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Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun | The Question of Wealth

February 16, 2025
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

⁸If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. ⁹But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.

¹⁰He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. ¹¹When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? ¹²Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

¹³There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, ¹⁴and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. ¹⁵As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. ¹⁶This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? ¹⁷Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

¹⁸Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. ¹⁹Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. ²⁰For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son was revealed so that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that having this hope we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom, where with you, Father, and with the Holy Spirit, he lives and reigns, one God, forevermore. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Psalm 73

You guide me with your counsel,

And afterward you will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Summary and Connection

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author Qoheleth (often translated as “Preacher” or “Teacher”) explains how everything under the sun is hevel — “vanity” or “meaningless.” In our passage today, the author observes the topic of wealth: Can money satisfy us? The author again concludes that “this also is vanity” (verse 10) and re-asks the ongoing question “what gain is there?” (verse 16). Right after the grim description of grievous evil and of “him who toils for the wind” eating in darkness in much sickness and anger (verse 17), the chapter ends with another “life is good” affirmation (verses 18-20), encouraging the readers to find satisfaction in their labor and enjoy the gifts of God. This is the fourth time the book of Ecclesiastes mentions this positive outlook on life, and the book is a constant tension between observing the evil and meaninglessness of the world but simultaneously acknowledging God’s goodness and the enjoyment of his gifts. We’re in a sermon series called Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun, and today we’ll look at the topic of wealth.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

• In verses 10-12, the author shares three proverbs on wealth. What other Scripture passages come to your mind concerning wealth and satisfaction?
  

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

• Qoheleth looks at wealth and concludes in verses 15-17 that it is also meaningless (no gain), as we cannot take our wealth with us after death. In what ways does Jesus provide the meaning and worth we seek?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

• The author says in verse 10, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money,” painting a picture of greed. What idols of the heart can lead to greed?
• How can we guard our hearts against greed? 

4. Looking at Our World

• We live in a city where the idol of money and undercurrents of greed reign supreme. Jesus calls us to live a life of generosity, but where greed abounds, generosity is thwarted. How can you be an agent of generosity in our church, our city, and our world?

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• View Study Guide Notes

  Question 1: The Bible gives numerous warnings regarding money and greed. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). The Apostle Paul warned Timothy “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Finally, the letter to the Hebrews exhorts readers to “Keep your life from love of money, and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5), similar to Qoheleth’s affirmation in 5:18-20.

  No matter how much money we have, we’ll never be satisfied; all the idols of this world are like empty cisterns that give no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Only Jesus can give us the water that can satiate our thirst (John 6:35). The author of Ecclesaistes is warning us against the love of money and encouraging us to find contentment in God. After all, as he ends in verses 18-20, everything we possess and enjoy is God’s gift to us.

  Question 2: King David is often referred to as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Although there are numerous reasons for this title, in particular David was quite expressive throughout his Psalms about his desire for God, and to be in his presence: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:10), “As the deer pants for water, so my soul pants for you” (Psalm 42:1), and “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25). The Apostle Paul also echoes this sentiment in Philippians 3. After sharing his biography of achievements, he goes on to say in verses 7 and 8:

  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

  Up to chapter 5, the author of Ecclesiastes has considered various pursuits of life (wisdom, pleasure, and work), and in today’s passage, after reflecting on wealth, he arrives at the same conclusion of “nothing to be gained” and “much vexation” (5:16-17). Qoheleth is encouraging readers to turn away from the pursuit of wealth and to pursue Jesus — to know him, love him, and follow him. For there is nothing better and more desirable than him.

  Question 3: Jesus warned his disciples to protect their hearts from avarice: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15), and “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Paul and Luke both teach that greed is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5, Ephesians 5:5, Luke 12:15). People do not just love money; they love what money can provide (status, respect, abundance, control, security, comfort, etc.) — all of which can become idols. In his book “Counterfeit Gods,” Tim Keller writes:

  According to the Bible, idolaters do three things with their idols. They love them, trust them, and obey them. “Lovers of money” are those who find themselves daydreaming and fantasizing about new ways to make money, new possessions to buy, and looking with jealousy on those who have more than they do. “Trusters of money” feel they have control of their lives and are safe and secure because of their wealth. Idolatry also makes us “servants of money.” Just as we serve earthly kings and magistrates, so we “sell our souls” to idols. Because we look to them for our significance (love) and security (trust), we have to have them, and therefore we are driven to serve and, essentially, obey them.

  Qoheleth shows us that one way we can guard our hearts against greed is by embracing the “emptyhandedness” of life. In verse 15, he says, “As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.” This is similar to Job’s confession after he lost his children and riches: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Similarly, in the New Testament, Paul reprimands the Corinthian church for boasting in their riches when everything they had was simply received (1 Corinthians 4:7). The words of Qoheleth, Job, and Paul remind us that we ourselves cannot take any credit for our possessions nor find our identity in our riches; instead we can only acknowledge God as the provider of our blessings and source of our identity, then consequently be generous with what he has generously given.

  Question 4: Christian history is marked by stories of missionaries like William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Jim Elliot, and John Chau who literally gave up everything in their possession — their wealth, their belongings, their families, even their lives — to serve God and make his name known around the world. Talk about being generous! But in Mark 12:41-44, we hear a different story of generosity. As many are coming to the treasury presenting their offerings, a poor widow comes and offers the equivalent of a single penny, to which Jesus replies, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

  Generosity can take on a lot of forms. It can look inspirational and radical, or it can be so simple and understated that it almost goes without notice. It can be surrendering your homeland and your life, or it can be offering one single penny. The level of grandiosity behind our generosity is not what gives it value. It’s the heart of giving that captures the heart of Christ and the generosity he’s shown us. Christ had all the riches in the world — literally, the world was his — and he chose to give it up to take on the form of a lowly human and carry our burdens to the cross, being scorned by that same world on our behalf, so that we might have eternal life. 

  Do you realize the riches that you’ve received in and through Jesus? Do you know “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9)? We all run the risk of the rich, young ruler who struggled with the challenge to give away all he had to follow Jesus. We, too, might withdraw from Christ and go away sorrowful because we would rather part with Jesus than part with our money. But the only way to avoid a similar fate is to taste the power of the gospel continually, and to let that fuel your generosity, in whatever form it takes.