Money For Nothing, Bliss For Free (Ecclesiastes 5:8-20)

For 11 of the last 15 years, Michael Jackson has been the highest paid dead celebrity.^[1] Only seven people have held that title since Forbes started tracking the numbers: Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint Laurent, Roald Dahl, and J.R.R. Tolkein.

Of course, these earnings are no longer paid to the celebrities themselves. They have left this world and its trappings behind. Their earthly riches have no impact on their eternal destinies.

We use that term “trappings.” The “trappings” of fame or power. The “trappings” of wealth. In Ecclesiastes 5, the Teacher points out that wealth can often be a literal trap for us – a dangerous obsession that leaves its victims tired, worried, and cheated – robbed of what’s truly good in life.

He means to horrify us with this discovery. When he shows it to us, he calls it a “sickening tragedy” – a serious, severe, grievously evil problem we’re faced with in this world. He brings us into the bathroom floor of Graceland. Into the greenhouse above the garage in Seattle, Washington. To look at the hot tub overlooking the coast in Pacific Palisades.

But it’s not just a problem we observe effecting others. It’s one that almost all of us are susceptible to. Philip Ryken writes, “Most Americans have at least a mild case of [a] deadly disease…[called] affluenza, which is an unhealthy relationship with money or the pursuit of wealth.”^[2] It’s a serious problem the Teacher warns us about. So does Proverbs. So did Jesus, Who warned that a focus on material success will destroy our devotion to God Himself.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 – ⁸ If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don’t be astonished at the situation, because one official protects another official, and higher officials protect them.

Human governments, no matter what form they take, will inevitably be corrupted. While some forms tend to be less corrupt than others, there is no magic formula that protects a populace from the sin nature of their rulers. It’s foolish to think that we will solve the problem of a corrupted heart through laws or regulations or checks and balances. Those things can help, but the Teacher reveals the sad truth here: In any form – democracy, republic, dictatorship, commonwealth, monarchy – there will be injustice and oppression in one form or another.

Now, we shouldn’t be numb to it and we should do what we can to assist the oppressed, to fight for those who have been denied justice, to rescue those in need.^[3] But don’t think for one minute that we are going to be able to solve every problem, or that one candidate will rid our society of all the bad actors. Human society is constantly fighting a losing battle against human nature.

The Teacher says, “Don’t be astonished.” It means don’t be dumbfounded or afraid,^[4] and don’t become bitter about it.^[5] Well, then what should we do?

We should recognize that this is the state of the world. And we should remind ourselves that the only way corrupt human government can really be dealt with in the long term is by Christ Jesus coming and establishing His righteous Kingdom on the earth. In the short term, what we need are Godly individuals who are willing to use their authority for good, rather than for evil.

When we have a chance to elect a individual into power, it is not the promises that matter, but the person. Is this individual a person of integrity? Are they arrogant? That’s another way the term “high official” can be translated.^[6] Arrogance breeds corruption. So, if we want a better society, we need more Christlike leaders.

Ecclesiastes 5:9 – ⁹ The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field.

Realistically, there’s very little you and I can do about who is king – who wields the power of decision-making in our nation. We vote, but it doesn’t really come down to us, right? What we can do is look to the heavenly King and His coming Kingdom. When the perfect King returns to earth, all will be made right. The government will be on His shoulders. There will be no need for checks and balances, for ethics violation inquiries, for impeachment provisions. He is our true hope and we should hold to that hope while doing our best to promote righteousness right where we are.

Turning from the horrors of bureaucracy, the Teacher speaks about the personal pursuit of wealth.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 – ¹⁰ The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile.

In the 1920’s, a reporter asked John Rockefeller how much money is enough. His famous reply is one of the most revealing quotes of all time: “Just a little bit more.” At the time, John’s net worth was equal to 1% of the entire US economy.^[7] In five words he perfectly encapsulated the folly of pursuing wealth, but also how powerfully addictive wealth becomes.

In these verses, the Teacher warns us about some dangerous consequences of wealth. But wealth itself isn’t the problem. In fact, he’ll tell us that God gives wealth to some people as a gift.

It’s the love of wealth that is the trouble. He says so twice in verse 10. Paul agrees in 1 Timothy 6. When we pursue material success as an end goal of our lives, the consequences are terrible.

Wealth is hevel. Here today, gone tomorrow. Sometimes toxic, sometimes just transient. You can’t reliably hold onto it – the world is too wracked by time, death, and chance.

