10I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
Ever wonder what you get for being “good?” The author is trying to find the answer to this question himself. He is on a quest to find meaning apart from the LORD, and so far he is being unsuccessful. He comes to realize that pleasure as a goal does not satisfy. You always need one more pleasure. Pleasure as a pursuit will leave you unsatisfied. Ask any addict; they will tell you. We might say it differently in our culture. We might say that ‘fun’ or ‘activity’ is the goal. We are so busy being busy that we rarely stop to consider what we are gaining by all the ‘fun’ we are having. It just doesn’t satisfy. The faster motor cycle will satisfy. The nicer furniture certainly will fill the void. Maybe a little plastic surgery will do it. Maybe an affair or two. But no matter what we seek here on earth, it will not satisfy. That is why he continues to conclude that everything under the sun is meaningless. We have the privilege of listening in on his mistakes, and in doing so we can save ourselves the headache of seeking pleasure as a life-goal. It will not satisfy. Nothing in this life will satisfy. Only when we seek what is of the next life that we will be satisfied. And we are fortunate that the next life invaded this life. Jesus came and made the way for us to experience the next life in this life. We can start eternity now.
The Arnold Journey 