MAKING SENSE OF THE 9 TO 5
Ecclesiastes 4:4-16
Have you ever heard someone say, “You are working yourself to death?” Well, the Japanese take this phrase seriously. They call it Karoshi which literally means, “Death by work” and is a problem in Japan.
The government first recognized this issue in 1987, when the health ministry in Japan started tracking cases of healthy men and women, some in their 20s, who dropped dead from heart attacks and strokes apparently brought on by excessive work.
Some when hearing this probably think, “Working someone that much is crazy.” But let’s be honest, though our work conditions may not be this extreme, how many health problems do we have in our country that come as a result of being over worked? Quite a few right?
We are so driven—bending over backwards—putting our bodies through the ringer day in and day out just to make forward progress in our work. We are working long hours and as hard as we can just to get ahead in our jobs.
In Ecclesiastes 4:4-16, Solomon gives us some great advice for the way we need to approach our work. First he tells us we need to…
FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND REST
4 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.5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
In these verses, Solomon explains to us that people are basically in one of three categories when it comes to work. You are either a “workaholic,” a “lazy bum” or a “balanced man.” Solomon makes the point in this passage that the first two extremes they are to be avoided.
First he talks about workaholics. In v. 4 Solomon says,
4 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.
Now don’t misunderstand Solomon. He doesn’t have a problem with hard work. He was as hard a worker as anyone. He is taking issue with those who are addicted to work. Those who are driven to work hard because of jealous rivalry and envy.
Solomon’s point here is that there are many in the work place who are “working themselves to death” and are doing it because of rivalry and envy—this desire to beat the next guy—a fierce determination to win at all cost—doing whatever it takes to get to the top.
Solomon says, “Being a workaholic and being driven by jealous rivalry and envy is vanity—it’s aimless, it’s striving after wind.” And the reason why is because, no matter how many hours you put in, the effort you put forth and the people you step on or over to get to where you want to be, there is always someone who is more successful—someone who makes has a better title and who makes more money.
Solomon not only has a word for those who are “all work and no play.” In v. 5 he also has something for the lazy person as well. He says,
5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
Here Solomon describes another unhealthy extreme as one labors under the sun. In v.5 he says that the “lazy bum” is every bit as out of control and unbalanced as the workaholic. He says, “The fool folds his hands.” The folding of hands is a sign of inactivity. In other words, the person who has his hands folded is the one not doing anything.
He also says the lazy person “eats his own flesh.” Solomon is being very sarcastic when talking about the lazy man. He says, “The lazy man, the one who has hands folded, is not going to be able to reap any of the benefits that come from fruitful labor, therefore he has nothing left to eat but his own flesh.”
So Solomon point in this verse is that both extremes are wrong. In v. 6, Solomon helps us find the balance between the two. He says,
6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
Basically what Solomon is saying is this, “We need to live a two-handed life.” On the one hand we need work and on the other rest—work and rest. Both of these should be present in our lives.
Though this sounds easy, few of us are doing it. Some of you are burned out because your life is filled with all work and no rest. You are tired, weary and your health is declining because of it. There are others of you whose life consists of all rest and no work—in other words you are lazy. This too leads to misery.
Though God wants us to work hard, he also wants us to take a day off to enjoy what He has provided. He even exampled this for us in creation. We are told for 6 days He created and on the 7th He rested. Since we are to be imitators of God, we also need to have balance.
CHOOSE RELATIONSHIPS OVER RICHES
In vv. 7-8, Solomon is going to share with us a parable and it is powerful. You are going to see how this parable clearly relates to our culture. He says in vv. 7-8,
7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
In these verses, Solomon puts his finger on a very common problem that many of us have with work. He is writing about a person who devotes all his time to work and has no time for people—no time for relationships.
Solomon says though this person is praised in our culture he/she has failed by neglecting what matters most—people. Solomon says, “Choosing riches and success over relationships is ‘vanity…(it is) an unhappy business.” Why? Because our eyes are never satisfied with riches.
One of my favorite stories to read each year around Christmas is the Christmas Carol. This story clearly illustrates Solomon’s point. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge is the type of person Solomon has in mind in this text. In the story, Charles Dickens refers to him as a “miserable old sinner.” Why? Because he pursues riches over relationships. Though his bank account is full, His house is empty.
What makes this story so enjoyable is that Scrooge is given a second chance and makes the most of it, but many will not. Those of you familiar with the story remember that Scrooge had a partner named Jacob Marley who was not given a second chance. Early in the story when confronted with Marley’s ghost Scrooge said, “You were always a good man of business Jacob!” In other words, “You were a success by the world’s standards!” To which Marley replied, “Business? Mankind was my business.”
Unfortunately many in our society are going to find out the hard way that while they were so busy chasing after the might dollar, life passed them by. When this happens trust me when I say, they will wish more than anything that they had prioritized people over profession.
In vv. 9-12, Solomon mentions some great principles about friendship.
1st he shows us that…
• Friends make you a better worker
A lot of people disagree thinking that they are better off by themselves, but look at what Solomon says in v. 9.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
Solomon in this verse warns against lonely success. He talks about the importance of working together and how this is a much better option because there is what he says “good reward” with this type of work. Not only can we get twice as much accomplished, but working together also helps build community and enables us to build lasting friendships and relationships as we labor together.
2nd he shows that…
• Friends are needed in times of trouble
Solomon says,
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In these three verses Solomon gives three different scenarios that all make the same point. And his point is, “In times of trouble, friends give us strength.” There are going to be times in life when you stumble and fall, that’s inevitable. There are going to be times when you feel all alone in this world—when you feel pulled apart because of the difficult circumstances in life.
Solomon says that when this happens you are going to need a friend. You are going to need someone to reach down and help you stand again and to take you in and comfort you and stand strong with you through the difficulties of life.
PUT LITTLE VALUE ON POPULARITY
Some will say, “Well if competition is not where it’s at and money is not what it’s all about—What about fame? What about popularity? Solomon talks about popularity in in these four verses and does it by telling a parable. He writes,
13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Solomon’s point here is that though we value popularity, it is fleeting and he makes this point by telling a story about a king who is surpassed by a poor young man who at one time was even a prisoner. Solomon explains that young man rises out of the gutter to the pinnacle—to surpass this king and people follow him. But after a period of time this young man’s popularity fades.
He tells this story to make the point that those who work so hard to be known and to be looked to and idolized are striving after wind because popularity is fleeting. I recently heard a pastor say that fame and popularity have the shelf life of cottage cheese. And we have seen this first hand haven’t we? We have seen achievements rot, wealth rot, and popularity sour just like cottage cheese.
That’s why God goes to great lengths to tell us in His word, “I created you for much, much more—for more than short-lived achievements, temporal riches and popularity that is fleeting.” God created us for more. He created you and me to find our fulfillment, joy, and meaning in Him.
This is why Christ came. He left riches and became poor for our sake so that we could be restored to a right relationship with God. He came so we could experience fulfillment and joy in God—so that we could have an abundant life in Him.
