Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.
9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
11 When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
14 But those riches perish through misfortune;
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15 As he came from his mother's womb, naked shall he return,
To go as he came;
And he shall take nothing from his labor
Which he may carry away in his hand.
16 And this also is a severe evil—
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?
17 All his days he also eats in darkness,
And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
We can still observe the perversion of justice and righteousness more than 2,300 years after the preacher’s time when Ecclesiastes was inscribed. The poor are put down and treated badly while the laws not executed fairly or morally. Instead, laws are bent to fit who knows who and what benefits the unrighteous in power. This corruption begins at the top and filters down which we observe looking at those Boeing watched by overseers above at each level. Even so, the profit of the country serves both ruler and citizens alike, and therefore the exercise of justice should rather be fair and righteous according to God’s word instead. As spelled out here, greed to accumulate ever increasing amounts of wealth and influence is never enough for some. It is far better to live as God wills in putting righteousness with contentment as the governing rule of living (1 Timothy 6:6). Chasing after increasing gain is as fruitful as running to catch the wind as repeatedly written here and in the Psalms and Proverbs. The more we gain, the more mouths appear to feed off the increase and the only satisfaction is seeing what we cannot keep solely for ourselves. This observation is godly wisdom for us to take to heart in our pursuits. It is far better to share our gain for others to begin with to avoid grabbing what we cannot hold for ourselves alone (Acts 20:35). If we work to gat rich the price we pay is sleepless nights, while the content who work hard for contentment of their own labors can sleep well through the night because they have not abused others in the process with perversion of just and fair treatment of others to gain what they have. It only hurts us when we keep everything for ourselves as well. As the saying reminds us, “easy come, easy goes.” We come into the world with nothing of material value and we cannot take any of it with us to the grave either. You truly cannot take it with you. Yes, there is no profit in reaping wind from life’s field of material wealth; it is bit a severe evil to live that way. Those running after injustice for unrighteous gain eat alone and cannot see without the light of God’s love for others. They only suffer sorrow and sickness of soul and body. In conclusion, the preacher here found it is good to enjoy what God gives instead of pursuing accumulating wealth, instead enjoying our hard work with godly and righteous contentment. That is our heritage in laboring for others and not using them spitefully for our own fleeting gain. If the Lord does give us much, we should use it wisely and lovingly without feeling guilty either according to His providence and provision of grace (as long as we have gained it without being at another’s expense). God keeps us busy with the the work of our own hands in joy when we live and labor justly in mercy and in with all humility (Micah 6:8).
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