Process Problems

 Solomon’s process for learning to live a meaningful life is flawed in several ways that we’ll explore in this chapter. They are:

• He had no prophet or counselor
• He neglected God’s Word
• He mentioned no prayer
• He relied too much on his heart and mind.
• He conducted sinful experiments

What’s Missing?

You may not notice as you read Ecclesiastes, but several elements you’d expect to find are missing. Their absence is significant because they’re keys to living a meaningful life.

No Prophet or Counselor

When King David considered building a Temple for God, he talked it over with Nathan the prophet (2Sa 7:1-17). God sent Nathan to correct David when he sinned with Bathsheba (2Sa 12:1-14). He was instrumental in Solomon’s ascension to the throne (1Ki 1). He also wrote a biography of Solomon that’s not included in the Bible (2Ch 9:29). That means he was around when Solomon pursued his quest for meaning. The verse mentions the prophets Ahijah and Iddo ministering during his reign, too. King Solomon also had counselors, whose advice his son, Rehoboam, ignored (1Ki 12: 6-8; 2Ch 10:6-8).

Yet in Solomon’s quest for meaning, which took years, he mentions no prophet or counselor. He talks to himself multiple times. But he doesn’t appear to have discussed this important issue at all. He records no conversations with, or contributions from, anyone. Solomon reached all his conclusions by experience, observation and contemplation. That’s especially surprising because Solomon repeatedly told his son the importance of good counsel.

• …in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. (Pro 11:14; 24:6)
• …Every purpose is established by counsel… (Pro 15:22; 20:18)
• Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. (Pro 19:20)
• The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. (Pro 12:15)

That last verse is especially on point. Counsel is useful because we’re all inclined to think we’re right. Then we look for evidence to support our opinion and ignore contrary data. (A logical fallacy called confirmation bias [ “Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values.” (Wikipedia, 2024)].) That is Solomon’s point in Proverbs 18:2.

A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

No matter how smart, educated, or wise you are, it’s almost always a good idea to get input from others to avoid confirmation bias.

No Scripture

God commanded Israel’s kings to hand write a personal copy of the Scriptures and read it all their lives:

And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: (Deu 17:18-19)

But Ecclesiastes isn’t a meditation on Scripture. Solomon didn’t read the creation account and ponder what it meant to be made in God’s image and likeness. Ecclesiastes contains ideas presented elsewhere in God’s Word. But there’s no “as it is written” or “thus saith the Lord,” which appear so often throughout the Bible. God’s Word is as basic to spiritual life as bread is to physical life. 

But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  (Mat 4:4)

Trying to find life’s meaning and purpose without Scripture is a mistake.

No Prayer

In the face of life’s most challenging situations, men of God took their complaints and questions to Him in prayer. When Solomon’s father, David, faced the vanity of life, he expressed it to God in prayer.

LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah. Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.  (Psa 39:4-7)

Yet Solomon doesn’t record or recommend pray at all. Prayer should be a key part of tackling important life issues. Don’t follow Solomon’s example here.

Objection Answered

You may object to my three previous points. “Hold on,” you say, “it doesn’t say he didn’t seek counsel, search Scripture, and pray. You’re arguing from silence, Mr. Avoid Logical Fallacies!” I see your point but consider what Ecclesiastes is. It’s a record of Solomon’s research and a summary of his findings. He details what he did and how he did it. Despite the level of detail he provides, all three elements are (mostly) missing.

What’s Mistaken?

Two aspects of Solomon’s approach are wrong. He did things that you as a believer shouldn’t do.

Follow Your Heart

Solomon looked to his heart to guide him and to evaluate his experiences.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven… (1:13, 17; 2:3; 7:25; 8:9, 16)

• I communed with mine own heart… (1:16)
• I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee… (2:1)
• …I withheld not my heart from any joy… (2:10)  
• Then said I in my heart… (2:15; 3:17, 18 )  
• …a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. (8:5)
• For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this… (9:1)  

Is that approach reliable? Can we find meaning, purpose, and truth if only we follow our heart? It’s a popular philosophy, but Solomon knew better:

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.  (Pro 28:26)

Our universal sinfulness (Rom 3:23), a manifestation of the wicked human heart (Mat 5:18-19), makes our heart an unreliable guide:

• For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecc 7:20)
• …the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (9:3)

Other Scriptures confirm our heart disease:

• And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen 6:5)
• The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer 17:9)

Unrestrained Desire

Another problem with Solomon’s approach was his unrestrained desire. He said yes to anything he wanted. 

Ecc 2:10  And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

That’s an accurate record of Solomon’s decision making process. “I work hard. Why shouldn’t I enjoy the fruits of my labor and get whatever I want,” seems to be the sentiment. Don’t follow his example! I can’t imagine any pastor telling a church member, “If you see something you really want, go for it! You deserve it.”

This is a problem on several levels. First, you don’t need personal experience to confirm God’s commands. For example, God commanded His people not to intermarry with their heathen neighbors:

And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. (Exo 34:16)

The wisest man on the planet couldn’t violate God’s Law and avoid the predicted outcome (1Ki 11:1-4). Solomon didn’t need a sinful experiment to confirm God’s command.  You don’t need to practice evil to discover that it’s bad. God’s boundaries are for our protection—trust Him.

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. (Deu 6:24)

Second, it’s ironic that Solomon tried everything so he could tell us what’s good and bad for us. He took no one’s word for it. He tested everything personally. Then he said to his readers, “There’s nothing you can do that I haven’t already done. Don’t waste your time going down that road.” He was telling them that they didn’t have to make every mistake themselves. They could trust his experience and evaluation. If you’re going to take someone’s word for it, let it be God’s Word.

Finally, we’re inclined to consider experience the measure of all things. But a hundred variables, many beyond our awareness, impact our experiences. Our judgment of what made things turn out as they did may be wrong.

For example, our culture puts too much stock in success stories. We look to the business tycoon, the star athlete, or the gold medalist. They usually cite preparation, dedication, courage and passion as keys to their success. Undoubtedly, others execute the same steps, with equal dedication and passion, but don't win. How many Olympic athletes pour their lives into their pursuit of Olympic gold, only to finish off the platform? But winners get to tell their stories, and we codify them into formulas for success.

Being Desire-Driven is Dangerous

Adam and Eve believed the lie that God was withholding something good from them. They gained first-hand knowledge of evil by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6). Their if I want it, I’ll take it thinking plunged the world into chaos. We’re not supposed to live that way. 

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1Jn 2:15-16)

Believers aren’t supposed to let our desires make our decisions.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Rom 13:14)

Giving into lusts (desires) contrary to God’s Word is the heart of sin. You want the wrong thing, you seek it at the wrong time, or in the wrong way. When a sinful desire (lust) meets a sinful opportunity (enticement), they conceive a murderous baby named sin:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (Jas 1:14-15)

Solomon followed a flawed process in his quest for the meaning of life. It’s shouldn’t surprise you to learn, then, that his flawed process produced a flawed product. That is, his limited approach caused him to draw some incomplete or false conclusions. We’ll tackle that in the next chapter.