12.15.21
Wealth: Danger Ahead!
Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19)
Have you ever bought a new car? Do you like that new car smell? How long does it last? Someone has said that when you buy a car, its goal is to get to the junkyard, and your job is to keep it out as long as possible.
In Ecclesiastes 3, 4 Solomon pondered the problems of life that he saw around him: injustice, death, loneliness, competition, oppression, and the inevitability of change. Here now in chapter 5 he shares some challenges and exhortations.
His first words deal with the necessity of being sincere before God (1-7). Our worship and our words need to be sincere. What kind of an attitude do we have when we come to the house of God, or to our time alone with God? Above all things, we should come to God with an attitude of reverence, and a willingness to listen. The wise person realizes that God knows all that he thinks, feels, and desires, so it is best to speak only the truth.
Since many of the problems of life are created by a desire to have or keep wealth, Solomon shares with his readers what he sees to be the disadvantages of riches (10-17). If anyone would know, it would be Solomon, perhaps the richest man who ever lived.
The Bible teaches that God’s blessing can bring wealth without trouble (Prov 10:22). But wealth apart from God ultimately brings no advantage. We cannot buy our way to happiness. We must turn wholeheartedly to God to find lasting fulfillment in an unjust world.
So, what are the disadvantages of wealth that Solomon discovered? First, the more we have, the more we want (10). Materialism has an insatiable appetite
Second, the more we have, the more we spend (11). If someone purchases a house, he also has to purchase things to keep it up. Buying a car also means spending money to maintain it.
Third, the more we have, the more we worry (12). The rich man often has a hard time sleeping as his mind churns over his investments. The average man can normally sleep sweetly after a day of strenuous work.
Fourth, the more we have, the more we have to lose (13-15). A person may work diligently to accumulate wealth, stockpile it, and hoard it. However, all of this labor could be devastated by an untimely calamity: fire, earthquake, drought, theft, or financial reversal. Having much is no guarantee of retaining much. Is anything really guaranteed?
And finally, the more we have, the more we leave behind (16, 17). One never has enough to escape death. One commentator put it this way: if we focus more on what we have than on the Giver, we are guilty of idolatry; if we accept His gifts, but complain about them, we are ingrates; if we hoard His gifts and don’t share, we are guilty of indulgence; and if we yield what He gives for His glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied.
At the end, Solomon is an optimist (18-20). He declares that the only thing that lasts is what God gives us. God loves to see happy people, and happy families. Those who enjoy what God has given them, and trust Him for tomorrow, will have joyful lives that pass swiftly by, and can be prepared for eternity.