Ecclesiastes 1:17 Commentary and Bible Study

Solomon also tried hedonism. He approached this search with optimism that it would yield success, answers that were capable of providing meaning to life and the key to happiness, otherwise he would not have put such energy into his search and pursued it with such singlemindedness. It was only as time went on and he obtained what he was after that he saw that it was incapable of giving him the satisfaction he expected. Yet vast numbers have followed in his steps, not believing his conclusions even though they are far less likely to succeed than Solomon. He is aware that it is not easy to convince other would-be happiness seekers in this world, and so he does his utmost to document his own futile exercise.He sought wisdom; he sought also the opposite – madness and folly. He continued to recognise that folly was folly, but explored it in order to see if perhaps there was any pleasure in it that was hidden from the eye of wisdom. He entered into that world where wisdom is abandoned and pleasure is sought for its own sake, where no attempt is made to avoid paths that seems profitless to wisdom. He wanted his search to be comprehensive and so the wise man entered into the experiences of the fool, and even of the mad, to sample them also. He saw folly’s limitations, its lack of perspective and shallowness of insight; he saw the additional dangers which it exposes men to and the sorrows it brings. He explored error and sin to see if contrary to the word of God, they hold the key to satisfaction. In all this search he kept his wisdom with him; although he temporarily ignored its guidance, he continued to scrutinise his own gains and losses.