Accumulation Under the Sun
Notes
Transcript
As Americans, we are among the most wealthy, and the most wealth-obsessed, people on planet earth. We may not think we need to hear more about wealth or accumulation, but Solomon is not done with us yet.
An Evil Affliction
An Evil Affliction
Ecclesiastes 6:1–2 (NKJV)
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.
What Is Evil?
What Is Evil?
“Evil” appears twice in these two verses, how do we define evil?
Isaiah 45:7 (NKJV)
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’
How does God create darkness? Darkness is the absence of light.
The word translated “calamity” is the same Hebrew word that is translated “evil” in Ecclesiastes 6. Some English bibles say
Isaiah 45:7 (KJV 1900)
7 I form the light, and create darkness:
I make peace, and create evil:
I the Lord do all these things.
God makes peace, translated from shalom, implying peace, blessings and all that is good in life
Juxtaposed against light and darkness, we find that evil is the opposite of peace
We typically think of evil in its moral connotation, but the word is broader: it is anything that is not peaceful, blessing, and goodness
How does God create evil, the same way He creates darkness: by taking away the light of blessing
Going back to our text
Ecclesiastes 6:1–2 (NKJV)
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.
Is God to Blame?
Is God to Blame?
Remember this is life under the sun, or the common life apart from God
We have always like to take the credit for what is good and pass the blame for what is bad
Solomon is describing a miserly spirit: someone who sacrifices everything, including enjoyment, for the sake of accumulation
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the infamous character of Scrooge was visited by three spirits. Scrooge was a miser and his miserly spirit prevented him from experiencing the generous and joyful spirit of Christmas. He is an apt example of what Solomon describes here.
God allows this, but does not cause it. He is not to blame.
A Harsh Assessment
A Harsh Assessment
Ecclesiastes 6:3–6 (NKJV)
3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. 5 Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?
A short life without knowing dissatisfaction is better than a long life with it
Dissatisfaction makes everything in life worse, it taints every experience it touches
At the end of the day (or the life) we all end up the same: dead
An Honest Ask
An Honest Ask
Ecclesiastes 6:7–9 (NKJV)
7 All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied.
8 For what more has the wise man than the fool?
What does the poor man have,
Who knows how to walk before the living?
9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ultimately the goals of wealth are two: eat and live indoors
Believer’s Bible Commentary F. The Vanity of Passing Riches (5:10–6:12)
A man’s main reason for working is to buy food for himself and his family. But the odd thing is that he is never satisfied. The more his income rises, the more he wants to buy. Contentment is the carrot on the stick that forever eludes him.
Why is it that the more we accumulate, the more we want?
Is the wise man really better off than the fool?
Is the wealthy man really better off than the poor?
Conclusion
Solomon’s Conclusion
Solomon’s Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NKJV)
9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Solomon’s Reason
Solomon’s Reason
Ecclesiastes 6:10–11 (NKJV)
10 Whatever one is, he has been named already,
For it is known that he is man;
And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.
11 Since there are many things that increase vanity,
How is man the better?
We are all man, the Hebrew word translated man is adam. Mankind is named after Adam, who was named after the red clay from which he was formed.
We all have one substance
We all have one God
We all have one End
How is anyone better than anyone else? They aren’t. And all of the accumulation in all of the world cannot change that.
Solomon’s Question
Solomon’s Question
Who knows what is good?
Ecclesiastes 6:12 (NKJV)
12 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?
Actually, the Apostle Paul knows what is good
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
Jesus modelled what is good during His earthly ministry
He had no job and no wealth
He had the clothes on His back
He had the food others gave to Him
He had the shelter others provided for Him
He had a perfect relationship with His Father (God), lived completely on mission and with purpose, passion, and enduring accomplishment.