond our activities to the reasons we do them and the purpose they fulfill. Is your goal in life to search for meaning or to search for God who gives meaning? 2) What did Solomon say is foolish?
______________________________________________________________________________ The Teacher set his sights on those pleasures that many people considered worthwhile in themselves. He surrounded himself with happy people who kept him amused, but even the jokes and laughter grew stale (cf. 7:1-6). (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan) 3) How did Solomon try cheering himself, what did his mind guide him with, and what did he want to see?
______________________________________________________________________________ The teacher then turned to sensual pleasures. Yet he still kept a hold of himself so that he could analyze his experiences and see whether they prove to be the answer to all human desires. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan) 4) What great projects did Solomon undertake?
______________________________________________________________________________ A sensible use of money may be a form of
creativity; so Solomon expressed himself in extensive buildings and planted
things. Naturally Solomon did no more than supervise the work. He had only to
give the word, and slaves did his biding (cf. 1Kings 9:17-22). The service of
others is something that money can buy. 5) Who did Solomon become greater than, in all this, what stayed with him, what did he not deny himself, what did he not refuse pleasure to, what did his heart delight in, what was this a reward for, and when he surveyed all that his hands had done and what he had toiled to achieve, what was everything?
______________________________________________________________________________ More than any other man, Solomon was able to buy every single thing he imagined could satisfy him. He kept his sense of discernment intact (verses 3, 9). Solomon wanted to determine to what extent one could find the key to life in a varied use of great wealth. In the end money and the pleasures it can buy do not lift us out of the realm of earthbound frustration. The Teacher will later amplify this conclusion in terms of death and the handling of one's possessions (see 5:8-17). Despite riches we may still be empty shells and our gains only as substantial as the wind. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6) What did Solomon turn his thoughts to, what did he say a king's successor cannot do, what did he see was better than folly, what does the wise man have in his head, what does the fool walk in, what did Solomon come to realize, what did Solomon think in his heart, what did he say in his heart, who will not be long remembered, in days to come, who will be forgotten, and what must the fool and the wise do in the end?
______________________________________________________________________________ A critic may object that the pursuit of luxury is the aim of a fool, but what of wisdom as a proper guide to life? Nobody who follow in Solomon's steps will ever have greater opportunities than he had for combining wisdom and wealth. Granted that wisdom is more worthwhile than folly and gives light in the darkness of life; yet both wise and foolish have to face the ultimate fate of dying, and death is the ultimate frustration. The Teacher did not go back on his conclusion that wisdom is better than folly but asked how much better it is in the light of the fact that both the wise and fools will be forgotten in future ages. (NIV Bible Commentary, Zondervan) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Toil Is Meaningless ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7) Why did Solomon say he hated life, what did he say all of it is, for what reason did Solomon say he hated all things he had toiled for under the sun, what will the one who will come after Solomon have control over, what did Solomon say this too is, what began to despair over all his toilsome labor under the sun, what may a man do his work with, then who must he leave all he owns to, what did he say this too is, what is all the days of his work, even at night, what does not rest, and what did Solomon say this too was?
______________________________________________________________________________ Solomon continues to show that hard work bears no lasting fruit for those who work solely to earn money and gain possessions. Not only will everything be left behind at death, but it may be left to those who have done nothing to earn it. In addition, it may not be well cared for, and all that was gained may be lost. In fact, Solomon's son, who inherited his throne, was often foolish-see 1Kings 12. Hard work done with proper motives (caring for your family, serving God) is not wrong. We must work to survive, and, more important, we are responsible for the physical and spiritual well-being of those under our care. But the fruit of hard work done to glorify only ourselves will be passed on to those who may later lose or spoil it all. Such toil often leads to grief, while serving God leads to everlasting joy. Do you know the real reason you are working so hard? 8) What did Solomon say a man can do nothing better than, what did Solomon say this too is from, without God, what did Solomon say a man cannot do, what does God give to the man who pleases him, what does God give to sinners, and what did Solomon say this too was?
______________________________________________________________________________ Is Solomon recommending we make life a big, irresponsible party? No, he is encouraging us to take pleasure in what we're doing now and to enjoy life because it comes from God's hand. True enjoyment in life comes only as we follow God's guidelines for living. Without him, satisfaction is a lost search. Those who really know how to enjoy life are the ones who take life each day as a gift from God, thanking him for it and serving him in it. Those without God will have no relief from toil and no direction to guide them through life's complications. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answers Ecclesiastes Chapter Two ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) pleasure...meaningless ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Take from The NIV Life Application Study Bible, Zondervan Publishers |