King Solomon’s Wisdom on Life and Wealth
(Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)
“The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least,”
Written by Jimmie Burroughs
Ecclesiastes 6:1. “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
Why can’t men live in peace and enjoy the good things, which God has given them instead of being consumed with evil? Today there is great concern about all the evil in the world that seems to be growing each day, the wars, the shootings, the ever-present violence, and the immorality. The Bible clearly describes this evil that will come upon the earth in the last days, which seems to be present at this very time: It says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7. Even though the Apostle Paul wrote this over 1,900 years ago, he sounds like a contemporary on the evening news describing the present world conditions.
The skeptics of the Bible say if there is a God, why does He not rid the world of evil? There is a very good reason for that; if God rid the world of evil, there would be none of us left. Sin is at the root of all evil and we are all sinners, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. Nevertheless, God does not want to destroy us. Instead, He is compassionate toward us: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9. God forestalls His judgement upon the world and is giving us a chance to repent and receive his forgiveness. He wants to give us eternal life with Him in heaven where there is no sin and evil.
Ecclesiastes 6:2. “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”
If you think wealth equates to happiness, think again. Last week, Forbes magazine labeled Kanye West, the 42-year-old hip hop star, with the title, Billionaire, which estimated that he has a current net worth of $1.3 billion, and then the article continued to say – “though he is reportedly still unhappy with it.” It may be hard to understand why God gives some people great wealth, fame and honor; it is certainly not, in every case, because they are fine, upstanding people. Some seem to have everything they need and everything they could ever want, yet God does not let them enjoy their wealth.
It is in God’s power to give wealth but also in His power to determine who enjoys it. And for some, a stranger comes and takes everything. To us, this is a crazy and senseless thing. Nevertheless, it shows who is in control, and it certainly is not the greedy person who places all his hope in money. God gives us plenty of examples to teach us what true wealth is. It is reflected in the quote above: “The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least,” By the way, who is the man who needs the least? Is it not the man who is content with what he has? Is not the man who is grateful toward God, who has found the peace of God in his very soul?
Ecclesiastes 6:3-5 – “If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.”
It matters little what wealth a person amasses or how long he lives, he still has to die and then face God. “For it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgement,” Hebrews 9:27. Think about it: If a person fulfills everything the world calls success, he lives a long time, has many children, great wealth and notoriety, but he does not enjoy all the good things of life, what does it profit him? “For what does it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.
Wise King Solomon says, it would have been better for this person to have died at birth. The baby who never knew life, died in the dark and was quickly buried without a name but finds more rest than the man who never enjoyed anything the Lord gave him. The baby who was born dead has found the easiest way to the same end, which is death. The difference is, the baby goes on to heaven to be with God, whereas, the selfish, rich man finds it harder to go to heaven than for a camel to go through a needles eye because his riches become a wall between him and God. His hope is bound up in his riches. The rich man in the Bible had so many goods that he said to himself, I will tear down my old barns and build larger ones to store all my goods. “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Luke 12:20.
Ecclesiastes 6:7-9 – “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.” 8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.”
People work hard to buy the food to feed themselves and buy things they think will make them happy. The more they get, it seems the more they want; and in it all, they are never satisfied. A wise man is no better off than a fool if he does not appreciate what God has given him. It is better to be a poor person and live a simple life and be one who is content with life. It is better to be content with what you have than forever wanting more and more and never being fulfilled. Always wanting more and never finding any satisfaction is as useless and vain as trying to catch the wind in a butter fly net.
Ecclesiastes 6:10-11 – “That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he. 11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
We cannot escape what God created us to be, though some may like to think they are above everything and everyone else; there are many such kind in the world, but the fact remains, we are all just humans. it is useless to argue about one person being better than another because of race, color of skin, heritage, wealth, education, position or anything else. People waste their time trying to argue with God about this or any other mater because he is far more knowing and powerful than they are, and no matter how much they argue, it will never change the truths God has established from the beginning and the limitations He has placed on human life. Life is filled with vanity that is false allusions and false hopes, never making life any better than if they did not exist at all.
Ecclesiastes 6:12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?”
Is there anyone who knows what is best for people during their short life on earth, other than God, who created man? Life is relatively so short; it passes like a shadow or a cup of water poured upon the sand, here for only a little while and then it is gone. Who can tell a person, other than God, what will happen to them in the future? Who is willing to listen to God and to prepare for what He says is certain to come?
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