But this isn’t only a problem that unbelievers deal with. The Pharisees were lovers of money. That led to many of their heinous sins, despite their pious beginnings. Or consider Ananias and Sapphira. They were true believers in the Jerusalem church, but were poisoned by a love of money.

Like the Teacher, we long for satisfaction. The problem is the flesh within us and the culture around us tell us the way to satisfaction is through wealth. It’s a lie, but it’s a very effective lie. We really want to believe it. But the Teacher shows where that way really ends (and remember: he knew first hand).

Ecclesiastes 5:11 – ¹¹ When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes?

Christopher Wallace, the late 20th century philosopher poet famously declared, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.” The Teacher was not a Notorious B.I.G. fan, but on this he would agree.

Wealth promises to solve our problems, but it ends up bringing an infestation of new troubles with it. Here in verse 11, a plague of leeches tags along to take what they can from the pile.

We see examples of this when young athletes start getting those big paychecks. The family comes out of the woodwork for constant handouts. Suddenly a large staff is needed to handle the business and maintain the brand. Then there are ever-increasing taxes to be paid.

So there’s the owner, who actually earned the wealth, crowded out from his own table and can only look on as others devour his treasure.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 – ¹² The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep.

Michael Jackson was the youngest vocalist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100. He set another record: Experts say he may be the only human being to ever go 60 days without REM sleep.^[8] Had he not died of a overdose, doctors think he probably would have died just a few days later anyway.

From the world’s perspective, Michael had it all. Wealth. Fame. His place in the history books. Palaces. Every comfort. He was the “king” of pop. But he couldn’t get a single night’s rest.

Whether it’s because they are worried about their wealth, or because they’ve overindulged, or because they just don’t know when to stop, the pursuers of wealth in verse 12 struggle to slumber, to their own hurt.^[9] Meanwhile, the not-so-rich laborer is rolling in rest.

Ecclesiastes 5:13 – ¹³ There is a sickening tragedy I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

Here we have a fellow who went on the hunt for wealth and got it! He built his fortune. But then, rather than help him, it harmed him. It warped his character. It changed him into a different person.

We see this lived out most obviously with young celebrities – child stars who become famous and wealthy. How many of them turn into better people? How do those stories end? Money promises to make everything better but so often does the opposite and works miserable mischief in a life.

Ecclesiastes 5:14 – ¹⁴ That wealth was lost in a bad venture, so when he fathered a son, he was empty-handed.

When the King of Pop died, he was $500 million in debt.^[10] Luckily for his heirs his estate continues to make money. But imagine that: After making hundreds of millions of dollars, Michael Jackson died owing more money than the average American will make in 250 lifetimes.^[11]

In the case of verse 14, maybe it wasn’t even the owner’s fault that he lost the money. Maybe he made all the right financial decisions but just lived during an economic downturn like 1929 or 2008. That wasn’t his fault, but it was his fault that his hope was wrapped up in his portfolio – that what he planned to leave to his son was not truth or faith or hope that lasts or eternal purpose, but simply worldly buying power that can disappear like a puff of smoke.

Ecclesiastes 5:15-16 – ¹⁵ As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands. ¹⁶ This too is a sickening tragedy: exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind?

Last week the Teacher challenged us with the question: Why are you going to church? Tonight the question is: What are you working for?

Now, don’t misunderstand – the Bible commands us to work and to provide for our families, even to save and also to give financially. But as we live life, work a job, make investments, what are we working for? We must keep in mind the truth we just read and also find in Job and First Timothy: We brought nothing with us into this world and we bring nothing with us out of it.

Of course, we can send eternal investments ahead that will not depreciate. We do that by serving the Lord and giving to the Lord and obeying the Lord as He leads us in this life. But we want to keep the proper perspective, because as Paul explains, when we give into the natural human desire to be rich and seek after that life, it plunges us into ruin and destruction, and by craving wealth, some Christians wander away from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs.^[12]

Today many of the wealthiest Americans are trying crazy schemes to live forever. But it’s not going to work. We each have a date with death and an eternity on the other side. Work for eternity.

Ecclesiastes 5:17 – ¹⁷ What is more, he eats in darkness all his days, with much frustration, sickness, and anger.

