The Futility of Pleasure (Ecc 2:1–11)

The Preacher, King Solomon, is examining things in life that promise fulfillment. He has concluded that knowledge and education are too limited in scope (1:12–18). Now he turns to pleasure. He decides to see if pleasure can provide meaning and fulfillment to life, but his conclusion is that this too is futile (2:1–2).
Now when we think of pleasure, we might immediately think of sinful or lustful pleasure, but Solomon says that even in his quest for pleasure his heart was “acquainted with wisdom,” or better, guided by wisdom (2:3, 9). Therefore, he was not exploring illicit or sinful hedonism, but the pleasures of life. He was going to see if he could buy happiness. Remember, he was a king and the richest man around, so if anybody could do it, it would have been him!
He built lavish palaces and elaborate gardens (2:4–6), he hired slaves to serve him hand and foot, and he had huge flocks and goats and sheep, an indicator of wealth in those days (2:7). He amassed a huge treasure of silver and gold, and he enjoyed the arts, singing, and music (2:8). In short, he was successful! He had more of the good things that life offers than anybody around (2:9). Nothing was beyond his reach: he could do anything or have anything he wanted (2:10).
Even then, the Preacher says that this pursuit of “good living” was empty and unsatisfying. He says, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (2:11). Even having and doing everything he wanted wasn’t good enough. The same is true today: what matters to our age won’t last five years, let alone five hundred. It looks like fun and appears to bring satisfaction, but the Preacher says that this is emptiness and futility as well.