Book Group: Ecclesiastes Ch.5

Read the whole chapter here.

10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner..

It's important from the outset to make clear that I associate with the rich man in this passage, not the labourer. We like to think we are so poor, and bemoan not having what the rich people have. But in context, we are the rich. Australia is rich. If I live in Sydney, own a place, have a steady job and can provide for four people, I am rich.

I love this passage, because it cuts right to the quick, and just rings with so much truth. I love the image of the labourer, who while not earning a big wage, and working his fingers to the bone, sleeps well, and sleeps in peace. There's a beautiful, romantic simplicity in working hard in the sun and then crashing into bed, the sheer physicality of work having completely beaten out any form of anxiety or stress.

Meanwhile, the rich man lays awake in his five thousand dollar bed, on his special posturepedic mattress, wound up like a spring, tense, anxious, and with too much on his mind. He's tried so hard to control his life, yet he can't manage.

But I think it's important not to go down the route of rich=bad and selfish and poor=good and humble. I like the way Mark Driscoll spoke about this in his talks on Proverbs. He says there are four categories-

-unrighteous poor
-unrighteous rich
-righteous poor
-righteous rich

He used the example of the wealthy man who gives a lot. The more he earns, the more he has to help other people with. Sure, he lives very comfortably, and from appearances looks rich. But you don't know how much he is giving away and being selfless with. I like that. There's nothing intrinsically holy about being poor. You can't support yourself, let alone have spare to give away. Be wealthy, but be selfless.

It's like that bit in verse 13 'wealth hoarded to the harm of the owner'. If you are making all your money just for you, just for your immediate family unit, you will never be satisfied. But if you rest on God's provision and give away in faith, your needs will be met abundantly by God.