Darkness can speak here of isolation.^[13] It’s said that William Randolph Hearst ended his days not in the warm embrace of a loving family, but sitting in the basement of his great castle, watching the same movies over and over.^[14]

We just don’t want to believe it’s true, but how much more proof do we need? We see it happen again and again, but our flesh says, “But it might work for us.” Again, this is not about wealth itself. It’s about the inclination of our hearts and the navigation of our lives. We should believe the person who has taken the trail before us. We should see the realities, not just believe the fantasies.

Ecclesiastes 5:18 – ¹⁸ Here is what I have seen to be good: It is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward.

So from hevel we turn to hope. Once again, the Teacher gives us a glimpse of the good life. He says this is what’s good, what’s better, what’s really worth it: Living with contentment in the life and purposes God has for you and to enjoy your life, even in small delights along the way.

Of course, suffering and difficulty are still part of life. Not everything we experience is enjoyable. But generally speaking, as you live out your daily life, God wants you to feel contented, to feel satisfied, to feel that your life has purpose, and to enjoy simple things like food and drink.

Have you had a cotton candy grape yet? Oh man are they good! God has created a world where you can experience basic enjoyment even if you aren’t rich! Enjoy that cup of coffee! Relish that warm and filling, buttery biscuit. We don’t have to fly to New York and spend $1,000 on the Golden Opulence Sundae. God has scattered enjoyments all around you (and not just in what we eat).

As His people, aside from being led by Him and obeying Him and drawing near to Him, we also have the opportunity to live out a continual scavenger hunt where we discover God’s many gifts in everyday life. Paul says God “richly provides us with all things to enjoy.”^[15] What a good life!

The point of these three closing verses is that God does not want us to live in a perpetual state of worry or fear or bitterness or agitation. His desire is that we live in a state of joy.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 – ¹⁹ Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God,

It is not evil for Christians to be rich. Sometimes we need that reminder. God gives wealth to some Christians and that is a very good thing.

Recently I was talking to a representative of Gospel For Asia and he was talking about how they felt the Lord leading them to establish a new work in Africa. And how there was this place asking them to come build a hospital. But, it’s pricey to build a hospital. They didn’t have the funds for it.

Later, an American Christian was talking to this fellow and he said, “I heard you guys are going to build a hospital in Africa. That’s great!” “Well, we can’t really afford it.” “How much would it cost?” “About $3 million.” “Here’s the check.”

It’s not wrong for Believers to be wealthy. The question is how they got there and what their purpose is. The difference is Abraham and Lot. Both wealthy, but for different reasons with very different results. But we should be careful we’re not living like Lot but thinking we’re like Abraham.

Ecclesiastes 5:20 – ²⁰ for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

Another way of saying this is that God keeps this person busy with joy.^[16] As we live, God’s intention for us is that we be preoccupied by joy! Even when there’s injustice. Even when I’m beset by the futility of life. Even when the stock market crashes, God’s desire for us is joy. And when we lay hold of this generous gift from God – a life full of joy – the Teacher declares that we won’t look back with disappointment.^[17] In fact, the language can indicate that God will keep us singing with joy.^[18]

Two roads. Two ways of pursuing life. Both make big promises. Both say, “Come this way to experience the good life.” And we’ve seen over and over what people look like at the end of each trail. One is left isolated, empty, cheated by leeches, burdened by taxes, at the mercy of economic forces he cannot control. The other is left at a heavenly table where God has invited Him to receive all the fullness he could ever want, with a cup running over, and a happy heart along the way and an always appreciating, eternal reward that cannot be downgraded or depleted. Choose wisely.

Tread Guard (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

The British royals maintain a lot of protocols. From their sleep schedule to their dress code to what they eat and how they eat it, they have a long list of the way things should be done.

A lady in the royal family may only wear a tiara indoors and after 6pm, unless it is the day of her wedding. Boys cannot wear long pants until age 8. Wedding bouquets must contain myrtle flowers. Royals must look into their teacups while sipping. And they are to be weighed before and after Christmas dinner, to prove whether they really enjoyed themselves.^[1]

There are even protocols concerning their daily steps: When going down a flight of stairs, royal ladies are to always look up while descending and they do not grip any banister that may be available (though gliding their hand above it is acceptable). While walking on level ground, they should brush their knees together slightly with each step, to ensure an elegant look.^[2]

The Teacher was another royal who paid close attention to step protocols. He starts chapter 5 by saying, “watch your step.” But this isn’t just etiquette – this is essential. In fact, for the first time, the Teacher is going to actually address us directly.^[3] It’s not “these are some things I’ve seen from time to time,” it’s: You need to guard your steps. From steps, he then moves on to words. You need to measure your words. From words he then moves to the vows and promises you make to God.

