Gary Hamrick - On the Hunt for Happiness and Satisfaction (01/22/2026)
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In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon, the wise but wayward king, reflects near the end of his life on his exhaustive pursuits of meaning through pleasure (laughter, wine, sex), accomplishment (great projects, building, success), and wealth (silver, gold, treasures)—only to conclude they are all «hevel» (fleeting vapor, meaningless without God). True and lasting satisfaction, he discovers, comes only from God: eating, drinking, and finding joy in work as gifts from His hand. Without Him, no lasting enjoyment is possible; with Him, even simple things bring fulfillment.
Introduction to Ecclesiastes and Solomon’s Perspective
Let’s take our Bibles now and go to Ecclesiastes chapter 2 as we continue our series through the book of Ecclesiastes. We do have a few Bibles—not many, but a few—that are still available. So if you see an usher near you and you need a Bible, you can raise a hand, and they will give you what they have. Ecclesiastes chapter 2 is found on page 497 in the church Bibles—page 497.
So we’re continuing in our series through the book of Ecclesiastes, which is a journal of an old king—King Solomon of Israel—who had experienced it all. He experienced fame, money, power, sex, accomplishments, and everything you can imagine. But he writes this book near the end of his life, looking back on his life, having experienced all those many things and still feeling very empty.
And so he uses the word 38 times in the NIV—and it’s «meaningless.» In other translations it’s the word «vanity.» And as I mentioned last week, when he talks about how meaningless life is, he doesn’t mean that life has no meaning. It’s actually the Hebrew word «hevel, » and hevel literally means vapor, mist, or smoke. And it figuratively can be used to connote something transitory, fleeting, or unsatisfactory.
So that’s really the definition behind the word—that when Solomon talks about how life is meaningless or life is vanity, he means it is fleeting and it’s transitory. It’s hard to grasp. Life is sometimes very difficult to understand, and it’s just as difficult to grasp life as it is to grasp smoke or vapor or mist. So that’s what he means by «hevel.» He says, you know, this is confusing at times. Life is transitory. It’s very fleeting, and it’s hard to understand.
So that’s what he means by the word «meaningless.» And he’s saying this near the end of his life because, as I mentioned last week, Solomon has made a lot of sinful choices. And he gets to the end of his life, and he realizes that all the many experiences and adventures and achievements and accomplishments are completely empty without God in the equation.
Because at this point in his life, God is—at the very best—on the fringes of his life. I do believe, when you look at the way the book ends, that Solomon comes around full circle to surrendering his life to the Lord again. But at least for the time being, he’s writing here out of the experience of emptiness. He’s saying: I’ve achieved everything, done everything, bought everything, married everybody I could—and I just still feel completely empty.
So that’s what he means by «meaningless» or «vanity.» And in our introduction of this book last week, we talked about how Solomon noted three truth principles from chapter 1. And those three truths are: number one, that time is marching on, and we can’t do anything to stop it—that life is happening, and it’s moving on. It’s marching on. We can’t do anything to stop it.
Number two: nothing is really new. And this is real for us as well—despite all the advancements in education and science and technology, basic human needs and pursuits have not changed since the beginning of time. And we share that all in common.
And number three: that no one will really be remembered. Everybody’s 15 minutes of fame is just that—it lasts for about 15 minutes.
Now a warning again—as I mentioned last week, and I want to reiterate again today—don’t read this book as just a depressing journal of an old king who has a lot of regret about his life looking back. I think that Solomon intends us—and I think obviously God intends us—to read this book not looking back on an old man’s life who has a lot of regret, but looking forward on our own life—about using and learning from Solomon’s experience and then looking forward in our own life and determining and pursuing what really matters.
And that really is the question: what really matters in your life? And how do you find happiness? This is something that every human being faces because every human being—whether intentionally or unintentionally—we’re all on a quest for purpose and meaning and satisfaction. Every person is.
