Wealth, and the Power to Enjoy It
Ecclesiastes 6:1-9
Enjoy What You Have
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honour, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?
All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.[1]
A favourite uncle, a widower, phoned to tell me that he was quite ill and also to inform me that because of the illness he anticipated that he would soon die. He was serene as he contemplated his impending death, knowing that he had long before placed his faith in the Living Son of God. However, he sought to ensure that the final distribution of his earthly goods would be to those whom he loved. He told me that his will named me as heir of his few earthly goods. He specifically told me that he had a sizeable bank account, naming the sum then in the bank. It was a generous remembrance, for which I was—and am—extremely grateful. Within days, I received the inevitable phone call informing me that he had died, passing into the presence of God. Within a few weeks, I received an official communication from a lawyer probating his estate. The letter informed me that the will was being probated and that I was named as the sole heir.
Months passed, and I heard no more from the lawyer. After quite a long period, I phoned the lawyer to inquire about the progress of probate and disposition of the estate. The lawyer accepted my call, and then informed me that there was nothing in the estate except for an old car, a small amount of furniture, a few books and some clothing. Upon investigation, I found that a nephew of his wife had gained signing authority over my uncle’s affairs, and consequently, there was no money left in the account at his death.
This disappointing turn of events served as a reminder for me that wealth is temporary. Wealth must one day be surrendered to another, and we have no power over the distribution of what we now hold. It is ours only as long as we are alive. Moreover, our wealth may only be used as a tool; it cannot be hoarded against eternity. It has value only as we employ it wisely and to the glory of the Eternal God.
The Bible has a great deal to say about wealth, and about the responsibility of all who possess wealth to see that what is held is entrusted to them for their own pleasure, and also for the benefit of others. Above all else, wealth is entrusted to mankind so that we can honour God, though we have forgotten this truth in too many instances.
There is a strain of Christianity that believes that we should not enjoy ourselves in this world. In this distorted view of the Faith, Christians are taught that we dare not rejoice in the wealth God has provided. This concept has often been parodied as the inevitable conclusion of Christian orthodoxy. Parody or not, it is a tragic fact that some Christians and certain forms of Christian belief and practice have often presented true Christianity as a way to deny all enjoyment of the things of this world. Fear of a good time has too often distorted Christian self-denial and biblical mortification of sin into a denial of the good creation and of the principle of pleasure that God has built into it.[2]
I hesitate to make this point, since we are creatures of extremes. I recognise that someone could attempt to distort my words to say something that was never intended. Throughout the majority of my life as a follower of Christ the Lord, I have observed an exaggerated search for personal pleasure that has dominated much of Christendom. Nevertheless, that people by nature tend to become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God [2 Timothy 3:4] does not negate the fact that pleasure is inherent in the world as God created it and that pleasure in many realms is His gift. Those who pervert the truth of God must not be permitted to become our teachers.
Sin inclines us human beings to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator [Romans 1:25]. Most of mankind can be classed as lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God [2 Timothy 3:4], and so we are challenged to discover how as Christians we can live in the world and use the world in a spirit of joyful thanks to God, the Creator. The answer to this challenge lies in part in the words Solomon recorded in Ecclesiastes. Throughout the book, the Wise Man repeats a theme calling for balance in life, and especially does he call for balance in handling what God entrusts to each individual.
God is the Source of Wealth — There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honour, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires… Solomon affirms that God gives wealth, possessions and honour. Though I should not need to state the obvious, I know that some still need to hear it. Recognition that God is the source of our blessing must not be permitted to become either an excuse to avoid hard work or an effort to excuse sloth. The individual who lazily waits for money to drop into his lap, or who invests her few goods in Lotto 649 tickets, will find scant comfort in the words of the Wise Man. Solomon clearly states that it is God who blesses individuals with wealth.
Solomon spoke with considerable authority in attesting that wealth, possessions and honour come from God. You will recall that Solomon prayed for wisdom at Gibeon, and God appeared to Him as he prayed. God is generous [James 1:5], and when Solomon sought wisdom permitting him to rule God’s people instead of seeking personal aggrandisement, God responded with divine generosity. Because … you have not asked possessions, wealth, honour, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honour, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like [2 Chronicles 1:11, 12]. God always gives more than we request.
