We live in a world full of reviews. Before buying something or going somewhere, we check reviews to see if it’s worth it. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon gives us his Yelp review on life – he tried everything and now he’s telling us what’s worthwhile.
The Pursuit of Wealth Never Satisfies
Solomon was one of the wealthiest human beings who ever lived. He had 700 wives, 300 concubines, and immeasurable riches. And his conclusion? The pursuit of wealth is meaningless – it’s vanity, chasing after the wind.
Listen to his timeless words from Ecclesiastes 5:10: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity.”
John Rockefeller, once the wealthiest man in America, was asked “How much is enough?” His answer: “Just a little bit more.” No matter how much wealth you accumulate, it’s never enough. That’s the trap of pursuing wealth.
Riches Can Be Lost
Solomon warns that riches kept by their owner can be lost in a bad venture. A man may amass great wealth, but “he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb, he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil.”
The stock market crashes. Businesses fail. Investments go bad. Wealth accumulated over a lifetime can disappear. Solomon calls this “a grievous evil.”
You Can’t Take It With You
Chapter 6 verse 6 asks: “If a man lives a thousand years twice over, yet enjoys no good – do not all go to one place?” No matter how much wealth you accumulate, you cannot take it with you when you die.
Solomon concludes with the solution: “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.”
Money is not evil – the love of money is evil. Money is a tool to provide for our needs and to be generous to others. But when we make wealth the main point of life, we fall into the trap of vanity.
The takeaway? True fulfillment comes from fearing God, enjoying relationships, finding joy in our work, and being generous with what God has given us – not from chasing after wealth that can never be satisfied.