And so therein lies the question: what brings lasting purpose, meaning, and happiness? That’s the question. What is it in life that brings lasting purpose and meaning and happiness? We can all find temporary purpose and meaning and happiness. But I think all of us really want the ultimate fulfillment of purpose, meaning, and happiness.
So what is lasting in that regard? Now Solomon—who had it all and did it all—shares his own story in this book, and he writes to spare us the futile pursuit of things that really will prove to be empty.
Now you and I can learn from Solomon’s experience and from what God has to say through Solomon here for our lives. Or you and I can learn it the hard way. But I guarantee you that if you learn it the hard way—by saying, well, I don’t really, you know, believe this dude Solomon—I mean, there’s 900 BC, like three thousand years ago or something—I’m going to go experience all this stuff for myself—you’ll end up finding just how empty all those things are on your own. And it’ll be a pretty painful experience and a colossal waste of time, effort, and energy.
So, you know, Mark Twain once said that everybody can serve as an example—if nothing else, a bad example. And Solomon serves as a good and a bad example for us—of a guy who did much and found out through his own life experience just how empty and unfulfilled life was without God in the equation.
And we can learn from his life experience and make sure that God is central to our lives. Or we can experience it the painful way and try to learn for ourselves.
Solomon discovered what so many people fail to conclude—that we try to achieve satisfaction and happiness and purpose in our lives. This is what many people do: try to find purpose and satisfaction and meaning in life by reorganizing the external—what I do, what I accomplish, what I have become, who I try to be, and all these other external things.
Rather than—and here’s the key—rather than real purpose, meaning, happiness comes from reorganizing our internal lives much more than reorganizing our external lives. Solomon came to realize this near the end of his life, and he rightly concludes that fulfillment and purpose and meaning and happiness must come from a source outside of ourselves—namely, the Lord.
Scripture Reading and Prayer (Ecclesiastes 2:24–26)
So here in Ecclesiastes chapter 2, we’re going to look at really most of this chapter. But I want to look at the end of the chapter, and then we’ll work our way backwards a little bit. So verses 24 to 26—if you look at how this chapter concludes here in chapter 2, Ecclesiastes 2 verses 24 to 26—this is what it says.
Verse 24: «A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God. For without him—without the Lord—who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man 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.»
Let’s pause there and pray. Lord, we thank you for this time that we can gather together now and to open up the Bible. And as we look in the book of Ecclesiastes, we pray that you would help us to learn from Solomon’s own experience the things that ended up being very unfulfilling and meaningless in his life. And may we be spared much of the pain and the futility of trying to find happiness without you.
And Lord, I pray that in the course of our study through this book that many people will come to faith in you and that many people will acknowledge their need for you—and that you would become central in our lives if not already. That there are many things we can pursue in this world that might provide temporary pleasure, temporary happiness, temporary fulfillment. But Lord, we pray for lasting purpose and meaning and happiness that really can only be found in you.
And so help us to understand these things as we look through this book together—and especially today here in chapter 2. And it’s in Jesus' name that we pray these things. And everyone said amen.
The Pleasure Hunt
So if you’ll start at the top of chapter 2 with me—in chapter 2, Solomon writes about—basically, if I could summarize what his intent is behind chapter 2—he’s on the hunt. Solomon is on the hunt to find satisfaction and happiness. And what he writes about in chapter 2 are three different kinds of hunts that he embarked on.
And so I’ve categorized it this way: the pleasure hunt, the measure hunt, and the treasure hunt. Okay, just to make a little alliteration for it so we can remember this. But this is really what he’s about here—trying to find happiness and satisfaction.
So the first one we’re going to look at here—we’re going to highlight the pleasure hunt. And if you’ll notice in verse 1 what he writes here in chapter 2, verse 1—he says: «I thought in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.' But that also proved to be meaningless.»
So circle the word «pleasure» in your Bibles. He talks about pursuing pleasure. But he says there: «I will test you with pleasure.» Now who or what is the «you» that he’s testing? He’s not testing God. The «you» in this verse is life. He’s testing life. He’s testing the meaning and purpose of life. He’s saying: I want to see if I can find satisfaction, meaning, and purpose in life through pleasure.
