BE SATISFIED
“PROBLEMS AND MORE PROBLEMS”
ECCLESIASTES 5:8-20
OPEN
A woman’s husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he finally came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.
When she leaned closer to him, he said, “You know what? You have been with me all through the bad
times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got
shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you
were still by my side. You know what?"”
“What, dear?” she asked gently. He looked her in the eye and said, “I think you bring me bad luck.”
Problems can certainly multiply. We even have an idiom in the English language that expresses the sentiment that things can go well for awhile but when problems happen, they really happen: “When it rains, it pours.”
We resume our study of Ecclesiastes this morning. Remember that Ecclesiastes is where Solomon looks at life as it is lived according to two viewpoints: life lived “under the sun” and life lived “under heaven.” Life lived “under the sun” operates under the viewpoint that this life is all there is. Life lived “under heaven” recognizes that there is a God and real life happens when you live according to His direction.
Solomon continues his examination of life. He notes that there are some problems that are perplexing. These problems have a cause. The problems he mentions in today’s passage also have a cure. It all depends on how we live life and whether we live it “under the sun” or “under heaven”.
Eccl. 5:8-20 – If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
THE CAUSE
To discover the cause of the problems that Solomon mentions in this particular passage of Ecclesiastes, we have to go back to the previous passage: Eccl. 5:1-7. The cause that Solomon identifies is hypocritical worship. When a nation worships the wrong things or worships God in the wrong ways, there are going to be problems.
Solomon mentions three specific issues in hypocritical worship. The first issue is that worship is not an event; it’s a lifestyle. Rom. 12:1-2 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
The second issue is that worship does not start when you enter a building erected for corporate worship. It’s what you do before and after you enter the building. In Eccl. 5:1a, Solomon warns, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.”
The third issue has to do with the key to worship. Solomon says that the key to worship is being prepared to hear what God has to say. In Eccl. 5:1b, Solomon says, Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Solomon tells us that real worship is not about enjoying yourself or participating in a certain ritual. He says that true worship is about hearing and obeying. True worship is the opening of ourselves to listening and responding to what God wants from each of us.
There is an event in the Old Testament that clearly illustrates God’s view of obedience. Saul has died. David has become king of Israel. The Ark of the Covenant was kept in a town called Keriath Jearim during Saul’s reign. David wants to see it brought to Jerusalem. He consults with his advisors and asks the people and they agree: bring the ark to Jerusalem.
In 2 Sam. 6, we’re told the details. David has the ark loaded on the back of a new wagon. They start the procession to Jerusalem. Everyone is singing and playing instruments. Their having a great time of worship together when something happens. The oxen pulling the cart with the ark on it stumble and the cart almost turns over. A man named Uzzah puts his hand on the ark to steady it so it won’t fall off. God strikes him dead.
Why did God strike him dead? God had only authorized the ark to be moved by carrying it. Ex. 25:12-15 – “Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.”
The ark was never supposed to be on a cart, because it was built to be carried. If the people had simply followed the instructions given by God, there never would have been oxen stumbling and people dying. So why on earth did they decide to put the ark on a cart?
A while back the ark had been stolen by the Philistines who were great enemies of Israel. They took the ark as a prize from a battle they had won, but it proved to be very bad luck for them. While they possessed the ark their people developed tumors and their idols fell down and broke. In fear they decided to send the ark back to the Israelites.
How did they send it back? 1 Sam 6:7-8 – “Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering.” The idea of putting the ark on cart came from Israel’s arch enemies, the Philistines. As David attempted to worship God, he ended up disobeying godly instructions and then following the example of the godless Philistines.
David recognized that he had failed to follow God’s instructions. In the parallel account in 1 Chron 15:13b – David says, “We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”
It frightened David so much that he wouldn’t continue in the process. He parked the ark at the home of a fellow named Obed-Edom for three months. When David saw how much God blessed Obed-Edom while the ark was there, he decided he needed to move it to Jerusalem.
This time he did it God’s way. 2 Sam. 6:12-15 – Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the
household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought
up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were
carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a
linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the
ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
THE CONSEQUENCES
What do we see happening in a nation where hypocritical worship is the norm? Solomon mentions four consequences in a nation whose heart is not right with God.
The first two consequences are closely tied together. Consequence #1: The poor are oppressed. Consequence #2: Justice is ignored. Government officials have violated the law by using their authority to help themselves and not to serve others. In Lev. 19:15, God says, “’Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” Deut. 24:17 says, “Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.”
We see Solomon describing the citizen who is obstructed and deflected by those who should be looking out for their best interest. And the authorities accept no accountability for what they do. Moral responsibility on the part of government officials is side-stepped. Each one blames the system while justice is ignored.
