Dead End Ahead

Ecclesiastes 1:13; 16-18; 2:1-3; 4-8; 18-22
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, Sept. 4

Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible. Written by the preacher/king, son of King David, it is the record of the wisdom he has gained from a life lived out "under the sun" (from man's perspective). Like James, Solomon addresses life in a very practical way, his writings serving as signposts to call attention to some of the dead end paths that people of every generation naturally gravitate toward and pursue in their search to find fulfillment and happiness in life.

As he testifies to us from his own dead end experiences, he challenges us to choose paths that lead us to enjoy the blessings of our Creator and glorify His Name. We are reminded in this book of the futility of finding meaning in life apart from God and His divine revelation.

The Dead End of Intellectual Pursuits, Eccl. 1:13,16-18

Solomon emphasizes that no one before him in Israel's history had increased in wisdom and knowledge comparable to his, but even when he took his great wisdom to the limit, it led him to a dead end. He found that the accumulation of knowledge in and of itself does not fulfill the deepest longings of his heart.

He speaks of this pursuit as a grievous task that is more of an affliction than a blessing. He describes his efforts as "grabbing at the wind" because he came to realize that the more he learned about life, the more sorrow and grief he experienced.

Perhaps you can think of someone you know who has followed this same path and come to the same dead. Solomon is not saying that getting an education is wrong, but he is saying that going after intellectual pursuits alone will not satisfy, nor will it fulfill the purpose for which you were created. Therefore, to continually seek to increase your knowledge just for the sake of having knowledge will lead deeper and deeper into pain and disappointment.

The Dead End of Physical Pleasures, Eccl. 2:1-3

With a super abundance of financial resources at his disposal, Solomon sets out to fulfill his life through enjoyment and pleasure. He tested himself with laughter, no doubt surrounding himself with comedians and all sorts of entertainment only to find that the vacuum deep within him still remained. He then turned to wine, reasoning that he would just eat, drink, and be merry.

The path of physical pleasures also led to another disappointing dead end. Many men and women have wasted their lives away in this dissatisfying and destructive pursuit.

The Dead End of Accumulated Possessions, Eccl. 2:4-8

Solomon then deducted that if he would heap to himself material possession (houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, flocks, herds, silver, gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces), he would find great satisfaction in owning them.

With his vast accumulation of assets came the demand for more and more slaves and resources to maintain them, and even more burdensome was the realization that this was yet another dead end pursuit.

If anyone could have ever been fulfilled in knowledge and possessions, it should have been Solomon. We see that he even provided for himself male and female singers and the pleasures of men - many concubines. He withheld nothing in his pursuit and went after everything "under the sun."

Amazingly, he ended up lacking the very thing he was looking for! Not one or any sum of the things he acquired for himself brought the heart satisfaction he longed for, but merely offered temporary pleasure and disappointing results.

God never intended for these things to fill the deepest longing of our hearts. He has, however, used many disappointing dead ends to reveal to us that He alone can fill that longing!

The Dead End of Personal Achievements, Eccl. 2:18-22

For Solomon, the journey may have been a pleasure, but the destination brought him pain! Thus, he draws this startling conclusion: "Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor under the sun."

Why would a man hate the fruit of his labor? First of all, he hated it because it disappointed him, in that it did not satisfy. Second, he realized that earthly pleasures were merely temporal and would not last forever.

Even more troublesome was the knowledge that when he died, others would get his goods without paying a price for them.

Everything he had accomplished and worked so hard for would be left to someone else, whether it be a wise man or a fool. How many times have we witnessed an inheritance being wasted away by children and relatives who lacked the wisdom to manage it?

We must listen carefully to the concluding words of this passage. The paths of life are many and inviting, but following self-gratifying paths will only lead us to disappointing dead ends. If we take such paths, we will look back on life one day as Solomon with many unnecessary but real regrets.

Our Lord said it best when He said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways ... for as the heavens are higher that the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8-9).

He also said that there is a way that seems right unto man, but the end thereof is destruction.

What kind of paths are you following, and where are they leading you? Is there a dead end ahead? Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He is the path that leads to a satisfying life.