Week 8 - Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 | The Secret to the Good Life

What’s up everybody! Who in here would like just a little bit more of the good life? Come on now! Isn’t that what we’re all chasing? Whether that’s the High Life and Miller time, financial freedom, the perfect family, or a successful career—most of us are working and praying for some version of the good life.

Personally? If I could live on a golf course with a trout stream, a woodshop out back, and an endless supply of sunshine and time—that’d be a little slice of heaven!

But here’s the thing: we’re convinced that more—more money, more stuff, more status—will bring contentment. We believe gain is the path to happiness.

But what if that path leads to a dead end? What if all that striving leads not to satisfaction, but to emptiness? As Admiral Ackbar once said: “It’s a trap!”

In Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, King Solomon, the Preacher, delivers a brutally honest challenge to this assumption. His radical conclusion? Gratitude, not gain, is the key to the good life.

That’s the liberating truth I pray we see today: Wealth can’t give you true security or joy—only God can. The good life isn’t found in getting more, but in gratefully enjoying what God has already given.

And can we just admit how timely this is? Between tariffs and economic uncertainty, financial experts don’t know where we’re headed. The security many assumed we had is being exposed as an illusion. If your heart is anxious right now—hear this: I don’t have predictions, but I do know a Person who can help. His name is Jesus.

As we open God’s Word, we’ll see four truths that support this big idea:

When Justice Is Just Not Enough (vv. 8–9)

The Insatiable Trap of More (vv. 10–12)

The Empty Hand of Hoarding (vv. 13–17)

The True Gift: Joy in What God Gives (vv. 18–20)

Let’s begin in verse 8.

I. When Justice Is Just Not Enough (vv. 8–9)

Ecclesiastes 5:8–9 NLT

8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

The Preacher opens with a stark, universal truth: injustice and corruption are systemic and pervasive "under the sun." He tells us, "Don't be surprised." This is profound realism, revealing the fundamental brokenness of human systems. This sets the stage for why gain within such systems can never be truly satisfying or secure. Having "more" doesn't fix the deepest problems.

He describes a hierarchical chain where "every official is under orders from higher up." This isn't just about isolated acts; it’s a built-in flaw where power can be abused. Decisions filter down, impacting the vulnerable. Justice, vital for societal well-being, "gets lost in red tape and bureaucracy."

All I have to do is mention health care and insurance companies and all of the adults’ blood pressure in here just started to rise! Most of us on some level have or know someone who has been buried under paperwork, legal delays, and a system that seems designed to protect the powerful. We’ve all been entangled and exhausted by "red tape," where fairness becomes a casualty. It hurts and it’s infuriating!

And Solomon says it’s not just at the DMV, this goes all the way to the top! "Even the king milks the land for his own profit!" The CEO, meant to be the protector, actively exploits his people for personal gain.

Which you can follow a lot of our politicians in Washington on the right and the left. They get paid decent salaries and yet by their end of term in office their net worth increases by the millions! That math doesn’t compute!

Yes it’s a systemic problem, but Solomon’s not just pointing fingers at the system—he’s exposing the human heart behind them. When gain becomes the goal—personally or institutionally—it corrupts everything. The system isn’t broken because it’s inefficient; it’s broken because we are. So why would we expect climbing higher in it to lead to satisfaction?

This ancient observation powerfully resonates today. We see this pattern of exploitation for gain: corporate greed, political corruption, bureaucratic obstacles. We feel the weight of systemic brokenness, and it’s easy to feel jaded by power misused for gain.

And perhaps, for some of you, that sense of confusion or frustration hits closer to home right now. Many of you are still processing the recent staff transition here at Crossroads—specifically, the elimination of Seth’s role. For some, it felt abrupt and painful. My words last week may have felt too polished or uncaring. And I want to acknowledge that pain and surprise.

But let me also say this: There’s a difference between leaders driven by personal gain and those seeking to follow Jesus and His gospel call.

Regarding the staff transition, while respecting the dignity of all involved means I can’t share every detail, know this: We made this decision after much prayer, fasting, godly counsel, and seeking the Scriptures. We truly sought the will of the Lord, discerning that Jesus was indeed leading our Church and our staffing structure into a new season. The heart behind this decision, and our constant aim in all leadership decisions, is and will always try to be for the good of this community as a whole and also for the individuals who make up this family as well as for the mission and cause of Christ. And prayerfully weigh all of those things will inevitably cause us to live in tension as we try our best to follow what we sense and see God calling us into.

From there, all we can do as leaders is invite your questions, receive your pain and confusion in love and with grace, ask for your grace and forgiveness where we’ve missed it and encourage you to press in rather than pull away! All we can do is ask you to trust that our leadership, imperfect as we are, is striving to follow our perfect King in faith, even through difficult seasons of change.