And Solomon goes on this pleasure hunt. And just by way of definition, what we’re talking about is the attempt to find happiness and satisfaction in physical or sensual gratification—the attempt to find satisfaction or happiness in physical or sensual gratification.
So the first thing that he tells us in the course of his pleasure hunt—and the first thing that he pursues—in verse 2, look at verse 2—he says: «Laughter, » I said, «is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?»
So the first thing that he tries here is laughter. Solomon figures: I guess if I can just, you know, laugh a lot, then I can make my unhappy life happy. And so Solomon turns the palace into Comedy Central. And he brings in Jim Gaffigan, a little Tim Hawkins, a little Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Chris Rock—didn’t make the list; he’s too vulgar. And so he just has all these comedians coming into the palace, and he just says, you know: make me laugh. I want to see—maybe laughter is going to be the key to finding happiness. If I just laughed my way through life—I just laugh and laugh and laugh—then I can turn my unhappy, empty life into something fun and pleasurable.
Now question for all of us: is laughter a bad thing? No, laughter is not a bad thing. I hope not—hope laughter is not a bad thing, or I’ve been doing a lot of bad things in my life because I like to laugh. I mean, I just find humor in everything. Probably I do things I shouldn’t. I get into trouble sometimes because I find laughter in things I really shouldn’t be laughing about. But I just—I just like to laugh.
It’s a gift from God. God has made us laugh about things. I mean, look at the person next to you—God has a sense of humor. Just look—see? Right there. That’s cruel. I probably shouldn’t be laughing like that. But laughter is just—it’s a fun thing. I just like to laugh. You know, the world is too serious, and so I think it’s good for us to laugh every once in a while.
Last night I finished up with my notes for the teaching, and it’s about like 8:30. And Terry and I typically don’t eat late—I mean, we’re not, you know, we’ll eat at like five or six. We’re not like seven o’clock, eight o’clock dinner people. But we hadn’t had dinner, and I finished up my notes. And so we said: what do we want to do now? Terry had just been relaxing around the house, and so she was in her bathrobe, and I just had on sweats.
And she’s like: let’s just go through the drive-through at Panera. And I said: we better put some clothes on. So I’m just going to go—she’s just going to go through the drive-through. I said: honey, what if, like, the car breaks down on the way, and you know, and you’re out in your bathrobe in the middle of, you know, Market Street? This isn’t going to be—I’m just going to go. We’re just laughing—like, okay, just get to the car.
So we get to the car, and at the drive-through—so we’re at the drive-through now at Panera. And you know how they typically sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher at the drive-through: wah wah wah—you know, what do you want? Wah wah. And so I’m giving the order. I gave Terry’s order, and then on the menu it was turkey bacon sandwich. And I just muddled the words, and I said: I want a turkey bakey—instead of bacon. I said a turkey bacon.
So Terry starts cracking up, and I just start cracking—it’s just silliness. It’s just silliness: turkey bakey. And I’m just laughing, and I can’t control myself, and I can’t get the rest of my order out. And the lady at the, you know, microphone was so nice, and she’s like waiting so patiently. And I just—I can’t even get the rest of my order out. I’m just laughing.
So Terry’s—that—and I’m thinking to myself—and plus we’re going to pull around to the window where I’m going to pay, and they’re going to see Terry in her bathrobe and the whole—might just—and we’re just chuckling. Just what happened there. I get into the drive-up to pay, and I just saw the lady, and she just kind of raised her little eyebrow—what, are we caring? She’s still alive, aren’t you know—just because she looked at me laughing, and she looked at Terry in her bathrobe. And it was just one of those—well, I just like to laugh over silly, ridiculous things.
Sometimes, you know, in the pulpit I have to be a little careful to rein it in somewhat. I’m always encouraged by the words of Charles Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon, a great preacher of the 19th century—it was once chastised for using too much humor in the pulpit. And he said: if you only knew how much I was holding back, you would commend me.