Each higher up is looking out for those below him. They take care of one another. We cannot expect morality or justice where the governmental authorities ignores the mandates of God
In vs. 9, Solomon defends the idea of government. The general idea seems to be that in spite of corruption in the bureaucracy, it is better to have organized government and a king over the land than to have anarchy. A few may profit from corrupt practices but everybody benefits from organized authority. Of course, the idea is to have government that is both honest and efficient
The second two consequences are also tied together. Consequence #3: Material wealth is trusted to provide
satisfaction. Consequence #4: Material wealth is trusted to provide security. Solomon gives 7 reasons why trusting in wealth for satisfaction and security is the wrong path to follow.
Reason #1: Wealth is addictive and gives no satisfaction. Vs. 10 – The person who loves abundance never gets enough and is never happy with what they have. It’s the love of money and not money itself that Solomon warns about. 1 Tim. 6:9-10 – People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Wealthy people followed Jesus in the 1st century. We see them in contact with His ministry and after His death and resurrection, we see them in the church. They found success and contentment. Examples are Joseph of Arimathea, Barnabas, and Zacchaeus.
Keep in mind that Solomon is not saying that being rich or being poor is best because as he writes elsewhere, they both have their problems. In Prov. 30:7-9, he says, “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ’Who is the LORD ?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Reason #2: Wealth attracts human parasites. Vs. 11a – Wealth draws people who think the rich are morally obligated to support them. Wm. McDonald, Chasing the Wind: When man’s possessions increase, it seems there a corresponding increase in the number of parasites who live off him: Management consultants, tax advisers, accountants, lawyers, household employees, and sponging relatives. Prov. 19:4 – Wealth brings many friends, but a poor man’s friend deserts him. Then in Prov. 19:6 – Many curry favor with a ruler, and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.
Reason #3: Vs. 11b – Excess wealth does the owner no good because he already has more than enough to meet all of his needs and cannot do anything with the extra money but stare at it. What does Solomon know about wealth? Chuck Swindoll points out that we very often hear about the wisdom of Solomon. In fact, that phrase is as familiar to many folks as the phrase “the patience of Job.” However, we rarely hear about the wealth of Solomon.
Solomon’s base annual income in gold alone was in the neighborhood of $20 million. He also had export-import trade lines and whatever perks he received being the king. Solomon’s throne was carved ivory overlaid with beaten gold. His personal residence was more like a museum than a home. He had lavish resort-like summer homes. He had top-of-the line riding stables. He had parks and a zoo. It’s difficult for us to comprehend the immensity of Solomon’s wealth.
From his experience with wealth, what is it that Solomon wants us to understand? It’s simply this: money can buy tons of comfort but not an ounce of contentment.
Reason #4: Vs. 12 – Excess wealth fails to give peace and security. Instead it just adds to a person’s worries. The late Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion: “I don’t like money actually, but it quiets my nerves.” Solomon says you can’t put your hopes in money bringing calm nerves and sound sleep.
You’ve probably heard the story of John D. Rockefeller. He was almost ruined by his wealth. At the age of 53, Rockefeller was the only billionaire in the world – earning about a million dollars a week.
However, he was a very sick man. He lived on crackers and milk and suffered from severe insomnia because of worry. Things changed when Rockefeller began to give his money away. Jis health changed radically and he lived to celebrate his 98th birthday.
Reason #5: Vs. 13 - Love of money causes a person to hoard what he ought to spend – either for his own benefit or for the benefit of others. But becoming a miser just makes you miserable. Solomon describes the miser in vss. 16-17 and says that he lives a life that lacks joy. The miser’s life is gloom, sorrow, and darkness
At one time Howard Hughes was the richest man in the world. All he ever really wanted in life was more. He wanted more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. He wanted more fame, so he broke into the Hollywood scene and soon became a filmmaker and star. He wanted more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to indulge his every sexual urge. He wanted more thrills, so he designed, built, and piloted the fastest aircraft in the world. He wanted more power, so he secretly dealt political favors so skillfully that two US presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him true satisfaction.
Listen to how Alan Loy McGinnis in his book The Friendship Factor describes Hughes’ situation: He was the world’s ultimate mystery – so secretive, so reclusive, enigmatic, that for more than 15 years no one could say for certain that he was alive, much less how he looked or behaved.
Howard Hughes was one of the richest men in the world, with the destinies of thousands of people—perhaps even of governments—at his disposal, yet he lived a sunless, joyless, half-lunatic life. In his later years he fled from one resort hotel to another—Las Vegas, Nicaragua, Acapulco—and his physical appearance became odder and odder. His straggly beard hung down to his waist and his hair reached to the middle of his back. His fingernails were two inches long, and his toenails hand’t been trimmed for so long they resembled corkscrews.
