Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Horizontal Living
I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 2:1 NLT)
The pursuit of pleasure is nothing new. Solomon reminds us in the Book of Ecclesiastes that “nothing under the sun is truly new” (1:9 NLT). Though our technology has changed and we’ve had certain advancements since Solomon’s day, the basic cravings of humanity have not changed.
The basic things we seek out to find fulfillment have not changed either. The philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry!” (Luke 12:19 NLT) has been with us for a long time.
In chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote, “I said to myself, ‘Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the “good things” in life’ But I found that this, too, was meaningless” (verse 1 NLT).
Joy Davidman, the wife of C. S. Lewis, had this insightful statement about the pursuit of pleasure: “Living for his own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do. If his neighbors don’t kill him in disgust, he will die slowly of boredom and powerlessness.”
That is so true. As someone has pointed out, the only cure for hedonism is trying to practice it. Solomon was engaged in horizontal living. In other words, he had omitted God from his worldview.
Throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon used the phrase “under the sun.” But it was only when he looked above the sun and to God that he found the answers he was seeking.
It you have a relationship with God and are walking closely with Him, then you will see this world for what it is. You will recognize the philosophies, concepts, and ideologies that contradict what the Bible teaches. When you are walking closely with God, you also will see the emptiness and the futility of the things that people chase after.
When we see God for who He is, we will see this world for what it is.
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