To a large extent the pursuit of Happiness is equaled to the pursuit of material possessions; as if our happiness and satisfaction is measured by that! There is a great deal of false education formally and not to this end; while the fact that the more many have the more they want or think they need demonstrates Solomon’s conclusion. Solomon pursued and possessed every materially good thing, obviously to the neglect of making God first, and ended up with this brief summation that “All was vanity and vexation of the Spirit.” Naturally if materiality is opposite to spirituality then the focus on the former has to create some “friction” with the latter. In some small way I did that too; pursuing human accomplishments thinking they would satisfy…..No! ended up the same way, discontentment still!!
VEXA’TIOUS, adjective (Webster’s 1828)
1. Irritating; disturbing or agitating to the mind; causing disquiet; afflictive; as a vexatious controversy; a vexatious neighbor.
2. Distressing; harassing; as vexatious wars.
From Matthew Henry:
First,Godliness, with contentment, is great gain; and those only have true joy that are good in God’s sight, and that have it from him and in him.
Secondly, Ungodliness is commonly punished with discontent and an insatiable covetousness, which are sins that are their own punishment.
Thirdly, When God gives abundance to wicked men it is with design to force them to a resignation in favour of his own children………
SH pg 60 tells us: Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul. Higher enjoyments alone can satisfy the cravings of immortal man. We cannot circumscribe happiness within the limits of personal sense. The senses confer no real enjoyment.
This great counsel is NOT common knowledge at all!