Solomon gave himself permission to investigate all of the pleasures of life to see if, living without a spiritual connection to Spirit, was as fulfilling as a life lived within a spiritual relationship with Spirit. He gave himself permission to make the most of as many pleasures as he could with the goal of finding out if those luxuries could bring contentment and purpose.
He looked at laughter and mirth, he looked at alcohol. He looked at material wealth including houses, vineyards, gardens and public parks. He built reservoirs for work and pleasure. He acquired servants and slaves to do his work. He became a large rancher with more herds and flocks than the population of Jerusalem. He also amassed silver, gold, popular singers, and had many women for himself. He found that the pursuit of all of these things resulted in futility. All the toys eventually break, all the shine begins to fade.
We are intended for the enjoyment of life, but when we pursue pleasures apart from a relationship with the Great Spiritual Energy of the ONE, the ultimate pleasure we seek eludes us. A relationship with the ONE gives us lasting joy and contentment.
Humans will never find contentment in the pursuit of, or acquisition of stuff. Humans can only find meaning by letting Spirit be the center of all they do. Those who pursue Spirit’s teachings will find solid footing and discover security in the one permanent someone.