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See What I Have Done

Solomon developed an "I" problem. Ecclesiastes 2.4-8

Ecclesiastes 2 (2)

Pray Psalm 38.3-5.
There is
no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

Read Ecclesiastes 2.4-8.

Prepare.

1. Solomon seems to have acquired an “I” problem. Explain.

2. Why is Solomon telling us all this? What’s his purpose? Is he wanting to encourage us to indulge in material things and experiences?

Meditate.
We might say, on the one hand, that Solomon is simply reporting the facts. All he tells us is true.

But it’s the way he tells us that is most troubling, and this way of reporting seems deliberate.

Solomon let his wisdom and success go to his head. He actually began to believe that he had been responsible for all his greatness, rather than God, Who had promised to make him great. But Solomon has a point, toward which he is working, and he wants to make sure that when he arrives there – the vanity of mere material success – we’ll be ready to agree with him.

Most of what Solomon reports here is corroborated in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Solomon became the quintessential secular man – focused on himself, indulging his passions to the full extent of his ability, and seeking lasting happiness in things and experiences – but not so that he was eternally lost.

Material success didn’t satisfy Solomon, and it won’t satisfy anyone else.

Solomon became so full of himself at this point in his life that he appears to have had no room for God. Here he lays the groundwork for a theme that will recur throughout Ecclesiastes: The “stuff” of life must not be regarded as an end in itself; nor is it intended merely for our pleasure. Everything has its place in the divine economy, and we find real happiness and lasting fulfillment only when we live our lives from that perspective. 

The intemperate desires Solomon reports having indulged here – and that he doubtless sensed was growing in Rehoboam – will be tempered with gratitude and contentment as the king unfolds his “under the heavens” convictions in due course.


Reflect.
1. Solomon began well, seeking the wisdom of God for all his work. Here, he seems to have become distracted. How do you suppose that happened? What’s the warning to us?

2. Solomon has already pronounced all his success and wealth as “vanity of vanities”. Why is this so?

3. Solomon had asked God to help him rule the people well, that they might be blessed by God in all things. Whom does Solomon seem to be serving in these verses? How can we keep from falling into this trap?

Such is “vanity of vanities,” your splendid buildings, your vast and overflowing riches, the herds of slaves that bustle along the public square, your pomp and vainglory, your high thoughts and your ostentation. For all these are vain; they came not from the hand of God but are of our own creating. But why then are they vain? Because they have no useful end. Riches are vain when they are spent upon luxury; but they cease to be vain when they are “dispersed and given to the needy.” John Chrysostom (344-407), Homilies on Ephesians 12

Thank You, Lord, for Your many good and excellent gifts. Help me to use them all today to…

Pray Psalm 38.1-8.
Thank the Lord Jesus for bearing the heavy burden of your sins. Intercede for friends or co-workers you know who are still lost in sin and unbelief, and ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to speak with someone about Jesus today.

Sing Psalm 38.1-8.
Psalm 38.1-8 (Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
O Lord, rebuke me not, nor chasten me in wrath!
Your arrows pierce my sinful heart and fill my path.
Your heavy hand weighs down; my flesh and bones grow weak.
My sins oppress, confuse, confound – I cannot speak!

My sinful wounds grow foul, and fester painfully;
I bend and groan within my soul most mournfully!
Sin fills my every part; conviction stings my breast.
Lord, ease my numbed and burning heart and grant me rest!

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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