Tonight, we don’t just watch the Teacher as he experiences life. He leads us into the presence of Almighty God and implore us to treat the situation seriously.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 – Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong.

These seven verses pulse with this challenge: Why are you doing the things you’re doing? Why are you saying the things you’re saying? Specifically when it comes to your relationship to God.

Now, God’s house isn’t like the temples Indiana Jones breaks into. If he steps on the wrong spot, a poisoned arrow shoots out. God doesn’t set boobytraps for us. And yet, the Teacher gives us a solemn warning: Watch your step. Mind the gap. Pay attention.

We’ve gathered here tonight in what we call the house of God. Of course, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but we know that gathering as God’s people in what we call church is a special and commanded and important aspect of living out our faith. In fact, Hebrews tells us that we should gather together as a church “all the more” as we see the return of the Lord approaching.

Why did you come tonight? The Teacher asks us because it matters. My answer to that question reveals a lot about my relationship with God. It reveals certain assumptions and inclinations.

If I answer, “It’s my habit,” it would reveal a certain lifelessness in my faith. We should gather habitually, but if that’s my main reason, it reveals that I don’t really expect anything supernatural to happen. I don’t really believe there will be a transaction between myself and my Savior.

The Teacher wants us to watch our steps. To say to ourselves, “Where am I going right now? Well, I’m going into the presence of my King along with my spiritual family. I have a special opportunity to bring my Savior an offering of thanksgiving and adoration and worship. I’m going into a gathering where I’ve been promised that Almighty God Himself will meet with us in a special way, to speak and to direct and to build me up and give me comfort.” We believe these things to be true doctrinally, but the Teacher challenges us to ask whether we’re actually walking in those beliefs.

But it’s not just about the why. The how matters too. God cares about the way we do things. Even if our doctrine is correct, our practice might fall out of step. Think of safety protocols at work. We take the training, recognize the possible dangers. But then you see people not walking in the protocol.

In this verse there’s a difference between the religious activity of fools and the religious activity of those who are pleasing to God. The Teacher says, “approach in obedience.” Your version may say “draw near to hear.” We don’t just come to God’s house to check a box. We come close to God so we can listen and then obey. There’s meant to be an interaction and communication.

When a person enters God’s house without guarding his steps, he ends up making a serious mistake. He may become a legalist. He does the motions, but it’s out of routine, out of self-righteousness. He’s not listening. He doesn’t come with an expectation that he’s actually going to have a personal connection with God Who has something to say. And so, his sacrifice is foolish.

There were times in Israel’s history where individuals or the nation at large would be going through the motions and God would send them a message that was, essentially, “I don’t want the blood of your bulls. I don’t recognize that fast you’re doing. You’re not obeying Me because you’re not listening to Me. So don’t bother with your sacrifices.”

Ecclesiastes 5:2 – ² Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

Ours is a culture of hasty and hollow words. But words can set an entire life on fire. We learn at the end of our text that they help create the futility that makes the world such a difficult place to live in.

When it comes to our communication with God – our prayer – we should be careful and purposeful about our words. Not hasty. But, what about “pray without ceasing?” What about when I don’t know what to pray and I’m just calling out to God in groans and anguish? That’s fine. That’s not what I’m talking about or the Teacher is talking about. Even the Teacher would acknowledge that God is always watching and listening and keeping account of what we say and do.

But when we come to God in prayer on purpose, it should be thoughtful and deliberate.

For an example of what the Teacher means, we can look to Luke 18. There a Pharisee was praying loud and proud about how great he was – how glad he was that he wasn’t like this disgusting tax collector. The Teacher would say, “Don’t do that.” Well, of course we wouldn’t do that.

Let’s look at a closer example: Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration. We’d have to say he was a little hasty to speak. “Lord, how about I set up three shelters? One for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?” In fact, Mark tells us Peter blurted that out because he didn’t know what to say.

What was God’s response to Peter? “This is My Beloved Son…listen to Him.” Again an emphasis on being attentive to God and hearing what He would say. Again, the suggestion that God is not just a powerful Being we pay off with certain religious activities, but a Person Who desires to have a real and personal relationship with those who worship Him.

As we pray, the Teacher invites to remember Who we’re talking to: The God of heaven. The Judge. The Supreme Sovereign. The Creator and Master and Commander of all things.

