MAKING SENSE OF MONEY
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
Several years ago, CNN carried a story about a 62 year old man who was living in France who was having terrible stomach problems. One evening he was rushed to the emergency room because his pain had become more than he could bear.
When they examined Him they initially thought the man had 12 pounds of tumor—just a mountainous mass in His stomach. They decided they needed to move quickly and operate to attempt to remove this mass. Unfortunately it was too little, too late because this man passed away soon after being admitted.
Now this story, though tragic, has a bizarre twist. You see the doctors did not find a tumor at all—instead they found 350 coins, which totaled $650 American dollars. The doctors could not believe it! A few of the doctors later explained that this man had a bizarre disorder of swallowing money—he had this deep seeded desire to take as many coins as he could and swallow them.
Now many of you are thinking—“That’s insane! That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard. I mean I can’t even relate to that. And though I admit that is an extremely bizarre story, let me ask you this, “Do you crave money? Do you desire money so badly that you will do whatever it takes to get your hands on it? Are you breaking your backs—bending over backwards neglecting family friends and church to make more money—just to have more of it?”
You see many of us would never physically swallow coins, yet we will sacrifice our health and our relationships for more of it. In our text for today, Solomon is going to talk to us about money. First, Solomon warns about the misuse of money. In the first part of this passage Solomon tells us, “Don’t love money.” And below are the reasons why.
WHY WE SHOULDN’T LOVE MONEY?
1)LOVING MONEY BRINGS CORUPTION
8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.
Though this is a difficult passage, Solomon’s point is that where there is a love for money and a desire for power, you can count on corruption. In vv. 8-9, he gives us examples of corruption in government and I don’t think I even need to give you examples of this do I? You know so many of them already. For example, we are always hearing of world leaders abusing power, the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor and the strong taking advantage of the weak. We hear stories of corruption, extortion, perversion of justice that does not take place in spite of government officials, but because of them. This happens all the time.
Once again, where there is a desire for power and a love for money you can count on corruption.
We not only see this in politics, but we in daily life. I think the O’ Jays got it right in their song “For the love of money.” Listen to a few of the lyrics that explain how money corrupts.
For the love of money
People will steal from their mother
For the love of money
People will rob their own brother
For the love of money
People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
For the love of money
People don't care who they hurt or beat
For the love of money
For that lean, mean green
Almighty dollar
THE LOVE OF MONEY BRINGS CORUPTION
2) LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING SATISFACTION
Though most agree with the first point—that money does corrupt, close to the same percentage probably disagree with this one. Maybe you have your doubts. Maybe you have a set $ amount in your mind and think that once you get _________, then you will be happy.
You are thinking to yourself, “I don’t need that much, if I just had that certain amount, then I would be good. You know who else used to think in this way? Those who now have a ton of money now and want more of it.
Listen to what Solomon says in v. 10,
10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Solomon main point in v. 10 is this. “Money makes a lousy lover.” Notice he uses the verb love twice here in v. 10. He wants us to understand here that this kind of affection for money and abundance—it’s vanity because there’s no satisfaction in wealth because the more we have—the more we want. We will never be satisfied with wealth because any enjoyment to be had in money is always outweighed by our desire for more of it.
It’s like drinking salt water. I was reading the other day that the ocean contains seven times more salt than the human body can safely digest. If you were to try to live off drinking water from the ocean, you would continue to get thirstier and thirstier until you would eventually die of thirst by drinking. Sounds backwards doesn’t it? But it’s true. So it is with those who love money. The more we have the more we want.
3) LOVING MONEY BRINGS FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS
Some believe that to be somebody you have to have money. So they want more and more of it so that they can have important friends—so that they can rub shoulders with the well to do. Solomon says though money does bring more people, it does not bring true friends. Look at v. 11.
11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Solomon’s point here is simple. As soon as you get more money, you know what else you get? You get more people who come to help you spend it. Whether it be fair weather friends—whether it be long lost relatives, attorneys, accountants, financial advisors.