So I’m encouraged by Charles Spurgeon in that regard. But in Proverbs 17:22, there’s actually a Bible verse—it talks аbout: Proverbs 17:22, «A cheerful heart is good medicine.» So there’s nothing wrong with laughter. In fact, a cheerful heart is good medicine—is borne out by medical evidence.
Laughing causes an injection of happy hormones. It releases endorphins and reduces the stress hormones of cortisol and epinephrine. A University of Maryland study found that laughter dilates the inner lining of our blood vessels—the endothelium—and so improves circulation by 22 percent. When you laugh, your immune system is boosted by up to 40%. And at Cancer Treatment Centers of America—on their website—they actually talk about how they use laughter therapy to help treat patients.
So laughter is an important aspect to our lives. God gave the gift of laughter. We should enjoy laughter. It’s not a bad thing. What Solomon is saying here, however, is that he thought laughter would cure everything. He basically thought: if I just laughed, I can make my unhappy life happy.
And that’s what he meant there in verse 2 when he says laughter is foolish—because everything in life is not a laughing matter. And laughter can sometimes mask the pain, can’t it?
It’s interesting—when you study some of the most well-known comedians in our country, many of them have spoken publicly about their own personal battle with depression. Of course, Robin Williams is the latest very sad casualty in that regard. Ellen DeGeneres has spoken about depression. I saw an interview with Jim Carrey on 60 Minutes years ago, and how Jim Carrey talked about how he decided he had to get off Prozac—just because he didn’t want to be on the medication anymore.
And so he was asked: how are you doing without it? And he said, quote: «I’m living in"—quote—"a low level of despair.» End quote.
So take it from some funny people: laughter is not a cure to an unhappy life. So when Solomon says, you know: I just—I tried to cheer myself up with laughter. I tried to laugh my way to happiness or satisfaction—he realized: no, that doesn’t work.
Then Solomon says in verse 3—notice in verse 3: «I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.»
And so notice he says: I tried cheering myself with wine. So another thing that he tried was alcohol. Isn’t it interesting how, when people make a toast, they say «Cheers"—because there’s this connection between the idea of it cheering us up, bringing some amount of pleasure or enjoyment.
And you know—look, I’m not going to use this verse as, you know, a commentary on the merits or demerits of alcohol. I’ve spoken on the subject before, but that’s not really the context here. He’s not talking about the merits or demerits of alcohol itself. Solomon is simply talking about how he thought that wine could cheer him up and lift him out of depressing emptiness.
And so he gave it a try. He throws some lavish parties at the palace. He’s got Jimmy Buffett playing in the background, you know—he’s singing «Wasted Away in Margaritaville.» And you know, the wine is flowing. And Solomon thinks: so maybe I can be happier if I just drown out my sorrows—or at least take the edge off my problems—by drinking.
But you know, he gets to the place here where he just finally realizes it. He’s like tired of waking up in Mexico in the back of a chariot with a new tattoo. So he’s like, you know: I realized this is not the answer either.
Because you know, a lot of people have learned—again—the hard way that if you try to drown your sorrows with alcohol or try to take the edge off your problems—as soon as you get sober, your sorrows and your problems are still there. You know, alcohol doesn’t fix anything.
So if you’re using alcohol as some kind of a medicinal treatment of your sorrow or your emptiness or your unfulfillment—all of that will still be there when you’re sober. Alcohol is not an answer to that.
He says: I tried cheering myself up with wine—and he said it just proved to be empty also.
There are countless people in our culture who think that happiness comes out of a bottle—or at least numbs me enough that I don’t have to deal with the unhappiness of my life. And I think that’s captured in the song by Billy Joel, «Piano Man.» I’m just going to read some of the lyrics to you. The song’s been around for a long time, but this is what Billy Joel was writing about in that song «Piano Man.»
«It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in. There’s an old man sitting next to me making love to his tonic and gin. He says, 'Son, can you play me a memory? I’m not really sure how it goes. But it’s sad and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes.'