The other day someone said something that caught my attention: We can’t even look at the sun (which is 93 million miles away) for more than a second or two before we have to look away. But when it comes to the Maker of the sun – the One Who contains the nuclear fusion of the sun – we often don’t consider His glorious, awesome power the way we should.

Ecclesiastes 5:3 – ³ Just as dreams accompany much labor, so also a fool’s voice comes with many words.

The Teacher mentions dreams a couple of times in these verses and commentators have a hard time nailing down exactly what they think his point is. But here it’s a simple comparison. The stress dream you have before the big job interview doesn’t help or benefit you. Neither do the many words of a fool who’s thoughtlessly speaking to God – blathering on without consideration.

This doesn’t mean that all prayers should be short. Sometimes Jesus prayed all night. All of John 17 is Jesus praying. But long and flowery prayers don’t automatically signify spiritual depth. Some of the most profound prayers were extremely short. Nehemiah’s prayer is one of our favorites. Or that tax collector from earlier: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The challenge is to measure.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 – ⁴ When you make a vow to God, don’t delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow.

From steps to words, now to vows. In the Old Testament, people made a lot more vows to God than we typically do. It feels like every few chapters someone is saying, “May God punish me and do so severely if I don’t do this or that by the end of the day.”

Vows to God are voluntary, but they are binding. We live in a time where you can make and break promises as often as you like without any major consequences. There are a lot of relational consequences, but no one is going to stone if you if you break a promise.

But we need to be very careful about the promises we make to God – the commitments we make to God. Making and breaking these sort of vows to the Lord is the fast track to foolishness.

It’s not always wrong to make a formal vow to the Lord. Paul did in Acts 18. But it’s definitely something we shouldn’t be rash about. The Teacher simply wants us to consider why we’re doing it and what we’re promising. And when we promise, do what you promised without delay.

Ecclesiastes 5:5 – ⁵ Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it.

Jesus expanded on these very topics in His sermon on the mount. He said, “Instead of making a bunch of empty oaths, let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’”^[4] But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make commitments to the Lord. In fact, we’re commanded to make certain commitments. But, when we do, we should take them seriously because God takes them seriously.

Take the marriage commitment. If you are married, unless you had a very non-traditional wedding, you said vows “before God and these witnesses. “And you know what? God cares about those vows and He expects you to keep them. When we don’t, God is not pleased.

Your words matter. Your promises matter. Your integrity matters. Why? Because your life matters. God has great intentions for your life and for your place in the world. He has a part for you to play in His ongoing work. When we stop caring about our integrity, what we do, what we say, how we act, what we promise, then it impacts God’s ability to do what He wants to do in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 5:6 – ⁶ Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?

Rather than take responsibility, the fool tries to talk his way out of his poor choices. And though God is love and full of tender mercy toward us, we must recognize that we can anger Him. We can make choices that cause Him to stand in our way so He can put a stop to what we’re doing. Think of Ananias and Sapphira. That’s not the kind of interaction with God that we want. But if we don’t consider what our relationship with Him is really about, if we don’t consider His holiness, if we don’t acknowledge His authority over our lives, we will not please God, we will anger Him.

Ecclesiastes 5:7 – ⁷ For many dreams bring futility; so do many words. Therefore, fear God.

At the very end of the book this will be the same conclusion: Fear God. That’s how we maintain a proper posture and proper protocols and proper relation with this God Who loves us.

Note here that my many words can actually contribute to the hevel problem of the world. So far, hevel has been something we experience – a frustrating byproduct of a fallen world. But here we see that we can be little hevel factories, too. We are reminded that we have responsibilities when it comes to our words, our actions, our steps, our promises, and our relationships to God and men.

There is a subtle reminder here that your life is not about your dreams, it is about God’s will. Now, God’s will for you is good. But these seven verses are powerful for recalibrating our perspective. We have the negative example of this foolish person, breezing into the temple, praying whatever, speaking words that don’t matter, focused on all his big dreams. He has doctrinal beliefs but doesn’t walk in them. He doesn’t fear God. He doesn’t reverence Him or respect Him or listen to Him. In the end all he accomplishes is creating futility for himself and others and angering God.

So, does the Teacher mean that we should cower in terror as we come to church? That we should only pray words that we know are approved by God? Some Bible commentators use this passage to say that God “cannot be approached casually.” Or that it is sin to be “casual” with God.^[5]

But formalism and terror is not what fearing God is about. Fearing God does include respect and reverence and a growing understanding of the awesome, almighty, supreme power of God, but it also recognizes what God has revealed about Himself. That He is gracious and loving and kind and that He desires a personal, communicative relationship with you individually. Fearing God means understanding the incredible privilege of being in Him and He in us.

