READ: Ecclesiastes 2:1-23
“For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.” – Ecclesiastes 2:22-23
Solomon, the wisest person, knew that there was a great curse at work. Actually, it takes wisdom to identify that a curse is in operation somewhere.
Solomon tried to escape the curse by doing many different things. He said, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But he found that this, too, was meaningless. So he said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” After much thought, he decided to cheer himself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, he clutched at foolishness. In this way, he tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.
Solomon also tried to find meaning by building huge houses for himself and by planting beautiful vineyards. He built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate his many flourishing groves. He bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into his household. He also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before him.
Solomon collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. He hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful wives and concubines. Solomon even found great pleasure in hard work. But as he looked at everything he had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. He described it aptly and said it’s all emptiness and vanity. No matter what Solomon did, he ended up in the same place – vanity! He discovered for himself that life was full of vanity.
It is actually a good thing when you discover that a curse is in operation. When you know about a curse, you can pray for wisdom to circumvent it.