Sing us a song, you’re the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody, and you’ve got us feeling all right.
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine. He gets me my drinks for free. And he’s quick with a joke or to light up your smoke. But there’s someplace that he’d rather be.
He says, 'Bill, I believe this is killing me'—as the smile ran away from his face. 'Well, I’m sure that I could be a movie star if I could get out of this place.'
Now Paul is a real estate novelist who never had time for a wife. And he’s talking with Davey, who’s still in the Navy and probably will be for life.
And the waitress is practicing politics as the businessmen slowly get stoned. Yes, they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness—but it’s better than drinking alone.
It’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile—'cause he knows that it’s me they’ve been coming to see to forget about life for a while.»
That’s the story of a lot of people. And they think that alcohol will help them forget or numb or dull their pain. But the reality is—without God in the equation—all those things are still there even when you’re sober.
So he moves on from talking about laughter and alcohol. Look at verse 10—in verse 10 he just uses this broad statement. He says: «I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.»
Look—he’s the richest man, most powerful man on the planet. And he says at the time—he says: I denied myself nothing my eyes desired. I refused my heart no pleasure.
Well, the principal thing that Solomon did not deny himself or refuse himself was women. And of course we mentioned last week—he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. So clearly on the list of the pleasures that he pursued was also sex.
I mean, he’s not interested in what makes a thousand women happy. He’s interested in what makes himself happy—you know, because if you have a thousand women, you can have one woman each night and never see her again for almost three years. So he is in this for his own selfish self-interest.
And he thinks that all these sexual conquests and having all these women in my life will bring some measure of pleasure or some measure of happiness or satisfaction. To some degree it would—but in the long run, of course, it always leaves someone feeling empty again.
Listen—it’s not that sex is wrong. I don’t want anybody walking around thinking that as a result of this Bible study the main message is that God is just a killjoy—knows once you have any fun or pleasure. He doesn’t want you to laugh. He never wants you to drink. And he doesn’t want you to have sex.
Listen—God created the gift of sex to be enjoyed—for pleasure and procreation—within the context of a marriage between a man and a woman. It’s a gift from God. Laughter is a gift from God. Alcohol in moderation—as long as you don’t get drunk—I mean, that’s a personal conviction. But God is not about killing your joy as much as he is expanding it.
The problem is we’ve begun to believe a lie in our world—that if we go the way of the world and what the culture thinks will bring ultimate happiness and fulfillment, we will always end up being disappointed.
And if instead we can really understand the importance of God in our lives and making him central to our lives—then we’ll experience a measure of pleasure and joy and fulfillment that the world doesn’t even offer, let alone deliver.
So sex isn’t wrong. God created it as a gift to be enjoyed in the context of marriage between a man and a woman. But there are many people—and Solomon is one of them—many people who use sex as a means of trying to find fulfillment, purpose, some kind of satisfaction in their lives—by having one relationship after another relationship after another relationship after another.
You look at the woman at the well in John’s Gospel. Jesus encounters this woman, and he says to her: go call your husband. She says: I have no husband. He says: you’re right about that. The fact of the matter is you’ve been married five times, and the guy you’re with now is not your husband.
I mean, what was the deal with that woman at the well? The deal was that she kept trying to find satisfaction or fulfillment in one relationship after another after another after another. But she’s empty. And the one that she really needed to bring the ultimate fulfillment was the guy she’s about ready to give a cup of cold water to—because Jesus is the only one who can satisfy the deepest longings of our souls.
And so many people have tragically gotten themselves in deep despair, discouragement, and trouble—learning the hard way that all the things that the world claims to offer in terms of fulfillment just don’t deliver. And people have wasted time, effort, energy—and gotten brokenhearted about it—and experienced a lot of pain because they believed the lie that if you try this and if you try that—if you try this—you’re going to be happy, satisfied, and enjoy life.
Well, why is it that so many people have tried all those things and aren’t happy? Because if God’s not in the equation—that’s the reason why.