When we walk in relationship with God, we discover that He is excited to teach us how to properly fear Him. He tells us in Proverbs, “Listen to Me and I will teach you the way of wisdom and guide your steps.”^[6] He gives His word to light our steps so that we can guard them and walk worthy.

And consider the fact that even though God dwells in heaven, for some reason He has a house on earth. Why does He keep a house here? If you lived in heaven, would you want a house on earth?

Let me ask you this: Would you buy a summer home in Gaza? How about Darfur? Why would God have a house on earth? Many houses? Because His love for us is so great. Because His desire to commune with us is so great. Because He wants true, intimate friendship with us.

There was a lot of formalism in the worship of God in the Gospels. Jesus came and dismantled that formalism. He told us to become like loving, affectionate children if we want to enter the Kingdom of heaven.^[7] When Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying that God was granting access to His presence to everyone. The old formalism was made of no effect.

But that intimate access doesn’t mean our attitude and behavior toward God no longer matters. Approaching an almighty and holy God is still a very serious thing and we should take it seriously, while also understanding what He has revealed about His character and nature – His kindness and patience and long-suffering and all the rest. So, this idea that approaching God must always be totally formal just isn’t true. What others might call “casualness,” we might call gracious intimacy.

But the tearing of the veil didn’t do away with the fear of God. Our attitude and approach toward God can still anger Him. Just ask the Corinthian church. What we’re doing, how we do it, and why we do it matters. Your relationship with God is a serious thing and it requires care and attention.

Let me close with a practical application of these principles: Communion. We recognize that communion is an “ordinance” of the church – it’s a God-ordained ceremony.^[8] You’re not saved because you take communion. But, we are commanded to observe this ceremony. Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of Me.”

On top of communion being a memorial, when we take it we are also agreeing to a covenant with the Lord – the new covenant. So, by taking communion, you are making a vow to God. Paul sounds a lot like the Teacher of Ecclesiastes when he says, “Be careful about making this promise to God. Don’t be foolish when you come to the Lord’s table.” In fact, we’re warned that there are times when we shouldn’t take communion. And we’re told that there were Christians in Corinth who were taking communion in an unworthy way, so when they drank from the cup, they were drinking judgment to themselves. Sickness, weakness, and even death was being meted out to them as discipline.^[9]

Paul’s instruction to them was very similar to the Teacher’s: Examine yourself. Guard your steps. Is there unrepented sin in your life? Is there something in my heart or life that is grieving the Lord or angering Him? Is there something that needs to be dealt with before I draw close to listen to God?

Our relationship with God matters and therefore our behavior, attitudes, and conversation in that relationship all matter. You don’t need to be afraid, but be purposeful about walking worthy according to the path He has set before us, knowing that there is an eternal weight of glory at the end of the road.

Without Friends Like These, Who Needs Economies? (Ecclesiastes 4:4-16)

Three months ago, Financial Times published an article titled, “America’s Crisis Of Loneliness.”^[1] In it they discuss what they call a “a pervasive sense of anxiety and an emotional hollowing out.” Then they ask how we should define “the good life.” Their conclusion is that the best way to happiness is to first cross a certain middle-class, economic threshold – meaning a certain amount of money and security and stuff – and then you’re able to be happy with family, friends and community.

But pursuit of big piles of economic stuff has been central to the American culture for hundreds of years. We’re one of the richest nations in all human history. Yet when American’s are polled, their happiness erodes more every year.^[2] Less than half of American’s say their are satisfied with their lives.^[3] Sixty percent say they are lonely on a regular basis and research is starting to reveal that loneliness is actually killing us with increased stroke, dementia, and heart disease.^[4]

In his quest for meaning, the Teacher just took a tour of the halls of justice. He left brokenhearted because of the injustice he found there. He headed out into the highways and city squares to see if peace and satisfaction might be found there.

He discovered a society not unlike our own – where many people are convinced that wealth is the way to happiness – but also a pervasive unhappiness among the wealthy.

Tonight, the Teacher warns us about the dangers of isolation and individualism and the pursuit of wealth. After the warning, he gives us the better path.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 – ⁴ I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The Teacher is speaking hyperbolically.^[5] After all, in an earlier passage he told us that work is a gift given by God for our enjoyment.^[6] His is describing a culture like ours – one driven by accumulation. Keeping up with the Joneses. Having the motivational picture of the yacht on your desk because that’s what you’re working for.

