The Truth About Money
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
July 11, 2021
This morning we approach another subject the Bible loves to talk about.
Last week we saw the TONGUE, which is certainly popular
And this morning we talk about MONEY.
The Bible talks about money a lot!
And for good reason:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus was clear there.
Your treasure doesn’t follow your heart, your heart follows your treasure.
So it stands to reason that if God can get control of your treasure
Then He can get control of your heart.
And while money may not be our only treasure,
It’s safe to say that for most people it likely ranks in the top 2 or 3.
And so Scripture talks a lot about money.
And we are thankful that it does.
The simple fact is that money is a necessary part of the world.
• We live in a physical world
• We live in physical bodies
• And those bodies need physical things to live.
• The system requires the purchase of the things we need to survive.
MONEY IS NECESSARY.
But certainly you are also aware that
Money has proven to be a terrible temptation,
Even an idol for so many people.
And thus we are grateful when the Bible speaks to us
The truth about something like this.
Well that is where we are now here in Ecclesiastes.
The Preacher is going to talk to us a little about money.
Probably more specifically he is going to talk about
THE PURSUIT OF MONEY.
You may remember that he knows a thing or two about pursuing money.
Ecclesiastes 2:8 “Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.”
One of the MISTAKES the preacher made as a younger man
Was that he went in an all out pursuit of money
And the things money could buy.
He’s certainly not alone.
WE HAVE TALKED OFTEN ABOUT THE ADVICE
That is routinely given to the young man by the world
As he is about to go out and make his mark.
Typically speaking, in one way or another,
Most of that advice centers around making money.
Go to college – get wisdom
Get a good job – make money
Because money is supposed to RELIEVE US OF WORRY.
• After all a man with plenty of money isn’t supposed to have to worry about
simple things like the car payment or the light bill.
Money is supposed to provide the OPPORTUNITY FOR PLEASURE.
• Everything fun costs money and so if you’re going to have fun in this life you’ll
need money.
Money is supposed to provide a SENSE OF SECURITY.
• If you make enough money and save enough money then when you get old
you’ll have something to live one and won’t be a burden to others.
So from the world’s perspective:
• If you want to relieve stress…
• If you want enjoyment or pleasure…
• If you want security…
THEN YOU NEED MONEY
That’s true isn’t it?
That’s the message of the world.
Well, it will come as no surprise to you that
The Bible disagrees with all 3 of those beliefs.
In fact the Bible declares those statements to be IDOLATROUS.
WHY?
• Because money is not what eliminates worry, God is.
• And money is not the means to enjoyment, God is.
• And money is not the reason for our security, God is.
But when you live in a material world like we do it is so easy to forget that
Well, in steps the preacher.
In his candid and almost painful way
HE NOW LAYS OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT MONEY.
This is good for the young man, but this is good for the old man too.
It shows us the truth about money
And helps us to redirect our focus and our ambitions
To make sure that we pursue the right things.
And NOT JUST so that we DON’T WASTE OUR LIFE,
BUT ALSO SO THAT WE DON’T RUIN IT.
Paul spelled it out
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Money is not evil, but “the love of money” is.
And when you long for it or pursue
It has two very dangerous and detrimental consequences.
• One is that it causes men to wander “away from the faith.”
• The other is that it causes men to pierce “themselves with many griefs”
We think of men like Gehazi who was the servant of Elisha.
• Elisha healed Naaman the leper by having him dip in the Jordan river 7 times,
• Naaman tried to pay him but Elisha refused.
• Gehazi however saw an opportunity.
2 Kings 5:20 “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”
• So Gehazi chased him down and took from him two talents of silver and two
changes of clothes and he hid it.
• Elisha however knew what happened and he said:
2 Kings 5:26-27 “Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”
It was the love of money that led Gehazi
To at least momentarily deny the faith
And to certainly pierce himself with many griefs.
Everyone’s experience may not be as extreme as that of Gehazi
But rest assured the promise of money
Never pays off like it promises.
And the preacher here desires to make sure you know that.
I WANT TO START THIS MORNING with another statement of Solomon.
Proverbs 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”
That is a great opening verse for this entire passage.
This morning I hope you see the difference.
So let’s look at our text this morning and learn the truth about money.
#1 WHEN WEALTH IS PURSUED.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-17
Now what you get here from the preacher are
6 GRIEFS OR EVILS that accompany a life that loves money.
• If you love money…
• If you pursue money…
• Even if you obtain money…
These are the inevitable evils or griefs that come with it.
And incidentally, there’s NOT ANYTHING OBSCURE here.
As he lists them you’ll see them easily and obviously.
These are the griefs of pursuing wealth.
1) CORRUPTION (8-9)
The preacher starts off here with
What is an all too familiar sight in our world, and that is again “oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province”
No one is surprised by this.
It is all over our world.
Much of the local HEADLINES even in our day
• Have to do with social injustice
• Or racial injustice
• Or some other form of injustice both real and perceived.
We are well-aware that life is not fair.