Wealth has sometimes received a bad rap among the professed people of God. Nevertheless, if we will understand the divine intention, we will remember that God made all things for people to enjoy [1 Timothy 6:17]. That is why being rich is a matter for thanksgiving, not embarrassment. Every possession that a person can possibly own comes from the Creator [Psalm 24:1], so all wealth can rightly be counted as a blessing from God. It was in recognition of this truth that David was motivated to pray to God, Riches and honour come from you [1 Chronicles 29:12]. Even when wealth is earned through hard work, the Bible reminds its readers that both their talents and their resources are God-given. Jesus illustrates this important lesson in the parables of the ten talents [Matthew 25:14–30] and the ten minas [Luke 19:11–26].
Nowhere, then, does the Bible say that having possessions and becoming wealthy are wrong in themselves. There would be no point in the Ten Commandments’ ban on stealing and envy if it were wrong for God’s people to own anything at all. Private property and possessions are supported by Scripture. Jesus Himself never taught that it was sinful to be rich. However, He did instruct His people to be responsible in administering all that is entrusted to their oversight.
Though you probably do not think of yourself as rich, we Canadians are nevertheless a wealthy people, especially when viewed against the sweeping backdrop of history and when measured against the personal wealth of almost every other nation in our world today. Christians, especially, should understand that God has entrusted all that is held as a stewardship. Christians are called to be administrators of the grace of God and all that we hold is evidence of His grace.
The Faith of Christ the Lord demands that we accept responsibility for wisely administering all that we possess. We bear responsibility not only to wisely use everything we hold to honour God, but we are also responsible to recognise that it is God who blesses us with possessions—and also with the power to enjoy possessions.
On one occasion, Jesus told a parable in response to a lawyer’s self-serving question, “Who is my neighbour?” In the parable Jesus told, a Samaritan, detested by pious Jews as an adherent of a “mongrel” religion, demonstrated that he had more understanding of the mind of God than did professed servants of God. The Samaritan demonstrated that all that he held had been entrusted to him so that he could honour God. He demonstrated this understanding through providing for a Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed, and left to die in his agony [see Luke 10:25-37]. In the same way, whatever I hold is not mine to be consumed on my pleasure only. Neither may I imagine that what I have acquired is possessed independently of God.
We have perhaps heard someone spoken of to as a “self-made man,” or perhaps you have heard of those who “pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.” Such a view is superficial at best and utterly errant at worst. In reality, even “self-made” people and those with the amazing ability “to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps” are utterly dependent upon God, whether they acknowledge His mercies or not.
Paul asks, What do you have that you did not receive [1 Corinthians 4:7]? The anticipated answer is, “Nothing.” If you contend that your strength or your mental prowess is the means by which you have gained your wealth, I would only ask you, “Who gave you strength?” “Who gave you the ability to think, to reason, to plan?” God gives life and opportunity. I will agree that we are responsible to seize the opportunities God gives, but we dare not forget that ultimately, God gives all that we have.
Isn’t it interesting that when we receive wealth and possessions, initially we have no problem seeing that all we receive came from the hand of God? However, as time passes, our appreciation begins to drift and we begin to imagine that these things are the product of our own effort and our own ability rather than a gift from the hand of God.
We will do well to remember the warning Moses gave to Israel after announcing God’s future blessings. Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day [Deuteronomy 8:17, 18].
Enjoyment of Wealth is Not Assured by the Possession of Wealth — The point that I am now making is too important to pass over quickly—enjoyment of what you own is not assured by mere possession. In verse two, Solomon speaks of an individual—perhaps it was someone he knew—who was blessed in such a way that he lacked nothing. Yet, he was incapable of enjoying what he had received.
How fortunate a person would be to lack nothing, but how miserable if he or she could not enjoy the blessings of what was possessed. In the Proverbs, Agur son of Jakeh pens a prayer that should become our own.
Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
[Proverbs 30:7-9]
This wise man sought balance in life, just as we should each aspire to balance in life.
What prevented the individual of whom Solomon wrote from enjoying life? We really don’t know, but we know that many events can conspire to rob us of enjoyment. Perhaps there was trouble in the home [Proverbs 15:16, 17; 17:1]. Perhaps this person was confined to a sickbed, or perhaps even death had come into the home [e.g. Luke 12:20]. Whatever had happened, a stranger was now destined to enjoy all that he once held.
