We begin with the header of “The Vanity of Self-Indulgence”, as if to answer the question “if nothing matters, why not live for pleasure?”

Solomon (again, we’re rolling with this assumption) investigates this firsthand and finds it deeply insufficient. This mindset is called hedonism and the focus is on maximizing happiness and minimizing suffering. This is in immediate conflict with Christianity as hedonism is a selfish mindset and we’re called to focus on others and the rejection of suffering is not only impossible, but misunderstands the function of man as existing for comfort. You were not created to occupy a spot on the couch, free from all inconvenience until you painlessly and blissfully slide into heaven on your deathbed. Suffering builds character, makes you more dependent on God, and equips you to support others who are suffering.

The teacher tells us this is the case. Even laughter is “madness” and is an evasion of the real. He takes to drink to see if that would be a path to finding joy and that doesn’t work either. He tells us in the beginning that he was setting out to experiment with pure pleasure, but it all felt fleeting and hollow. Vanity. It’s all vanity. Meaningless. Hevel.

Easy parallels are drawn today. It seems like everyone is on weed now, whether it’s smoking, vaping, or some form of edible. Everyone is drinking and getting hammered. People are sitting at home watching porn all day and you need only go to r/gooncave (maybe don’t actually) to see people with 6 screen setups watching 6 porn videos at once in an elaborate setup that someone from the 60s would assume was meant to launch something into orbit. These are never satisfied people and the dopamine wears off quickly and the next hit doesn’t satisfy. Hevel.

Alright, self-satisfaction failed the teacher, he will try his hand at creation. He builds houses, vineyards, gardens, and reservoirs to water all his properties. One might think of Rockefeller and Carnegie and using their great wealth to make parks, hospitals, and concert halls. He acquired obscene possessions including slaves, herds of animals, and piles of gold. He was a great and powerful king, able to claim anything his eyes desired and having nothing in his way to tell him “no”. He lived as a king of kings, not only fueling his own mortal pleasures but leaving a lasting cultural mark on Jerusalem with his great works during a reign of peace and prosperity which, having read the Bible, you should understand did not come by Israel often. All the while he remained in possession of his supreme wisdom, gifted to him by none other than God Himself (1 Kings 3:12), guiding his hand and decisions (selectively, it seems). His heart took joy in his labor, though he begins to pivot to saying that’s the only joy he found.

In Matthew 16, Jesus tells us not to lose our soul to gain the world. Here, Solomon seems to have gained the world to find his soul and is left equally empty handed. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to store up treasure in Heaven rather than on earth. Solomon has stored up as much treasure as any king might and wrestles with the emptiness that he feels. Thinking of wisdom, madness and folly, he asks what his successor is to do. If Solomon has done all in this life that a man can, what novelty can the next to the throne pursue? Surely they’ll have the same existential questions and now Solomon has achieved so much, he may have robbed them of all possible answers. Besides that, sure he has his wisdom and his greatness, but the fate of the wise and great is no different than that of the foolish. Death comes for us all, so is being wise so great after all? For all his great works, will he really be that remembered? Great men had already come before him and been forgotten. He knows he won’t be any different. This too, has all been meaningless. Vapor that gets swept away with a breath. Vanity. Hevel.

So Solomon now hates life. He hates the toiling under the sun, he hates, the emptiness he feels, and he hates chasing the wind. Anything he can do, build, or amass must be trusted to one who comes after him and there’s no way of knowing the worth of this person. Will they be wise? Will they be the fool? Does it even matter? They’ll control the fruit of Solomon’s entire existence and they too will perish, regardless of their merits. The very thought has caused his heart to despair, unable to find meaning in anything, not even in joy itself or the future. Yes even the future is a cause for grief because to leave mountains of wealth and prosperity to someone who did nothing to achieve it, cannot appreciate it, and can’t be trusted to take care of it, is a great injustice in itself. The labor has no lasting meaning for the laborer then, so the toiling is no longer worth it.

Much of your existence revolves around working. You go to work to get an income. Use your income to maintain your house. Maintain your body. Work at the gym, work to cook, clean. Stress at your job. Ask for a raise, fight for a promotion, get a new terrible boss, deal with an annoying coworker, get screamed at by an irate customer. Endless grind not for the pursuit of pleasure but to stave off trouble another day, to swim against the current of a troubled economy and a decaying body that demands more attention but is less capable of getting it. He notes that even at night, your mind doesn’t rest, vexed by anxiety and planning and a hunt for value in your day to day activities. This too is all hevel.

Solomon turns his eye to the good news (finally). Truly, there’s nothing better than to enjoy the simple things. Eat, drink, and to the extent possible, enjoy your work. Being focused on a lasting legacy, leaving a mark on society, and being remembered are removing your enjoyment of the daily blessings. Adam was put in the Garden to work. Labor is part of God’s original design for man, the curse of toiling being a BURDEN came after the fall. All good things come from God. If you had a blueberry muffin and that was literally the only thing that went right in your day, that was gifted to you by God and you should permit yourself to sink into the enjoyment of it for its own sake. Apart from God, you aren’t going to find joy anyway. When looking for something eternal to tether your joy to, look no further than the Father. Your relationship with God and the appreciation of the little things He blesses you with are forever. To the man who lives by God’s instruction, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy. This isn’t material wealth and this isn’t avoidance of suffering, this is a closeness with God. That is your gift. To the sinner living apart from God is given the task of gathering up wealth, which is eventually distributed to the righteous.

“But I have a loving relationship with God, where’s all my wealth”. Well, to ask that question is to reveal the problem: your relationship could use some work. God gives to who He wishes for the goals He has. If your relationship with God is right, you can live on lentils and water under a bridge and be content. If you have envy for the MATERIAL comfort of others (this includes a romantic partner), you should pray on that. It’s natural and we all do it, but I’ve seen people claim out one side of their mouth “I’m the most pious person ever” and “therefore God owes me” out the other. Any time you would have the inclination to complain to God about something you lack, take a moment to identify some things you’re grateful to have.