And the preacher knows it too.
But here he tells you “do not be shocked at the sight;”
When you see injustice and oppression you shouldn’t be surprised at it.
The question implied here is: WHY?
“for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.”
WHAT DOES HE MEAN?
Well clearly he is talking about “officials”
• Which would be those who are in charge in some form or fashion.
AND he reminds that there is an evident CHAIN OF COMMAND where “one official watches over another”
BUT, THEY ARE ALL OFFICIALS.
It’s NOT LIKE the officials answer to the poor people
Which would balance out responsibility.
No, instead the officials have insulated themselves
By making sure that the only people they ever answer to
Is each other.
We call it CORRUPTION.
I certainly don’t want to get into some sort of political rant here
But even a sweeping view of the way governments work will tell you about this.
• Very rarely do politicians ever answer to the people.
• They are actually known for their ability to NOT ANSWER any questions.
• We don’t VOTE ON THEIR RAISES, they vote on their raises.
• We DON’T GET TO QUESTION THEM AT THEIR HEARINGS they question each other at their hearings.
And the point here is that it leads to corruption.
When they seemingly answer to no one but themselves
It opens the door for wicked men to freely do wickedness.
And then the preacher says:
(9) “After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.”
I’m not going to lie, that statement makes NO SENSE TO ME.
I prefer rather to go with the KJV or the NIV translation.
• The KJV says, “Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself
is served by the field.”
• The NIV says, “The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself
profits from the fields.”
I think both of those statements lend a better explanation of what is being said.
Kings don’t work the fields…
Politicians don’t help you at your job…
But both are there to make sure and take a cut of your pay.
The king profits from fields he does not work.
All the officials profit from jobs they did not do.
Now the Bible DOESN’T FORBID governments from requiring taxes,
In fact Paul says that taxes are their due.
So this ISN’T some anti-taxation point.
Rather, the preacher is simply making the point that
One of the problems with money is that the rich and powerful
Who are in control always seem to have a way of taking some of it.
It’s true isn’t it?
• The more money you earn, the more they will take.
• And we are well-aware that much of the time what they do with it is corrupt to the core.
Well that is one of the evils or griefs that comes with pursuing money.
My guess is that you have felt that sting before.
• I still remember the first time I ever received a paycheck for a job
• It was for about a dollar an hour less than what I thought I was getting paid.
• And then my employer talked to me about taxes.
It is one of the griefs of pursuing money.
There will always be the corrupt who will take it.
We remember the story of Joseph and Pharaoh.
• Pharaoh had the dream about the 7 year famine.
• Pharaoh used it to literally buy the land and the people.
We read about how Pharisees foreclosed on widow’s houses.
It’s just corruption and it will add grief to your wealth.
2) DISSATISFACTION (10)
“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”
It’s very rare that you find a man who says that
He finally has enough money.
Instead, those who have money
Are almost always looking for ways to make more of it.
The Bible says it’s because money does not satisfy,
It only causes you to want more money.
And we remember
• The farmer who had more grain than he knew what to do with so he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger barns.
You can chase money your whole life and never have enough.
3) FRUSTRATION (11)
“When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?”
Perhaps you have experienced this one in your life.
But you start making more money
And you can bet someone will show up who needs it.
• It is always the joke about WINNING THE LOTTERY and how quickly your list of friends will grow.
People who never asked you for money before will now be beating down your door.
• Can you help with this foundation?
• Can you give to this charity?
• Would you fund this business venture?
Proverbs 19:4 “Wealth adds many friends, But a poor man is separated from his friend.”
Such is one of the realities of wealth.
When people know you have it, they will approach you for it.
Corruption, Dissatisfaction, Frustration
4) WORRY (12)
“The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats a little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.”
The point here is NOT ABOUT how much a person gets to eat,
• For the preacher mentions that the working man be eat “a little or much”.
Rather the point is that
Even when a rich man’s money suffices to meet his every need,
Even then he still cannot rest.
• He has finished the day…
• He has eaten a good meal…
• But still he can’t sleep at night.
WHY?
Because money brings with it worry.
It has a way of consuming the mind.
In Matthew 6 Jesus warned us against worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear.
For, He said, that such worry made us like the world.
Matthew 6:32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
It is just one of the griefs or evils regarding money
That even when you have had enough to get you through the day
You are prone still to worry about tomorrow.
THIS IS NOT HOW GOD WOULD HAVE YOU LIVE.
• Remember when the children of Israel were in the wilderness and God gave them manna to eat. He specifically warned them not to save enough for tomorrow, but to trust God.
• In the model prayer Jesus taught us to pray “give us this day our daily bread”.
There was a mandate to only concern yourself with today,
But pursuing money has a way of stealing such peace.
IT BRINGS WITH IT WORRY.
5) UNCERTAINTY (13-14)
“This is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, there was nothing to support him.”
There are actually a couple of evils mentioned here.
The first is the temptation to hoard riches even to your own hurt.
