This past Sunday we dealt with the subject of pleasure in a broken world. I believe it is important to observe that it is God that has given us the ability to enjoy the pleasures of this life. The range of these pleasures is found mostly in the capacity of our five senses.
One great illustration of this subject is our ability to enjoy food. What a pleasant variety of foods God has given us and such a broad range of spices and ways that our foods can be prepared. Cattle just feed, but we have the capacity to greatly enjoy eating as a pleasurable experience and often as a social experience.
However we must acknowledge that there is a reasonable and even moral boundary that applies to eating. Solomon teaches us that pleasures must be understood and enjoyed within the moral and reasonable boundaries that are correct and appropriate. Pleasures can be the ruin of our lives, and their capacity to bring ruin is nearly limitless.
It is this broken world and the brokenness of ourselves that leave us subject to this ruin. Solomon urges us to understand this reality and keep pleasure in its rightful place in our lives.