One of the more frustrating and painful realities that come as a result of having lots of money is that it’s tough to determine who your true friends are. Many of those long lost relatives and fair-weather friends aren’t drawn to you because of they have missed you all of these years—they are not drawn to you because of your great personality—they want your money.
And as we have talked about already, this shouldn’t surprise us because people crave money and do whatever it takes to get their hands on it.
4)LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING REST
There are a countless number of sayings and words of wisdom about money that are inspired from the teachings of scripture. I’ve shared one with you already about the fact that “Money makes lousy lover.” Another saying many are familiar with is the fact that “Money makes a good servant but a bad master.” This is Solomon’s point in v. 12.
Many in our world are working tirelessly to make more money in hopes that when they reach that certain dollar amount then they will be able to sit back and relax. Solomon says here that if its peace that you seek, it will not come from wealth. In fact the opposite is true. All wealth does is create unrest.
Look at v. 12.
Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
Here Solomon holds up two types of people. One the one hand you have the poor but content worker, and on the other you have the wealthy business man whose master is his money. Solomon says the first man doesn’t have a lot of money, but works hard day in and day out and is content with his lot in life. Solomon says this man sleeps like a baby at night. And the reason why is because He is content and doesn’t have all the worries that come with having a ton of wealth.
On the other hand you have the wealthy business man whose master is his money. Solomon says this man cannot sleep a wink because of all the worries he has that all have to do with his money. Worries about how his people are going to invest his money, about the stock report, about issues with the IRS, about who he should hire and fire, about his competitors, his investors and he can’t sleep a wink.
Solomon’s point here is that this is what happens when money is your master. When you are consumed with money, money will ultimately consume you. Though money can buy an expensive bed, it cannot buy a good night’s sleep.
5)LOVING MONEY MAKE US LESS CHARITABLE
Now I want to remind you here that I am not talking about every wealthy person, because I know there are a lot of wealthy people who are very generous with their money, but what Solomon is talking about here are the habits of those whose master is money.
Many who pursue wealth think, “When I make more money—6 or 7 figures—then I’m going to be charitable and remember the little people. Solomon tells us that normally that’s not the case. Look at v. 13.
13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.
Solomon says at the beginning of v. 13 that he has noticed that the rich that have money to give often don’t. That is very much the case in our world today.
Statistics have shown that the most charitable people are the middle to lower classes percentage wise. They give the most amount of money. Solomon shows that though the wealthy should be more charitable because they have been blessed with abundance, more often than not are not and he refers to this hording of wealth as a grievous evil.
I mentioned a while back that my favorite movie to watch around Christmas every year is the Christmas Carol. Scrooge is the person Solomon is talking about here. Though he had a ton of money, he horded his wealth? Remember the two men that visit him at the first of the story wanting Scrooge to give to the poor? How does old Scrooge respond? “Are there no work houses—no prisons? I pay taxes and my money goes to these places. Let them go there.
He is the person Solomon is referring to in v. 13 and remember that Dickens refers to him as “a miserable old sinner.” Why? Because it’s a grievous evil to hoard wealth and on top of that it doesn’t make us happy.
Hoarding wealth actually tends to make us more miserable. Look again at what Solomon says at the end of v. 13. “Riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.” Hoarding money—keeping all your money for your self makes you miserable.
Those who hoard their wealth, according to Solomon are not happy, but are more miserable. They live in paranoia, are unable to sleep, don’t know who their true friends are, are never satisfied, and are consumed with worry about what could potentially happen to their money.
Solomon goes on to explain that another reason why hoarding your money away can bring misery is because we all are always just one or two tragedies away from losing all that we have. He says in v. 14, “Riches were lost in a bad venture.” The point Solomon is making here is that money is not really ours to begin with. Though we may store it away it can be gone just like that. Unexpected medical bills, stock market crash, theft, bad investments any one of those things or a combination of a few could suck us dry in a short period of time.
So hoarding money does nothing, but displeases God and makes us miserable. Wealth isn’t meant for hording, it’s meant for sharing because money was meant to be a servant and not a master.
