Untitled Sermon (6)

3. Finally, the Teacher observes yet another form of wickedness: EnvyEnvy is the engine that drives our work ethic. How does one react properly to this reality? Fools give one answer by giving up on work—with the tragic result that they eat their own flesh (4:5). Others are consumed by their envy and become slaves to their toil in order to gather as much as possible. Unfortunately, this attitude results in “toil and a chasing after wind” (4:6). The Preachers answer to this problem of work being motivated by envy falls between the responses of lazy fools giving up on work and of workaholics toiling for two handfuls: “Better is a handful with quiet” (4:6), or “peace of mind” (NEBWe can summarize the Teacher’s message in one sentence: In view of the wickedness, oppressions, and envy in this world, enjoy your work with quietness.This passage reveals quite clearly the question behind the text. The Teacher is sending this message primarily to young, readers who live in a volatile world and are longing by the possibilities of making a fortune. Because the Teacher repeatedly and vividly paints the wickedness in this world, his goal is more than simply to encourage his readers to do this or that. His goal is to urge his readers, in view of the wickedness, oppressions, and envy in this world, not to slave away in ruthless competition with their neighbors, but to enjoy their work and its fruit with quietness.Work is a gift from God (e.g., ). But like all of God’s blessings, work can be distorted by sin. Here the Preacher points out that much of our work is motivated by envy, by the sinful desire to get ahead in life by getting ahead of other people. Economists sometimes identify the competitive urge of self-interest as the engine that drives a capitalist economy. But Ecclesiastes sees a deeper motivation at work, a motivation that comes from a selfish heart.The Teacher’s message of enjoying your work with quietness is echoed in the New Testament. Paul writes the Thessalonians,

​ NKJV10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

Paul urges this instruction “through the Lord Jesus”

​ NKJV2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul stresses the importance of contentment. He writes, “Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; … if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (). The author of Hebrews echoes this sentiment: “Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be content with what you have” (). In order to establish the connection with Jesus directly, one would have to link the last two passages to Jesus’ teachings on the danger of the love of money and the value of contentment (e.g., ).

​Preaching the Word: Ecclesiastes—Why Everything Matters Living with ContentmentThe first comparison was about contentment, and it began with an observation about the working world: “Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind” (). Qoheleth has told us already that work is a gift from God (e.g., ). But like all of God’s blessings, work can be distorted by sin. Here the Preacher points out that much of our work is motivated by envy, by the sinful desire to get ahead in life by getting ahead of other people. Economists sometimes identify the competitive urge of self-interest as the engine that drives a capitalist economy. But Ecclesiastes sees a deeper motivation at work, a motivation that comes from a selfish heart. Envy is not the only reason that people work, of course, and if we took this verse by itself it would sound like an exaggeration. There certainly are some exceptions that prove the rule. But the Preacher still has a point—one of the reasons we work so hard is to get what our neighbor has. This is why some people shortchange the government on their taxes, or cheat their customers, or get into debt with their credit cards. It is because we envy what other people have and will do anything to get it. There are many things we are tempted to envy—for example, someone’s looks or abilities or situation in life. Someone else has the job or the grades or the girlfriend that we always wanted. But of all the things that we are tempted to envy, usually our neighbor’s possessions are near the top of the list. Just look at the Tenth Commandment: most of the things it tells us not to covet are things that money can buy. We work hard to get more money to buy more things, or else we pull out the plastic to engage in what one economist has called “retail therapy.” If we get everything we covet, someone else will envy us, and the cycle will continue. The world is full of Joneses trying to keep up with the other Joneses. In 2008 I flew into Philadelphia on the travel day between the second and third games of the World Series. The man sitting next to me had it made. Every year his company flies him to the Fall Classic—great seats for two games and three nights at a nice hotel, complete with restaurant vouchers and limousine service. He also happened to mention that he has six season tickets on the thirty yard line at Texas Stadium. Sitting next to him, editing a sermon manuscript but also anticipating the next two games between the Phillies and the Rays, I felt a sudden surge of envy. But then I heard Qoheleth whisper in my ear, reminding me that wanting what God has given to someone else instead of what he has for me is vanity, a striving after wind. There was something else the Preacher had observed. The opposite of the man who worked too much, it was a man who refused to work at all: “The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh” (). Rather than joining the rat race, some people drop out altogether. They know they can’t keep up with the Joneses, so they don’t even try. All they do is fold their lazy hands. But this turns out to be deeply self-destructive. As the Preacher describes it, the fool eats what he has until he has nothing left at all: He is the picture of complacency and unwitting self-destruction, for this comment on him points out a deeper damage than the wasting of his capital. His idleness eats away not only what he has but what he is: eroding his self-control, his grasp of reality, his capacity for care and, in the end, his self-respect. These verses describe two equal and opposite errors. “As toil can be all-consuming, so idleness is self-cannibalizing.” Which of these errors is more of a temptation for you? Maybe you are tempted to envy what other people have and then wear yourself out trying to get it. Or maybe you think you are above all of that, yet you have such a negative attitude about work that sometimes you avoid it altogether. Either way Qoheleth has some good advice: “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind” (). This beautiful comparison is built on a double contrast. “Quietness” is contrasted with “toil and … striving.” A good synonym is “contentment.” The quiet person is peaceful and composed. Rather than always striving for more, he or she is satisfied already. The contrast is reinforced by the difference between having a single handful and having “two hands full.” The person with two hands full is a two-fisted consumer, always grabbing as much as he can and always grasping for more. But sometimes less is more, and the quiet person has found the right balance. His hands are not folded, like the fool. He is working hard enough to have a decent handful of what he needs in life. But that is enough for him. He does not keep demanding more and more but accepts what God has given. Have you learned to be content? The quiet person is like Jesus, who always shows us the best way to live. Jesus did not fold his hands in idleness. Neither did he envy people who had more possessions than he did, which included almost everyone. He simply worked hard in the calling that his Father had given him—the calling to seek and to save lost sinners. As he worked, Jesus trusted his Father to provide for his daily needs; he was content with the basic things in life. Now Jesus invites us to live the same way—the better way that we see in Ecclesiastes. Work hard, but be content with what you have. Find your satisfaction in the goodness of God, like the little girl who misquoted but spoke better than she knew. Rather than saying, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” she said, “The Lord is my shepherd; that’s all I want.” Most of us want so many other things in life that it is hard for us to say that, but whether Jesus is all we want or not, the truth is that he is all we need.