Solomon continues by considering another situation. He postulates a hypothetical situation in verses three through six, which read as follows. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? In this situation, Solomon speaks of a man blessed beyond comprehension in the three greatest areas of divine blessing: wealth, family and length of days.
Though the individual in verse two could have been an actual person, we may be certain that the man in verses three through six describe a hypothetical situation. No one in a monogamous marriage fathers one hundred children regardless of how long he lives. No one lives two thousand years. To the Jewish mind of that time, long life and a large family were evidence of God’s favour. So, Solomon employs hyperbole to emphasise the point that great blessings do not ensure enjoyment.
The man whom Solomon describes dies unlamented. However his life may have played out, his family—all one hundred children and likely his wife as well—waited for his death only so they could read the will. Though he had great possessions, in reality, this man was impoverished. He couldn’t enjoy his money. He couldn’t enjoy his family. Solomon opines that it would have been better if this man had never been born! A stillborn child is better off than a man who is unable to enjoy the blessings of his life.
What a seeming tragedy it is to have all the resources for a satisfying life and yet not be able to enjoy them for one reason or another. No amount of prosperity can make up for a life devoid of joy. Riches that are not enjoyed cannot be considered to be a blessing; neither can riches that are not employed to the glory of God ultimately bless the one holding those riches. More than one person has worked hard and looked forward to a comfortable retirement only to have a heart attack, to become an invalid, or to become a statistic. Too often, the anticipated peace of retirement is shattered by a crisis in the family that begins to drain both money and strength.
In Solomon’s estimate, it was a basic principle that nobody can truly enjoy the gifts of God apart from the God who gives the gifts. To enjoy the gifts without the Giver is idolatry, and idolatry can never satisfy the human heart. Enjoyment without God is merely entertainment, and because it is transient and dependent upon the moment, it cannot satisfy because it is not permanent. But enjoyment with God is enrichment and it brings true joy and satisfaction. Enjoyment with God is a settled condition that is not quickly disturbed by the pressures of life or through reversal of temporal fortune.
Solomon is saying, “Enjoy the blessings of God now. Thank Him for all of them, but never forget that you represent God. Never forget that what you hold, you hold for the glory of God.” Don’t plan to live—start living now. Be satisfied with what God gives and determine to use it wisely and to the praise of His glory. This is the same message that we have received from the Apostle. You will recall that he who wrote of his own life: I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me [Philippians 4:11-13].
The ability to enjoy life comes from within. It is an issue of character and not of circumstances. When Paul says he has learned contentment, he uses the Greek word autárkes, which is translated content. The word conveys the idea of “self-contained, adequate, needing nothing from the outside.” In other words, Paul found all the resources needed for facing life courageously within. It was Christ within who gave the Apostle strength and ability. That is why he says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
I want you to enjoy all that you have; but I know for a certainty that you cannot truly enjoy the things of this life until you have surrendered their control to Him who gave them. I know that you cannot be truly satisfied with the accoutrements of this perishing world until you view them through the lens of the world to come.
Wealth either WILL Master us or Be Mastered by us — Jesus warned that riches could keep a person out of the kingdom. How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God [Mark 10:23]! Jesus taught that affluence can destroy peace [Matthew 6:24–34], blind people to the needs of others [Luke 16:19–31], stand between individuals and the gateway to eternal life [Mark 10:17–27], and even bring God’s judgment [Luke 12:16–21]. He warned his disciples not to accumulate personal wealth [Matthew 6:19], and He praised those who gave up their possessions [Matthew 19:29].
However, Jesus’ warnings about wealth are not directed against riches. Instead, He condemns the wrong attitudes people often have toward acquiring wealth, and the wrong ways in which they use wealth when they have attained it. Longing for riches—not having them—chokes the spiritual life like weeds in a field of grain [Matthew 13:22]. The insatiable desire to acquire more wealth spelled the doom of the unforgiving servant [Matthew 18:23–35]. It was the rich man’s selfishness, not his wealth, that sealed his fate [Luke 16:19–26]. The Apostle captured the essential truth of these parables when he said, The love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil [1 Timothy 6:10 emphasis added].[3]
The greatest danger to any individual arises when riches gain the mastery in that person’s life. The whole Bible warns against this idolatrous attitude to material things [e.g. Deuteronomy 8:17, 18; Luke 14:15–24]. Satan tempted Jesus to put material wealth and power in God’s place [Matthew 4:8, 9]; and Jesus delivers the clearest warning against making money one’s master [Matthew 6:24]. Jesus instructed the rich young ruler to sell everything because He knew that wealth was destroying the young man [Mark 10:17–22]. Here was a wealthy man who had allowed his possessions to possess him. Jesus’ aim was to make him recognise his bondage so he could escape from his self-made prison. The fact that he turned away from Jesus demonstrates the powerful pull of riches.
