A Flash of Insight
So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? (Ecclesiastes 2:24–25)
Solomon gets a rare flash of insight that suddenly grabs his attention. And it comes, ironically, on the heels of this bleak series of frustrating scenes. Translated literally from the Hebrew, Solomon’s next statement reads: “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good” (2:24 NASB 1995). Here is his first flash of insight: There is nothing inherent in humanity that makes it possible for us to extract enjoyment and purpose from the things we do. Go back and read that again.
Solomon said, “I’ve seen this, because it comes from the hand of God. God has revealed this piece of information to me, and I’m ready to announce it to all who will listen: ‘This is true; there is nothing within you (or your children) that will automatically give you happiness or keep them at peace and bring them joy.’” Riches will not result in the satisfied life. Happiness cannot be purchased.
About now you’re probably asking, “How can I ever enjoy life? What will it take for me to get purpose and meaning back into life?” Well, the next line in Solomon’s journal offers a second flash of insight: Enjoyment is God’s personal gift. “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” (v. 25 NASB).
Isn’t that the truth! Unless God is in the middle of it, lasting enjoyment is impossible. Is there any place better to be than with a group of Christians who get together to have fun? It’s incredible how hilarious our times can be when, as believers, we get together and enjoy what we commonly call “fellowship”!
We have the idea that the world is the one that gives enjoyment and God’s the One who clubs us when we have fun. But the fact is, it’s the other way around. If you really want to have fun—I mean the kind of fun that is really enjoyment (without a hangover)—then you need only one ingredient in your midst; you need a relationship with the living God. According to Solomon, “Who can have enjoyment without Him?” As God’s people, we’re the ones who ought to be having the time of our lives!
Taken from Living on the Ragged Edge by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1985, 2004 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