The mindset he’s talking about is why credit cards exist.^[7] And what he’s describing are things that are really fundamental to the American culture. Competition. Building self-worth by outperforming others. Striving for superiority in position or accolades or possessions.

Now, those characteristics make for a thriving economy and lots of innovation. But we shouldn’t make the same mistake the Teacher made all those years and forget the spiritual side of things.

God’s Word warns us that jealous is rottenness to our very bones.^[8] That envy is a fatal disease.^[9] If we give ourselves over to working just to accumulate or just to outperform or just toward the end goal of our own glory, that kind of labor is hevel. It’s like trying to grab onto smoke. And it’s going to destroy your relationships.^[10]

Ok, so then one might conclude, don’t worry about work. Just enjoy being, not doing.

Ecclesiastes 4:5 – ⁵ The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh.

Yikes. Didn’t know you were in for a little self-cannibalism tonight, did you?

In the Wisdom books, there’s nothing worse than a fool. On the one hand, the Teacher says, “It’s futile to work for wealth.” On the other hand he says, “It’s foolish not to work.” Either route is destructive to a heart and life.

So, what can we do? It seems like there’s no way to win. And that’s exactly what the Teacher wants us to understand: Under the sun, there’s no method that gives you meaning in life and lasting satisfaction. We need to break out of the system by living life the way God intends. So, the Teacher shows us the way out.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 – ⁶ Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.

God has given you your life as a gift. He gives you specific work to do, also as a gift but according to His purposes. And when we live and work according to the prescription and administration of God our Maker, life not only fills up with meaning, we can enjoy it along the way.

The Teacher is going to use the word better three times in our verses tonight. This is the first. It means good, desirable, you-do-well-if-you-do-this.^[11] You want to live “the good life?” Do this.

The first detour sign toward the better way of life is here: One handful with rest.

When we live life the way God intends, we are able to receive something the Under-The-Sunners can’t: Rest. Peace. Satisfaction. Your version may say “quietness.” It means the absence of disturbance.^[12] The Bible word for it is contentment. As Paul told Timothy, Godliness with contentment is great gain. Way more valuable than a COLA next year or a dividend payout.

The image here is a contrast between two people. In fact, the Hebrew uses two different terms for “hands” in this verse.^[13] The first person has an open hand, ready to receive a gift into it. Not grabby. Not greedy. Not demanding. The second person has both hands cupped and clenched, trying to take as much as possible for themselves.

The Teacher says the good life, the better life is the first fellow. They may appear to have less in the hand, but their hearts are filled up with contentment, whereas the second fellow’s heart is empty. The thing they’re trying to grasp is going to pass through their fingers like smoke.

Ecclesiastes 4:7 – ⁷ Again, I saw futility under the sun:

Remember: These are always key words in the book of Ecclesiastes. Under the sun means life according to human wisdom, with human ideals, and natural values. Futility is that most important word hevel, which means smoke, vapor, a wisp that’s there and gone.

Ecclesiastes 4:8 – ⁸ There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. “Who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself of good things?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

This is Ebenezer Scrooge before his fateful night with the three ghosts. It’s every workaholic, whether they actually have kids or not. This person has allowed their pursuit of success to rob him of companionship, family, and other relationships.

In the end, he’s rich in the world’s goods, but impoverished when it comes to love, support, and affection. Where’s the profit? Where’s the real meaning? Death destroys all that kind of success.

Howard Hughes was one of the most successful and important men in his millennium. When he died, there was no one to leave his vast fortune to. It took 34 years to settle his estate. His billions was split between 22 legal cousins, many of whom he never knew.^[14] What a tragedy! But heed his example and the Teacher’s point: Living for the wrong reasons will shipwreck our lives in the end.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – ⁹ Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.

Here’s our second better of the night. It is better to invest in people. It’s not only because God made us to be relational and communal beings, it actually benefits us to have relationships. When you partner with others, when you have meaningful relationship with them, you both are rewarded. And in the following verses we see a list of some of those benefits and rewards.

Bible dictionaries point out that the word he uses for “reward” can also mean “wages.”^[15] So there’s the Scrooge in verse 8, working so hard to pile up wealth but he goes to his end alone – relationally bankrupt. Instead, the better life is to partner with people. Yes, that takes away from your ability to spend all your time amassing physical wealth, but you will be rewarded with other wages.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 – ¹⁰ For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.