This is what makes the church different from the world. The world’s leaders exploit others for gain. But our King came to serve, not to be served and He’s still serving and leading us today if we have ears to listen. Though He was rich, He became poor, so we might gain eternal riches and wisdom through Him (2 Cor. 8:9). Jesus endured the ultimate injustice—the cross—to establish a kingdom of justice and mercy where every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4) eventually and where He will be with us until that day comes!

So our hope is not in reforming broken systems to achieve perfect gain, but in aligning ourselves with the Kingdom of God, where gratitude for His grace replaces the pursuit of gain as the driving force. Jesus told us all, seek my Kingdom above all else and all these things will be added unto you.

Lord you said it. Make it so here and in us!

Trans—> So, we’ve seen how broken systems can never deliver true peace. But maybe you're thinking, “Okay, fine—the system’s messed up. But if I just work hard and get my slice of the pie, won’t that bring satisfaction?” Solomon would say, “It’s a trap.” Which leads us to point two...

II. The Insatiable Trap of More (vv. 10–12)

Ecclesiastes 5:10–12 NLT

10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! 12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

From broken systems, the Preacher now turns to the illusion of personal wealth. And he starts with a hard truth: “Those who love money will never have enough.” This isn’t just an observation—it’s a diagnosis. It's addiction. The more you get, the more you want. There’s no finish line. The pursuit of gain becomes an endless loop. Solomon calls it meaningless—not because money is evil, but because it can never give you what you're really after. It can’t produce gratitude. It can’t satisfy your soul.

Then he drops a paradox: “The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it.” Wealth often brings complication, not freedom. Bigger house? More maintenance, more taxes. More business? More staff, more overhead, more stress. It feels like it’s slipping through your fingers.

We tell ourselves gain will simplify life—but often, it does the opposite. It creates new burdens and anxieties. You don’t own your stuff—your stuff starts owning you.

And then comes this zinger: “People who work hard sleep well... but the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.” We imagine the wealthy are carefree and comfortable. But Solomon flips that idea. The person who labors and lives simply can rest deeply. The one who’s constantly managing wealth, protecting it, growing it—he loses sleep. Worry and restlessness are the price of gain.

This passage pushes us to examine our assumptions. Are you caught in the chase for the next thing? Are you convinced that just a little more will bring peace? Have you reached one financial milestone, only to find yourself immediately reaching for another?

That’s the “bucket with no bottom” problem. You pour and pour, but it never feels full. Solomon isn’t condemning wealth—but the love of it. If your security depends on your account balance, what happens when it shrinks? The more you center your life around gain, the more elusive peace becomes.

Jesus knew this well. He warned, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24). He told the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12), who built bigger barns but died before he could enjoy any of it. His mistake wasn’t wealth—it was trusting in gain instead of being “rich toward God.”

The Gospel gives us a totally different vision. Jesus, though rich, became poor so that we might become rich in Him (2 Cor. 8:9). He doesn’t offer worldly gain—He offers Himself. And with Him comes peace that money can’t buy (John 14:27), rest that hustle can’t give (Matt. 11:28), and joy that isn’t tied to your circumstances (John 15:11). Your real treasure isn’t in your portfolio—it’s in Christ. It’s eternal. It’s unshakeable.

When your heart shifts from chasing gain to thanking God for His grace, the grip of greed loosens. Joy becomes possible.

So if you’ve been on the treadmill of more—running hard, chasing peace through possessions—hear Solomon’s wisdom: It’s a trap. A well-decorated one, yes. But a trap all the same.

And Solomon’s not done yet. If chasing more is a trap, he says that hoarding it doesn’t help either.

Right, what happens when you finally get the wealth you were chasing? What do you do with it? Store it? Save it? Build your security on it?

He’s about to show us that gain not only fails to satisfy—it can actually hurt us, even when we try to hold onto it.

Check it out:

III. The Empty Hand of Hoarding (vv. 13–17)

Even when you hold on to wealth, it can still hurt you.

Solomon says in verse 13:

“There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.”

You may be able to resist the urge to spend it all—but Solomon says even hoarding it can be harmful. How?

Well, it can rot your relationships. When you’re afraid someone might want your money, it becomes hard to trust people. It can rot your health. Always protecting what you have can keep you in a low-grade state of anxiety. It can rot your soul. You start to believe your security is in what you’ve saved rather than the One who saved you.

Verse 14 continues:

“Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.”