6) LOVING MONEY DOES NOT BRING SECURITY
Many think, “The more money that I have, the more likely it will last and the more secure I will feel.” Once again Solomon says the opposite in vv. 15-16. He makes the point that the more money you have, the more money you will leave to someone else.
Solomon continues to talk about the rich man here saying,
15 As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?
Solomon says here that in the same way we entered into life, we are going to leave this life with nothing in the way of material possessions.
He says,
15 As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again.
Because this is true, Solomon says it is a grievous evil—there’s that phrase again—a grievous evil to be mastered by money because it has no eternal value—it brings no security. The more we make, the more we leave for someone else
7)LOVING MONEY BRINGS LONLINESS
In v. 17, Solomon proves once again that “Money makes a lousy lover.” He says that the one who chooses riches over relationships ends up all alone in life. Solomon says,
All (the rich man’s) days he eats in darkness
How sad it is to think of someone eating in darkness all alone in life? Once again I think of Scrooge in a Christmas Carol. At the very beginning before he is visited by Marley’s Ghost, he is sitting by himself in an old drafty house in the darkness eating his dinner. So is the man who chooses riches over relationships. Though their bank accounts are full their houses are empty. Solomon says this is vanity—this is a grievous evil.
SO THE LOVE OF MONEY HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES
After giving many negatives about money, however, Solomon ends this chapter with good news. Like we have talked about already, though there is a lot of bad news that Solomon gives throughout Ecclesiastes, but he also at times gives us glimpses of the good to let his readers know that though life under the sun is meaningless, futile and fleeting—life with God is not.
In vv. 18-20, Solomon transitions by explaining that instead of loving money, what we should be doing instead is finding satisfaction in God. He goes on to give two reasons why life with God and being satisfied in Him leads to true happiness.
WHY WE SHOULD BE SATISFIED IN GOD?
1)BEING SATISFIED WITH GOD MAKES YOUR LABOR UNDER THE SUN ENJOYABLE
18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.
Here Solomon tells us that work really is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed. It’s not a curse. In fact, it was around long before the curse and will be what we do long after this life is over. God has given us work for our enjoyment.
Now many of you are probably thinking, “OK then, if that’s the case then why is my job so miserable?” Though this could be a number of things, one of the main reasons for many of us is because we are working for the wrong things. Like I said earlier, many of us are bending over backwards to make a little more money or working just to move up the corporate ladder to just have a more significant title. The reason why we are doing this is because we think we are eventually going to reach that point when we are happy with our life under the sun.
But like we have said already there is always a more significant title, there is always more money to be made. Wealth, Prestige and all other so called perks that come with success under the sun do not satisfy.
Solomon says “We just have a few days in this life and then it’s over, therefore we need to make them count.” And the man in v. 17 with a full bank account and an empty house is not what Solomon has in mind here. That’s a wasted life—a tragic life and a grievous evil. Solomon tells us here, “Enjoyment can be had in our work and in life in general, if we look to God for satisfaction."
2)BEING SATISFIED WITH GOD MAKES YOU CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE YOU HAVE IT.
19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
Solomon says once again here that not only does God give wealth and possessions he also gives us the ability to enjoy them. Now there are some of you in here who say, “Yeah, but in this verse Solomon is speaking to those God gives wealth. He hasn’t given wealth to me, so I’m not content.”
Well I know I have said this before but it needs to be said again. “Though you may not have what the person across town has in the way of wealth, most if not all of you are close to being in the top 5 percent of the world’s wealth.
God has blessed you beyond measure so you in turn should be thanking Him for those riches that you have and should be enjoying and content with those blessings that come from Him.
SO BE SATISFIED IN GOD AND BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE YOU HAVE IT.
CONCLUSION
Let me end with this.
Jesus said in Mt. 6:21,
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Where is your treasure? Where is it? Is it in Christ? Or in stuff? Are you seeking to be satisfied in the gift or in the Giver of that gift? Are you captivated by creation or are you directing your worship toward the creator?
Do you want to experience lasting enjoyment and satisfaction in this life? Then you have to put your heavenly relationship with God before your earthly desire for wealth. This is what God wants of all of us, for money to be our servant and for HE HIMSELF to be our master.