So there’s nothing wrong with sex in the context of marriage between a man and a woman. But the deal here is that Solomon has explored sex as a means to an end: I’m going to try to use one sexual conquest after another to experience fulfillment—to have something that’s missing in my life become satisfied through one sexual encounter after another. And it doesn’t work.
Lana Del Rey—who is a popular singer and songwriter—not that I particularly listen to her, but I try to keep my ear to the ground in terms of pop culture of our day—but Lana Del Rey just came out with a new album called «Lust for Life.» Not the greatest lyrics. But in an interview she did a few years ago—here’s a young lady who has experienced tremendous success—success before the age of 30.
But she said in an interview a few years ago, quote: «I never have felt pleasure from the fame that I have received.» And she added, quote: «I slept my way to the top. I slept with a lot of guys in the industry, but none of them helped me get the record deals. I never felt any of the enjoyment. It was all bad—all of it.» End quote.
Of course she didn’t get the record deals she was hoping for. Those guys were taking advantage of her. They had no intention of giving her a record deal. It was a notch in the belt for those guys. But for her it leaves her feeling devastated and empty. She said it was all bad experience and never even got me what I was hoping for.
Yeah—because it can’t be used as a means to an end. She thought maybe it could—but she was also one of many people disappointed in the lack of fulfillment that just sexual escapades often will bring.
The Measure Hunt (Accomplishments)
Solomon moves on from the pleasure hunt to—in this chapter—what I’m calling the measure hunt. And by definition, what I mean is that sometimes we measure happiness and satisfaction in terms of accomplishment or success. That’s what Solomon also tried. He’s like: maybe if I just do a lot of things—I become really, really super successful—I build a lot of things, I accomplish a lot of things—then I’ll find happiness and contentment.
Well, look at verses 4 to 7—that proved to be empty also. In verse 4 he says: «I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.»
Now let me just highlight all the different times he said «I did this» and «I did that.» Perhaps you noticed that as we were reading through verses 4 through 7: I undertook great projects. I built houses. I planted vineyards. I made gardens. I made reservoirs. I bought all these servants. I had other servants. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
Time and time again he said: I did this. I did that. I own this. I own that. I accomplished this, and I accomplished that. He said: I was still empty.
Now look—again, a word of caution: the Bible is not discouraging hard work or success—far from it. The Bible encourages hard work, and God makes people successful for his glory. So it’s not to be interpreted as though there’s something wrong with accomplishing things and achieving things and building things. No, no—there’s nothing wrong with that.
But Solomon was talking about how he was doing what a lot of people do—and that is trying to find fulfillment and purpose and identity in what he did rather than in who God is.
So a lot of people do—they get their identity, their sense of satisfaction and purpose in things that they do—in the things that they accomplish—rather than in God. And how many people understand that who God is will far outlive anything you and I ever do?
And so therefore, if we put our fulfillment, purpose, and contentment in who God is—instead of what we do—then our purpose and our fulfillment and our satisfaction will always also outlive what we do—because it’s based on who God is.
Everybody get that? Is it the snow or what? Is there any amen in this house today? See—if we just put our trust, our confidence, our fulfillment, our joy in all the things we do—then our identities and all that stuff—well, God is going to far superior, in many ways excel and exceed those things that we do.
So why do we want to wrap up our identity, satisfaction, peace, and contentment in the things that we do rather than who God is? Well, I gave you a second chance—that you’re still like—is anybody here? Maybe I’m just supposed to preach to myself today because maybe I need to hear this.
But this is the problem that a lot of people are on. And how many people do we know—ourselves included—who have gotten too much satisfaction and identity and purpose in what we do—then instead of who God is?
And Solomon realizes this. And so look at verse 11 in your Bibles—verse 11 he says: «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.»
It was like—it was like a mist. It was like a vapor. It was fleeting. All these great accomplishments—where are they today? You can go to Israel today, and still in Jerusalem you can see—in the stones of the southern part of the city of Jerusalem—where Solomon had hewn out two places for reservoirs to water his fields and his vineyards and his fruit trees. But nothing else is there.