These blunt warnings are the most striking aspect of Jesus’ teaching on wealth. But alongside His exposure of wrong attitudes, he was careful to sketch in the outline of right attitudes. Those who recognise that they are God’s trustees (not owners) of their possessions will find many valuable outlets for their riches in service for the Master [Luke 12:42–44]. Instead of making them tight-fisted, their riches should allow them to express love in many practical ways [2 Corinthians 8:2]. And instead of having their inward peace ruined by anxious greed, they would find the secret of serenity in an increasing sense of dependence on their heavenly Giver [Luke 12:29–31; 1 Timothy 6:17].
“According to the Bible, then, the morality of riches depends entirely on personal attitudes. And nowhere does this come out more than in the frequent comparisons Scripture draws between material and spiritual wealth. Those who make material riches their goal in life have wrong values. However wealthy they may appear, they are poverty-stricken in God’s sight [Matthew 16:26; Revelation 3:17]. In His view, the truly rich are those whose main aim in life is to serve him as King [Matthew 13:44–46]. Their wealth lies in the currency of faith and good works [1 Timothy 6:18; James 2:5]—a heavenly bank balance that no one can steal and nothing can erode: Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be (Matthew 6:21, nlt).”[4]
So, Solomon, as if anticipating all that Jesus would teach when He arrived, wrote, All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
According to Solomon’s perceptive analysis, we toil to quench our appetites, and yet, our longing to possess a “little more” is never satisfied. Solomon concludes that if we can but learn to be content, we are truly blessed. In this case, we will both possess all that God has already entrusted to us and we will also enjoy it as He intended. The alternative is that we will be always be seeking “something more.” Solomon advises us to focus on what God has given us instead of seeing what we do not have. In other words, assume responsibility to administer what you do have instead of seeking more. Accept the joy that attends all that God has now entrusted to you instead of engaging in a futile quest for more. When we chase the rainbow, we will soon discover that our pursuit is vanity and a striving after wind. The Wise Man admonishes all who read his words that it is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else [Ecclesiastes 6:9, gnb].[5]
So how shall we then live? As a boy in Kansas, I saw that the people tried to “take it as it comes.” This must not be construed as a plea for us to adopt the fatalism that too often lurks behind that sentiment. Life is characterised by repetitive cycles [Ecclesiastes 3:1–8], it has toil and sorrows [Ecclesiastes 4:1–8], unfairness and injustice [Ecclesiastes 6:1–12; 9:13–18], and with the inevitable and cruel end [Ecclesiastes 9:1–6].
As the people of God, we accept all these things in a spirit of faith, hope, and joy. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom [Proverbs 9:10], Ecclesiastes is full of wisdom with a capital “W.” Throughout this book, the Wise Man repeatedly points to our impending death and the knowledge that we will shortly face God who gives us life and has entrusted to us all that we now hold. From this fear comes confidence in God, a confidence that enables all who look to the Lord to say, in the face of every contingency and the vicissitudes of life, Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well for those who fear God, because they fear before Him [Ecclesiastes 8:12].
The one who administers the wealth God has entrusted to him can live in hope and even with an attitude of daring enterprise [Ecclesiastes 11:1]. The one endeavouring to honour God through a life marked by contentment and through wise employment of all that God has now entrusted to his oversight, can do all of this in the humility that comes from knowing that God’s ways are to him strange, and, often, incomprehensible [Ecclesiastes 11:5; 3:11].
Hard-headed faith and hope permits the godly man to enjoy the gifts of God in this life “under the sun.” Earlier in this same book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon asserted that there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This ability is confirmed as being from the hand of God [Ecclesiastes 2:24]. The pleasures that enrich our existence despite the vanity of this present life are gifts God gives for us to richly enjoy. This is attested in Paul’s observation that God richly provides us with everything to enjoy [1 Timothy 6:17]. This is an emphasis repeated throughout the book of Ecclesiastes and that is well attested in the remainder of the Word of God.
