The Wicket Gate

The second part of our series comes from chapter two- “Good Gifts Make Bad Gods.” (47-60). Specifically the first eleven verses examined in the section “The Pleasure is Not Worth the Pain.” (47-51)

“I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines. Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 NASB 95

To begin, Borgman does an exceptional job in this section using his personal experience on the Oregon Coast. “Hundreds of Sea Lions lay out on the rocks, sunning themselves, barking their hearts out…also a beautiful rose garden…neatly arranged rows of roses, each one identified by its Latin name… Every time we visit, I think to myself, “Qoheleth would have been proud.”” (50) The teacher (Qoheleth) sought to “test his heart with pleasure,” “build great works,” and amassed great wealth- to the point that he “surpassed all who were before me.”  He took laughter, wine, and beauty to the max! He withheld no pleasure! He had it all! And yet in the end he considered all his toil and experiences, and it was all a breath, “striving after the wind.”

There are several ways to approach this text and because our differing experiences (some have worked themselves to the top, others have consumed food and drink, others have raised large families or increased the value of their home with gardens) we will relate more or less strongly to each pursuit when reading the passage. In spite of our differing experiences, I bet you can relate strongly to one of the Teachers’ efforts to find fulfillment.  

We are to enjoy the things of earth, the lesser gifts of God. Having children, raising children, building houses, finding a church, growing gardens, reading books, listening to music should all be enjoyed! However enjoyment of these things is limited, a passing vapor. Borgman and the teacher are clear our “bubble will burst.” This is not to mean we should live in fear and anxiety, which drive away the joy God intended us to experience. We find the blessing of Christian contentment in good and in bad situations, resting on the sovereignty of God and his promises (Phillipians 4:11-12). I concur with Borgman’s thought “There is nothing wrong with a good laugh, a glass of wine, or personal achievement…enjoying music, or intimacy with one’s spouse” (51). God’s gifts are meant to be enjoyed, but they are vapor, “The bubbles we think will make us happy will indeed burst”(51). The bubble that lasts is not a bubble at all, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ, Christs’ perfect life, death, and resurrection to save us from our sin and see us through to the end(see my first post in this series).  

With the remaining time I will briefly explore one of the pursuits listed above. Exploring with my mind how “Stimulating the body with wine…and how to take hold of folly” could be the title of my life for several of my adult years. While the blessings of wine, beer, and liquor can be rightly enjoyed, as Qoheleth attests, they are still a vapor. 

Some of us, and by some of us I include me, see and feel that vapor of pleasure, and have at some point in our lives tried to live off that vapor. As humans we slip into disordered use of God’s gifts quite easily, instead of enjoying God we enjoy the immediate effects of our consumption. This disordered enjoyment becomes disordered dependence, and that dependence becomes our idol. Alcohol, among other drugs, form dependence that gets in the way of prayer, bible study, meditation, and family (both at church and home). Alcohol is a gift from God to lift the heart to celebrate weddings and other events (John 2:1-11). But focusing on the lift instead of the one who gave the lift, alcohol becomes the idol that gets in the way of meaningful relationship with Christ. 

 I lived off the “vapor” of alcohol for more time than I care to elaborate, I was living like the bubble would never burst. Not to say I slacked in my work, as I mentioned in my last post, I never gave a hint of disorder(or at least I thought I didn’t), always striving to hide my shame (compare Genesis 2:25 to 3:10). Even in these times the Spirit is working, revealing the disorder, showing the path of escape and giving courage for the effort.  My efforts to quit fell flat many times, but the last time I can distinctly remember praying late one night “O Lord deliver me,” (Romans 7:24) I knew the cost of quitting(or what at the time I saw as cost), and it no longer mattered. That night was March 5, 2023, glory to God for delivering me from my disordered use of his gift.   

My lesson from Qoheleth, recognize the vapor that consumption and folly are, before your kids are old, before any more of life passes by. Enjoy the beautiful life that God has given, the faith he has given (Ephesians 2:8), the security he has given (Romans 8:39) in contentment by patient endurance (Hebrews 10:36). Life with all it’s ups and downs is much better without the haze, God is best seen and enjoyed in real life, high definition, crystal clear sobriety (1 Peter 5:5-10). 

Let’s finish with Borgman “We better be sure that we have something more substantial than bubbles.” (51) The glory of Trinitarian fullness in heaven is so much more than bubbles. Now I have to get back to work. Lol!

Disclaimer: This post is not to browbeat those who do consume. As mentioned in my post, consumption is a personal decision, God has given to some the ability to regulate, and others not so much. Not very many people that I have ever met can straddle the line between too much or none at all. I heard Jocko Willink say on his podcast “The right answer is you shouldn’t be doing this. And you just, especially if you have a problem with it, shouldn’t do it at all. Period.” (Jocko Podcast 377 (adult language)) Hearing that on a podcast published 9 days after I quit was providential, it was exactly what the Lord knew I needed to hear during the early days of sobriety.