Ecclesiastes 5:8 - 6

Ecclesiastes 5:8 – 6 Ecclesiastes 5:8 – 6: Key verse – “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” 5:10 Read Ecclesiastes 5:8 – 6 Money is the focus of this section. The Teacher has shared with us his observations as he searched for meaning in life through wisdom, pleasure , work, and companionship. He now gives us his observations concerning money and meaning. The Teacher gives us three insights concerning money: Injustice: --v.8-9: The Teacher observes that wherever we find money in abundance, we’ll also find injustice. It’s important to remember that he is speaking proverbially. In genera though, if we see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful, we shouldn’t be surprised—it’s a fact of life. (This does not mean that we shouldn’t be saddened and angry and try to help wherever possible.) Everyone takes orders from those higher up the ladder and the lower one is on that ladder, the more justice becomes an unaffordable luxury. Aware of such realities, we have all the more reason to praise the Lord when we see leaders—whether in business, government, communities, or anywhere else who are striving for righteous prosperity for all. What injustices do you see where money is involved? Indigestion: --v.10-11: Wealth also produces indigestion: “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” (v.10) In other words, money is an insatiable appetite. We can never have enough. Truth be told, if there’s anything worse that the excess that money brings, it’s the emptiness it leaves. The Teacher aims to expose the real issue in our hearts: not our desire for more money but our seeking a sense of inward fulfillment that we think can be found in more money. To make matters worse, the more money we have, the more people there will be who want our money (v.11)! Not surprisingly, the Teacher concludes in v.12 that affluence plus indulgence equals restlessness. Clearly, wealth isn’t all that it promises to be. Can you think of any examples where someone never has enough money? Insignificance: --v.13-6:12: “Naked in, naked out”—this is the spirit of the Teacher’s words in v.14. We didn’t come down the birth canal sneakers or holding shopping bags, nor can we take those things with us when we die. (v.15) Unless we invest in heaven’s bank, the Bible teaches, life is marked by debt and destruction (Matthew 6:19-21). In fact, that’s the whole emphasis of chapter 6. The entire chapter is a graphic illustration of the meaninglessness of this “grievous evil”. In short, the Teacher asserts (again—also in chapter 4) that it is better to be a stillborn than a wealthy man with a hundred children in his old age but with no satisfaction in life. Compounding this astounding claim, the Teacher shows in v.10-12 that the rat race of life in itself makes no sense at all. To live “under the sun”—apart from God with no absolute values for which to live and no practical certainties for which to plan—is like being a soccer player who runs up and down a field without goals, lines, or a penalty spot. Life lived in this manner is a complete waste of time—and no amount of money can fix it. Do you think money can lead to insignificance? Summary: The desire for money is something with which we can all identify, whether we have a lot or a little. Money can give us a sense of power and control over our lives. But often, just when we think we’ve got it under control, life catches us off guard, thwarting our plans and exposing the fact that we control very little. In these moments, we may see the shadow of God’s hand, as it were, knocking on the door of our souls, as it did the Teacher’s. Though we try to escape God’s creating and sustaining power by pursuing futile loves such as money, we would do well to recognize that there is not an exit on life’s freeway that, when taken, allows us to escape from God’s hand at all (Psalm 139:7-12). While money itself isn’t evil, seeking inward fulfillment from anything apart from God most certainly is. Examine where you find fulfillment this week!