I am not, therefore, advocating pleasure for pleasure’s sake. Rather, I am recommending that we seek pleasure as received from the hand of God—the God who gives freely and designed us to enjoy all that His hand has provided. Augustine was very near to the truth of this book when he said, “Please God and do as you please.” These words accord with the words of the author of the Hebrew Letter when he admonished, Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have [Hebrews 13:5].
All this brings us face-to-face with the reality of our present condition as Christians in the midst of a world defined by consumerism. Christians have always had a propensity to idolatry, almost from the beginning of the Faith. Consequently, in this day we are displaying a breath-taking idolatry that is no longer shameful as we rush to gain a “little more” and in our exaltation of wealth.
Among the people of God are found too many that have become secret idolaters, even while they go through the motions of worship of the True and Living God. Christians share the gods of consumerism with the inhabitants of this dying world, and so we feel persuaded by the preaching of their spokespeople. The prophets and evangelists of “Mammon”—advertisers—have convinced us that the mundane products they hawk are able to transform us into creatures of beauty and power. We are convinced that if we but possess the products advertised, we will be at last happy.
Consequently, we no longer have the capacity to do truly great things with the goods God has entrusted to our care since we are deeply in debt in order to have the things that we believe will make us happy. We don’t actually enjoy what we do have for very long because we are always yielding to the siren call that whispers that we need just “a little more.” So, we become slaves to debt and slaves to our own appetites.
Do the people of God really want to give up the idols of Mammon? Our memory of the oppression of idolatry is extremely short, and so we stumble into the trap of debt as we fill our houses and our lives with things that can never satisfy the soul. Tragically, we do not have the power to enjoy even what we possess, because we are so focused on what we do not have. We fall into this deadly snare because we do not actually love God. We love what we imagine God can do for us, but we do not love Him.
Thus, we come to the church service expecting to be entertained and anticipating that our demands to “feel good” about ourselves assume precedence over instruction in righteousness. Perhaps this is the reason John warned those who read his first letter, Little children, keep yourselves from idols [1 John 5:21]?
Our idolatry disposes us to recast the church in a business model, worrying about how much money the church can “make” instead of how we may serve God effectively and how we may serve one another in dependence upon Him. Consequently, individually and corporately, we continue pursuing the acquisition of things, but never quite enjoying what God has already entrusted to our oversight.
I do not anticipate that the call to examine our lives will be well received. Challenges to idolatry have never been well received. Nevertheless, the message concludes with a call for God’s people to examine their love for Him and to return to Him. Has church become a chore for you? Is it because God no longer meets you there? Or is it because you are seeking the ephemeral bluebird of happiness? Has your service to Christ been hindered because you are focused on acquiring paying a debt incurred to buy what is destined for dust? I suggest that it is time for us to consider our ways and to return to the vigorous Christianity that first marked our ways.
I do not know what specific steps you need to take in order to bring about a return to serving God with your whole heart, but I do know that it begins with confession of sin. By this, I do not mean a public statement of our sinful inclination, though such may be required in some extreme instances. I do mean that each of us needs to examine our own heart, to consider how we administer the things we hold, and to think about our commitment to service for Christ.
One way to examine your commitment to Christ—to ensure enjoyment of what He has entrusted to you and to ensure wise employment of the same, is to consider your support of the congregation where you are taught. If you are spending more on servicing your debt than you are in support of His work, I suggest that you have become idolatrous. If you spend more time pursuing your own happiness than you do in serving Christ through exercise of the gifts He entrusted to you, I would think that you have become idolatrous. In that instance, you need to repent and find your way back into His service.
Of course, you cannot serve Him if you have never known Him. Perhaps you are religious, but nevertheless lost. If you have never been born from above and into the Family of God, you must be born again. If you will be saved, you must know that Christ died because of your sin. He was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day. He ascended into Heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Faith and now receives all who come to Him in faith.
This is why it is written, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. That passage continues by reminding us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Romans 10:9, 10, 13]. This is the call of Christ to you if you somehow remain outside the precincts of grace. Believe this message of life and be saved, even today. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] For a thorough summary of this distortion of the Faith, see Thomas N. Smith, “This World is My Home,” Reformation and Revival, 7:3, 1998, 23-36
[3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL 1996)
[4] Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary (Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL 2001), 1133
[5] Good News Bible, Today’s English Version [American Bible Society, New York, NY 1976]