Hughes was married for 13 years to Jean Peters, one of the most beautiful women in the world. But never in that time were the two seen in public together, and there is no record of their ever having been photographed together. For a while they occupied separate bungalows a the Beverly Hills Hotel (at $175 per day each) [Remember that’s in the 1960’s. I would say the rate is at least triple that today], and later she lived in an opulent and carefully guarded French Regency house atop a hill in Bel Air, making secretive and increasingly infrequent trips to be with Hughes in law Vegas. They were divorced in 1970.
… Hughes often said, “Every man has his price or a guy like me couldn’t exist,” yet no amount of money bought the affection of his associates. Most of his employees who have broken the silence report their disgust for him.
. Reason #6: Vs. 14. Wealth is unstable. It can vanish quickly and leave a person without the means to care for his family. Wealth is suddenly, catastrophically gone. It can happen because of one or more reasons: foolish gambling, a misguided venture, or the sudden reversal of circumstances
I have a friend who was a mechanic and was severely injured in an accident when a transmission dropped out of a vehicle and landed on his arm. He went through several surgeries and will never recover more than half-use of his arm. He received a fairly large settlement. He thought he’d be smart and invest the money so he could live comfortably for the rest of his life. The problem is that he invested it in only one stock. That company was up and coming and looked to have a great future. Then the bottom fell out. The stock did a reverse split and he had almost nothing left.
I’m sure that there are several here this morning whose investments have tanked in this down economy. Some of us are still wondering where it all went. We have to understand that wealth is fickle and may not last. Jesus said that we shouldn’t trust in earthly investments but in heavenly investments. Mt. 6:19-21 – “Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
You’ve probably heard this before but it sure does ring true: Money can buy comfort, but not contentment. Money can buy medicine, but not health. Money can buy a house, but not a home. Money can buy companionship, but not friends. Money can buy entertainment, but not happiness. Money can buy food, but not an appetite. Money can buy a bed, but not an appetite. Money can buy a crucifix, but not a Savior. Money can buy the good life, but not eternal life.
Reason #7: Vs. 15-17 – You definitely lose all your wealth when you die. Solomon echoes Job. Job says in Job 1:21 – “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.” Ps. 49:16-17 says, “Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.”
Solomon calls the overarching pursuit of wealth the ultimate example of “chasing after the wind”. Kevin Harney tells the following story in his book, Seismic Shifts:
A little boy sat on the floor of the church nursery with a red rubber ball in each arm and three Nerf balls clenched on the floor between his pudgy little knees. He was trying to protect all five from the other children in the nursery. The problem was, he could not hold all five at once, and the ball nearest to his feet was particularly vulnerable to being stolen. So, whenever another child showed an interest in playing with one of the balls, he snarled to make it clear these toys were not for sharing.
I suppose I should have stepped in and made the little guy give up one or two of the balls, but I was too wrapped up in the drama of it all. For about five minutes, this little guy growled, postured, and kept the other children away from the balls. Like a hyena hunched over the last scraps of a carcass, this snarling little canine was not in the mood for sharing. The other kids circled like vultures around the kill, looking for a way to jump in and snatch a ball without being attacked and bitten. I honestly did not know whether to laugh or cry as I watched.
Then it struck me: This little boy was not having any fun at all. There was no cheer within ten yards of this kid. Not only was he unhappy, but all the other kids seemed sad as well. His selfishness created a black hole that sucked all of the joy out of that nursery…. When church was over and his parents came to pick him up, he left the balls behind. I guess the old saying is true, you can’t take it with you.
THE CURE
So what is the cure to these problems? Solomon tells us in Eccl. 5:18-20 – Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Solomon has asked himself a question and answers it in this closing section of Ecclesiastes Chapt. 5. The question is: What is the best operational procedure for life? Step one: Work hard. step two: Enjoy the fruits of your labors. Step three: Understand that everything is a gift from God. To eat and drink expresses companionship, joy, and satisfaction – a contented and happy life.
Solomon has mentioned this counsel several times already. Eccl. 2:24-25 – A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Eccl. 3:12-13 – I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. He’s going to repeat this advice at least three more times before he closes the writing of Ecclesiastes.
Again, Solomon reminds us about the difference of life’s viewpoints – under the sun or under heaven. Life lived without God will never satisfy. It will be empty and unfulfilling. You will always look for satisfaction somewhere else.
CLOSE
In April 2001, in the midst of the Israeli/Arab conflict, a motorcade carrying the Security Service Chief of Gaza came under intense bullet fire from Israeli troops. The frightened security officer called Yasir Arafat from his car for help. Arafat, in turn called the U.S. Ambassador, who then called the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Colin Powell then phoned the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who ordered the shooting to stop immediately.
It did. It was a good thing the Security Chief had connections. They literally saved his life. Abundant and eternal life are not about what you know or what you have. It’s all about who you know.
Is your hope and trust in God this morning? He’s provided the answer to success in this life and the next: following His Son, Jesus Christ.
