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Ecc 2:1-11.

Meditation

In verse 3 Solomon begins with wine. People everywhere enjoy wine and alcohol, don’t they? That was true in Solomon’s day, and it’s still true now. I remember in high school, at university, and in the workplace, people looked forward to drinking on the weekend. For some of them, it was the highlight of their lives. You probably look forward to a good drink yourself from time to time, in moderation of course.

So Solomon says to himself, everyone enjoys a good drink, let’s see if there’s an answer there. I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine, my heart still guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. Notice that he still used his wisdom. Solomon didn’t become a drunkard, but you can be sure he was having a good time.

And what was his conclusion? Vanity. You enjoy a good night out, you wake up the next morning and it’s over. You do it again, and it’s over just as quickly. Then you grow older, and you lose your appetite for it. There’s no real satisfaction in drink.

I met an alcoholic on the street once. It was a Sunday, and as we strolled through the park, we came across him and started talking. He didn’t look healthy. He told me he’d struggled with addiction for many years and had just been told by his doctor that his lifestyle was killing him. As I looked into his grey eyes, I didn’t see a man who had found satisfaction. I saw a man who was haunted. He was looking for a church, looking desperately for salvation. We invited him to come. We weren’t in our own area, but we knew of a faithful church nearby, and apparently he went along to the evening service there. I don’t know what happened after that.

But I can tell you this: Alcohol promises much. Good times, enjoyment, pleasure. And to an extent, it gives you that. But it doesn’t last. And if you make drink your god, it will haunt you all the way to your grave. Only Christ can satisfy. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

Lord, I confess that I have often sought comfort and joy in the fleeting pleasures of this world rather than in you. I have looked for satisfaction in what cannot last and have forgotten that only your presence gives true delight. Cleanse my heart from false idols and quiet the thirst that leads me away from your living water. Teach me to drink deeply of your grace, to find strength and gladness in your will alone. I consecrate myself to you anew, that my life may be filled with your Spirit and my joy rooted only in your eternal goodness.

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