So we need to make sure that we’re wrapped up in the Lord rather than in what we do. The pleasure hunt will often turn out to be futile. The measure hunt will turn out to be futile.
The Treasure Hunt (Wealth and Possessions)
The third hunt that he embarks on here is the treasure hunt. And this is the attempt to find happiness and satisfaction in material possessions.
Look at verses 8 and 9—and verse 8 he says: «I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.»
He said, you know: I still was smart enough to realize what I was doing—but I was just too dumb to recognize how futile it all was. He says: I amassed all this silver. I amassed all this gold. I had all the treasures of all the kings of every province.
Solomon was a wealthy man—he was the wealthiest man who ever lived. And he basically is saying here: I had all the money and all the things that money could buy—and I still felt empty.
In fact, he’ll go on to say in a couple more chapters—in chapter 5, verse 10: «Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.»
John D. Rockefeller was once asked: how much money is enough money? And Rockefeller always answered: just a little bit more.
So it’s the idea of loving money. Again—is there anything wrong with money? There’s nothing wrong with money. God blesses us and takes care of us and provides for us. It’s when money has us—it’s not when we have money. Money makes a wonderful servant but a terrible master.
And Solomon is writing here about—as someone who had a lot of stuff, a lot of possessions, a lot of material things, a lot of silver, a lot of gold. The Bible says in 1 Kings chapter 10: so much silver in Jerusalem during the days of Solomon that it became worthless. He flooded the market with so much silver that it was worthless in his day. He was a very, very wealthy man.
But he realized that all the money in the world couldn’t buy happiness. We’ve heard that saying before, right? All the money in the world can’t buy contentment and happiness and fulfillment.
All you need to do is listen to some of the stories of those who have won lotteries in our country to realize how messed up money can make some people who don’t understand the right way to manage it.
So before you go scratching off any more tickets—listen to this. Jack Whitaker—one example. Jack Whitaker was already a millionaire when he won a three hundred and fifteen million dollar lottery in West Virginia in 2002—315 million. The then 55-year-old West Virginia construction company president claimed that he went broke about four years later and lost a daughter and a granddaughter to drug overdoses—which he blamed on the curse of the Powerball win.
According to ABC News, he said, quote: «My granddaughter and my daughter are dead because of the money.» He told ABC: he said, quote: «You know, my wife said that she wished that she had torn that ticket up. Well, I wish that we had torn the ticket up too.»
And Whitaker was also robbed of five hundred forty-five thousand dollars cash sitting in his car while he was at a strip club eight months after winning the lottery. Strip club—West Virginia—it’s really giving me a bad image right now.
But listen to what he says—he says: I just—this is Jack Whitaker talking—says: «I just don’t like Jack Whitaker. I don’t like the hard heart I’ve got. I don’t like what I’ve become.» End quote.
Another guy by the name of Abraham Shakespeare. Abraham Shakespeare was murdered in 2009 after he won a 30 million-dollar lotto jackpot. The 47-year-old Florida man was shot twice in the chest and then buried under a slab of concrete in a backyard, according to ABC News. DeeDee Moore—who authorities say befriended him after his lotto win—was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2012.
The guy’s brother—the deceased brother’s—told the BBC that his brother always said he regretted winning the lottery. He told me all the time, his brother said, quote: «I would have been better off broke.» End quote.
Donna Mikkin—Donna Mikkin won thirty-four point five million dollars in the New York state lottery in 2007. She said the big win ruined her life and led to, quote: «emotional bankruptcy.» She said, quote: «Most of us think that winning the lottery is the ultimate fulfillment, but I found that wasn’t the case. If you asked me, my life was hijacked by the lottery.» End quote.
Now granted—I think there is a correlation between people who earn a lot of money and are able to manage it better than those who are just given money who didn’t earn it. There seems to be a correlation there.