He’s saying: you can make all the right moves, and still lose it. The market can crash. The company can go under. The house can catch fire. There are no guarantees. And even if you manage to hold it until death, guess what? You still lose it. Verse 15 says:

“We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.”

That’s not just a funeral verse—that’s a worldview check. You can’t take it with you. So why live like you can?

Verse 16 adds:

“And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind.”

Solomon is saying, You didn’t just lose your stuff—you lost your life working for it. You gave your best years, your mental and emotional energy, your sleep and sanity… and in the end, you have nothing to show for it.

And here’s the haunting conclusion in verse 17:

“Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.”

This is what a gain-based life gets you: A cloud of frustration. Discouragement because it’s never enough. Anger because the math never adds up. You worked and waited to enjoy life… but by the time you felt like you could rest, the joy was already gone.

So what do we do with this?

Whether you never had the wealth, whether you lost it, or even if you held onto it—Solomon says it still won’t give you what you’re looking for.

The pursuit of more doesn’t work. The protection of what you have doesn’t work. The possession of great wealth doesn’t work.

And if we’re being honest, we know it. That’s why we’re so exhausted. Why we wake up anxious. Why we keep shifting jobs, houses, styles, and life goals—hoping the next thing will finally settle it.

And maybe the most haunting part? We’re not just trying to find “the good life.” We’re trying to find something we can trust—something that won’t slip through our fingers.

So here’s the turning point: What if Solomon’s goal isn’t to depress us—but to free us? What if his whole point is this:

If gain is your goal, life will never be good. But if gratitude is your posture, life becomes a gift.

Which leads us to our final section…

IV. The True Gift: Joy in What God Gives (vv. 18–20)

After all the hard truths and heartbreaks Solomon has uncovered, listen to where he lands in verse 18:

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good: It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.”

In other words: enjoy what you’ve been given. Not what you’re chasing. Not what you’re clinging to. Just receive what’s in front of you today—as a gift.

He goes on:

“And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.” (v. 19)

It’s a gift.

Gratitude, not gain, is the key to the good life. And did you catch who gives it? God.

He’s not trying to take joy from you—He’s trying to give it to you. But the only way to receive it is to stop grabbing for more and start recognizing what’s already in your hands.

Here’s the irony: When life is all about gain, you can’t enjoy it. But when life becomes about gratitude—even the smallest things become joy.

A meal. A moment with a friend. A quiet Saturday. The simple satisfaction of a job well done.

It all becomes sacred—because it’s all a gift.

The promise of this God-centered enjoyment is this: "God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."

That’s freedom. That’s rest. That’s joy. But don’t misunderstand things here. It doesn’t come to us free from struggle! I know we all love Psalm 23 and the truth that God is our good Shepherd who walks us beside trout streams, but the vast majority of metaphors found in the scriptures are ones of a battle field not a paradise pasture! So we would be naive to think that this enjoyment of life here in this love story set in a world at war would come to us without pain or struggle! It won’t!

And so let me say delicately because I know some of you are going through it in various ways right now. For some of you, your current “lot in life” is painful. And Scripture never asks you to ignore that pain. In fact just the opposite, God invites your lament—your grief, your honesty, your tears.

But lament isn’t the end. Gratitude is.

And not a fake, forced smile—but a real, gospel-rooted joy that says: “Even here, even now, God is good. This too is a gift.”

Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds. (James 1:2-4)!

There’s no magic switch to move from grumpy to grateful—but there is a Savior who makes that shift possible.

So yes—pour out your hurt. But don’t stop there. Pour it out to Jesus—and let Him pour in His peace and give your pain purpose!

When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing!

This is the promise of Christ friend, He took on poverty and death so you could receive joy and life. And not someday. Today. That’s the good life—found not in gain, but in grace and gratitude!

Jesus is the only one who perfectly embodied the life Solomon describes. He lived with joy, received each moment as a gift, and trusted His Father fully.

He didn’t chase gain—He gave it up. He didn’t hoard—He emptied Himself. He didn’t cling—He surrendered in love.

And He did it all for us.

On the cross, Jesus took all our striving, hoarding, and empty pursuits—and paid for them. Then He rose to offer something far better: abundant life in Him.

Not the life the world sells. Not a life built on status or stuff. But a life rooted in peace, joy, and the deep assurance that you are loved, forgiven, and held by a God who provides.

That’s the good life.

So let me leave you with this:

If you’re looking for joy—stop looking at your bank account. If you’re looking for peace—stop refreshing Zillow. If you’re looking for meaning—stop measuring your productivity.

Look instead to Jesus the author and perfector of your faith and receive what’s in front of you as a gift! Live with joy—not because you’ve gained, but because you’ve been given everything in Him.

Amen.