Apart from Him there is no true satisfaction and happiness!
Peace and grace from the Lord may be multiplied in your life this day!
We are still talking about the search for the meaning of life and happiness under heaven. Solomon showed us what path we should not take when we talk about the search of the meaning of life, happiness and satisfaction. When we take this wrong path, we will be disappointed and frustrated and it will lead us to total failure. «There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death» (Proverbs, 16:25). A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. I believe that this message will help us stop and not take the wrong path, since it won’t give us any fulfilment.
Yesterday we discussed the fact that Solomon tried to find happiness and satisfaction in pleasures of life. He realized that all these things are vanity and „grasping for the wind”. We saw the things Solomon sought as the source of enjoyment. First, he tried different delicacies. They brought satisfaction to Solomon’s body, but he soul remained empty and hungry.
Today we will see that later Solomon tried to find satisfaction in sexual relationships with multiple women. After a while he realized it did not bring happiness. Why didn’t sex bring happiness and satisfaction Solomon was seeking? He had 700 wives and 300 concubines «And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart» (1 Kings, 11:3).
You and I live in the world where sex has become an idol for too many people. It is like an illness in our society. Solomon realized that sex promises more than it can actually give. So Solomon said about this pleasure that it also is vanity and grasping of the wind.
Later he tried to find happiness and satisfaction in music. «I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kings» (Ecclesiastes, 2:8). We see that Solomon could daily enjoy professional music; best musicians and singers performed for him live. He did not find in it the meaning of life either; it did not bring him true happiness and fulfilment.
Solomon also attempted to find the meaning of life and satisfaction in designing different buildings, orchards, gardens and vineyards. He desired for his eyes to find special pleasure in them. But he concluded that even beauty cannot cleanse his heart from filth and sin. Physical beauty is not able to replace the beauty of soul. «I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove» (Ecclesiastes, 2:4-6).
We see that Solomon worked hard to make his surroundings beautiful. And there is nothing bad in it. Nevertheless Solomon understood that sin is able to destroy the beauty of life, just like it happened in Eden. We cannot really have happiness and satisfaction if there is sin in our lives. «Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun» (Ecclesiastes, 2:11).
Solomon understood that none of these make any sense apart from God. The world has not changed since the times of Solomon. Fun, food, sex, music, physical beauty, houses and orchards – all these cannot give a person true happiness and fulfilment. The joy they bring is fleeting and short-lived. That is why, my dear friends, God tells us today that apart from Him there is no true satisfaction and happiness. Only when God leads and guides us in our daily life, we can be truly happy and satisfied.
We will continue tomorrow! Be blessed!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