But be that as it may—regardless—money and material things are not the source of fulfillment and satisfaction. Money and material things are not the source of fulfillment and satisfaction.
In the last 50 years in the United States of America, the average size of a house has tripled in size. In the last 50 years, the average sized house in America has tripled. And yet Americans have more in storage units than any other country in the world.
There is enough square footage under roof in storage canopies for every single American in the United States to stand under the roof of a storage unit. That’s how much stuff we have.
There are more malls in America than there are high schools. There are more malls in America than there are high schools in the United States.
Children make up 3.1 percent of the child population in the world—so in the United States of America, among children around the world, we have 3.1 percent in America. But those 3.1 percent of children in America own 40 percent of the toys globally.
Every year Americans on average discard 65 pounds of clothing—throw it away.
Am I trying to kill the American dream? No. What I’m saying though, however, is: don’t think that money and material things can bring satisfaction and happiness.
Americans spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches than on college education.
So this should be challenging to us on many levels. Jesus said in Luke 12:15—he says: be on your guard—be careful—against all kinds of greed, because a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.
So notice here in chapter 2—and we’ll close out here—look at verses 20 and 21 where Solomon says: «So my heart began to despair over all my toil—some labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all that he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.»
Which brings us back to where we opened up our study—with verse 25: «For without God, who can find enjoyment?»
Without God—now listen—Solomon is not saying, and neither am I saying, that only Christians are the happy people in the world—and that people who don’t know God and don’t go to church and don’t have a relationship with Christ—they can’t possibly be happy. They can’t possibly be successful. That’s nonsense. There’s a lot of people who don’t know the Lord that they’re quite content, quite happy, quite successful.
What I am saying, however—what I believe that Solomon is communicating through his own life experience—is that you might find a measure of happiness and contentment and pleasure in this world apart from God. But it will not be lasting. And at the end of the day you get to a place where you realize what Blaise Pascal talked аbout: I’ve got a God hole in my heart.
Every human being has a God-shaped hole in their heart—because without him there’s this constant gnawing, nagging realization: something is missing.
And if you’re at a place today where you realize—perhaps you’ve tried a lot of things—you’ve gone on the pleasure hunt, the measure hunt, and the treasure hunt—you still realize: why is it I’m coming up empty? Because maybe the Lord needs to be supreme in your life.
And maybe you’ll find the ultimate satisfaction for your soul in knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.
Closing Prayer and Invitation
Would you bow your heads and pray with me?
Father, you’ve overheard—this is your word. We thank you for the journal of Solomon—a reminder that people can go on a lot of different pursuits, but without you life will end up empty.
And I pray for those right now who are a part of this Bible study—and Solomon’s story resonates with them. They realize: yes—in fact, much like Solomon—perhaps some would say: I feel empty. I feel like something’s missing. I’ve tried a lot of things, but something’s missing.
Lord, I pray right now for those who understand something’s missing—that they would receive you. They would open up their hearts and invite you into their lives.
So I’m going to pause in my prayer right now—just your heads still bowed, your eyes closed—and I want to invite as many of you who want to receive Christ as your Savior to just open up your heart—just receive him into your life—to pray a simple prayer and to ask him to fill that hole in your heart that only he can fill.
So right where you’re seated, I’m going to invite you to pray a simple prayer like this. And if this is your desire, you can pray it with me—just whisper this prayer right where you’re seated. Just say this—just say: Lord Jesus—just tell him—just say: come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. I’ve pursued a lot of things, but I still know something’s missing. And I believe what’s missing is you, Lord.
So today I surrender my life. I ask you to come into my heart right now—to save me, to forgive me of my sins. Thank you for loving me so much that you would send your Son Jesus to die on a cross for me.
Come into my life, Lord. Fill up the hole that leaves me feeling empty—fill it up with you, Lord. I want to be a new creature in Christ. I want to be forgiven. I want to live a new life for your glory.
So I yield my life to you, Lord. Come into my heart. I pray in Jesus' name.