In calamity, disaster, or injury, having a friend might literally save your life. Or if might keep you from having to saw your own arm off when you fall into a canyon.^[16]

But it’s not just about physical slips. Fellow Christians can help us when we have a moral fall as well.^[17] That can be a difficult thing to do, but it is a calling and command given to us in Galatians, to restore those who fall into sin or error with gentleness.^[18]

Ecclesiastes 4:11 – ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?

This could refer to marriage, but the Teacher is not talking about a romantic lying down here.^[19]

In those ancient times, travelers would sleep next to one another on the trail, using both their cloaks as blankets and their body heat shared to protect from the elements.

This applies more widely to supporting one another through adversity, temptation, grief.^[20]

This image shows us that even if we don’t have enough to build a whole bonfire, we still have enough to give warmth to others in a cold world.^[21] Remember, it’s not about stuff.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – ¹² And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

It’s not just the dangerous pitfalls along the way or the harsh elements of travel. Now we see active aggressors – enemies or thieves targeting us. In that situation, it’s good to have a friend – even better to have more!

In 1986, an old man in The Legend Of Zelda famously told players, “It’s dangerous to go alone, take this!” and then gave them a sword. The Teacher is telling us, “Life is too dangerous to live alone. Maintain relationships with other people who are living life God’s way. When you do, you’ll be rewarded and you become a reward for others.” There is strength in principled community.

As the chapter closes, the Teacher shares a parable. Commentators have a hard time parsing exactly what he meant, but in general we’re going to see how human relationships impact not just individuals but whole empires.

Ecclesiastes 4:13-14 – ¹³ Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings. ¹⁴ For he came from prison to be king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

This is our third better. Again, he says that position or prominence is not as important as disposition of the heart and mind, even at the national level. These principles scale up.

In this parable, we have a king who started off in humble circumstances. He was poor and did some jail time, probably not for crimes – back then prisons had more to do with debts and politics^[22] – but through cunning, hard work, and wisdom, he became king. Unfortunately, in his old age, he allowed his relationships to die. He decided he was self-sufficient. Now a new youth who is willing to hear wisdom and warnings rises up to challenge the old king.

Ecclesiastes 4:15 – ¹⁵ I saw all the living, who move about under the sun, follow a second youth who succeeds him.

The old king stopped doing the better thing and that isolation bred folly. The people no longer had relationship with the old king, despite his former success, and so they turn to a new leader.

But, watch out: The parable isn’t over.

Ecclesiastes 4:16 – ¹⁶ There is no limit to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

There’s the Teacher we’ve come to know. He says, “Yes, the young man did the better thing, but then he eventually gets old and loses touch and the he gets caught in the gears, too.” Just when we think we have a system figured out to make everything work right, the hevel of life under the sun takes over. Because people are fickle. And none of us are perfect at doing the better thing.

There are a lot of warnings in this text that leave us in tension. Don’t be a workaholic, but don’t be a lazybones. Make and maintain relationships for your own good, but realize that even then you’re not guaranteed you won’t fall into a pit or be attacked or that people won’t become fickle and give their affection to someone else someday.

The important thing for us is to understand how God looks at our lives. We’ve got to ignore what our culture says is important, or how the world around us values work. Instead, we need to remember that God has given life as a gift, He gives each of us work to do for His purposes, for His glory, and for our enjoyment. And He has made us to be unified with other people who walk with us on this path.

We’re not supposed to live in competition. Not with the Joneses, not with the guy in the next cubicle, not with the church down the street. And though isolation can be easier in the short-run, it’s deadly in the end.

The Lord knows we need community and family and friendships. Think of how many arrangements God has established for us so that we can have the connections we need: Family, friendship, neighborhoods, the Church, nations, countless associations. From the beginning, the Lord said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” And then He started providing these points of meaningful connection.

And here’s something remarkable: Friendship is the one area of human life that the Teacher never labels hevel.^[23]

But, there’s always going to be a tension, even among Christians who share the same values, because none of us are perfect. And life is full of pressures and problems. And we’re still moving around under the sun, and therefore are impacted by time, death, and chance, not to mention our own mistakes.

What the Teacher is sharing with us is the better way: Better ways of working, better ways of relating, better ways of valuing our efforts and ordering our loves. Trust God, walk His way, receive the blessings of purpose, satisfaction, and contentment that He wants for you.