Thank you for the Biblical interpretation and application question on Ecclesiastes 2:2, “What does Ecclesiastes 2:2 mean?”
The context of Ecclesiastes 2:2 says this, “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives” (NIV).
Here are some thoughts for one’s consideration:
The author of Ecclesiastes is stating that all of human effort is transitory, fleeting and can be seen as a distraction to the real purpose of life. If God is not the center of one’s life, then the efforts and achievements has not eternal value.
It would be like a person building a huge sand castle on the beach. It’s fun. It’s exciting to see the construction of walls and windows, gardens and gates, perhaps even a moat around the castle. At the end of the day, he has to leave it behind or worse yet if a huge wave washes over it or someone tramples on it. All that effort is gone in a moment of time.
Laugher brings a moment of joy like going to see a Broadway Movie or a Movie, but one has to step out of the theatre or home theatre sometime. The laughter ceases. It’s a great distraction but the reality of the world hits home with what is waiting for us.
Pleasure of seeing something beautiful of a mountainous scene or a picture. One is lost in the moment in that place. If one enjoys a fabulous meal at the restaurant of one’s dream, one knows that one has to stop eating and leave the dining table at some point of time. The eye and the stomach can only be sustained for a definitive period of time. Life moves on beyond pleasure. At some point, the pleasure wears out and the thrill is gone if one eats too much of it or sees too much of it. It becomes a “common” thing again.
Extreme sports or thrills is seeking that “high” in life, but there is always a let down at the end. The thrill ride ends at some point. It is madness to keep searching that next “high” in life. Life is more than just seeking the “high” of life. It ends for everyone.
SUMMARY: Life is more than just living for the moment. Without God, it is all futile in the end.
For more perspectives: