Ecclesiastes 2:3 Commentary and Bible Study

Next, he turned to the indulgence of the flesh. He experimented with the gratification of the body with wine and no doubt with food also. Again, we can be sure that his kingly resources would have allowed him to try the very best available both from Israel and from the many other lands with which Israel traded. This also was a most dangerous experiment, contravening the clear instruction of the word of God to avoid the lusts of the flesh, and ignoring his own warnings, given under inspiration that ‘wine is a mocker’ (Proverbs 20:1), and that it is not for a king, but should be given only to those who are perishing and bitter in heart, so that they can forget their misery (Proverbs 31:6-7). Was it possible that satisfaction lay in this direction, in the total gratification of every desire of the flesh? Is the flesh the entirety of man’s nature so that, by pleasing it, he can satisfy the whole being? Certainly not, for the flesh is perishing and grows old and weak and will fail completely in death. How can the feeding of the appetites satisfy the eternal man’s soul which cannot be at peace with the destruction of his body? To feed the flesh and not the soul is to leave the soul starved and emaciated. Though men might pretend that they are composed of flesh alone, their souls will not cooperate in this deceit and complain bitterly that no provision has been made for the eternal part of man.This search for pleasure in the indulgence of the flesh he calls folly, because he knows before he starts that it is generally regarded as folly, and so he finds it to be. It can only be folly to suppress the mind, the highest part of our nature under the influence of alcohol and treat life as merely an opportunity for sensory indulgence.All this Solomon did – and the comment applies to all his other experiments as well – with his wisdom intact and operating as a guardian overseeing all his wanderings. He never forgot his purpose to search out the source of satisfaction in life in order to be able to recommend it to his fellow man.