• It speaks of a person with an inability to see the true value of money.
• He obviously puts a higher premium on wealth than he should.
• He thinks it is worth more than it actually is.
• We see men like the Rich Young Ruler here who had a choice between Jesus and money and he chose money.
• It is like a man who failed to understand Jesus’ question, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
The first reality here is a man who values money too much.
He hoards it even “to his hurt”.
There is no telling what sacrifices he made to obtain wealth.
• Friends he potentially lost
• Perhaps even salvation he lost
• All because he valued money.
And that is sad to say the least.
BUT EVEN WORSE
Is that this man (who put such a premium on wealth) “lost” it all “through a bad investment”
IT WAS SO VALUABLE AND YET IT WAS STILL SO UNCERTAIN.
AND TO MAKE MATTERS EVEN WORSE
The preacher mentions that “he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.”
Even this man, whose one objective was to secure wealth,
Was incapable of protecting it.
AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT ABOUT MONEY.
IT IS NOT SECURE.
I’ll never forget in 2005 flying back from Zimbabwe,
• I sat on an airplane next to a Zimbabwean woman who was totally distraught.
• Through hyper-inflation her money was gone.
• She said, “we are the poorest millionaires in the world.”
• In that case her money was lost through a bad investment and it wasn’t even her investment.
• The government made a series of bad decisions until it caused her dollar to be worth nothing.
IT’S JUST NOT CERTAIN.
When Paul spoke of riches he said:
1 Timothy 6:17a “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches…”
One more grief or evil regarding the wealth of the world.
6) LOSS (15-17)
“As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil – exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what advantage to him who toils for the wind?”
And there it is again.
The ultimate grief that he has already addressed a couple of times.
THAT EVEN IF
• You are somehow able to secure wealth and keep it away from the greedy politicians…
• And you get enough money that you are at least close to being satisfied…
• And you are able to avoid the friends who always want what you’ve earned…
• And you manage to live with a limited amount of worry…
• And you live this whole life without ever losing your fortune…
Even if you achieve all of those goals
And escape all of those grievous evils,
No man escapes the last one.
• Some day you will lose every penny you have on this earth.
• Some day you will lose every toy you have bought.
• Some day you will lose every investment you have made.
1 Timothy 6:7 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”
This is the ultimate truth about pursuing the wealth of this world.
EVERY MAN LOSES.
Someone once noted that you never see a hurst pulling a U-haul trailer.
One way or another it always fails.
Remember the sermon of Jesus on being a good steward of earthly wealth?
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Regarding wealth, it’s not if it fails, but when it fails.
You can’t keep it.
We remember the story of that rich man an Lazarus.
The rich man dining in splendor, Lazarus begging in squaller.
Luke 16:22-23 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.”
IT’S JUST SO OBVIOUS.
These are the evils or frustrations of pursuing worldly wealth.
You must learn this young man before you go out into the world.
A life devoted to worldly wealth is a life devoted to frustration.
• You are going to deal with corrupt politicians who want to take it.
• You are going to deal with the nagging reality that you never have enough.
• You are going to deal with the frustration of people who constantly want you to give it to them.
• You are going to deal with the worry that even though today is fine, tomorrow might not be.
• You are going to deal with the uncertainty that a bad investment might cause you to lose it all.
• You are going to deal with the fact that some day you will die and leave it all.
That is the truth about a life spent pursuing worldly wealth.
And even if you don’t believe me young man,
Before you leave today go ask one of the old men here
If the preacher in Ecclesiastes is telling the truth or not.
The world will tell you that
The acquisition of money will bring peace, happiness, and security,
BUT THE PREACHER SAYS, “WRONG!”
All money brings is grief, dissatisfaction, frustration,
Anxiety, risk, and loss.
If those are the types of things you want in your life
Then just devote yourself to pursuing the wealth of the world.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ANOTHER OPTION.
The first 10 verses talk about the grief of pursuing worldly wealth.
But what if you devote yourself to pursuing something else?
#2 WHEN GOD IS PURSUED
Ecclesiastes 5:18-19
Now the preacher gives you a different option, a better option.
INSTEAD OF PURSUING WEALTH, PURSUE GOD.
And he bases this on an important premise and it is this:
GOD IS GENEROUS
Proverbs 10:22 “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.”
Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
Psalms 37:25 “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 6:17-18 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.
As we said at the beginning.
• We live in physical bodies, in a physical world, that requires physical things in order to survive.
• We understand that money is a necessity.
BUT HERE’S THE QUESTION:
What if God promised to take care of all your physical needs?
• Wouldn’t that be great!
• Wouldn’t it be awesome if God said, “You don’t have to worry about money anymore”?
• What if the God of the universe, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, actually said to His children, “I tell you what, I’ll take care of your physical needs from here on out”?
Would that change your perspective on life?
Would that change your ambition for tomorrow?
What if Jesus actually said:
Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
That would be a great promise wouldn’t it?
WELL HE DID PROMISE THAT,
And this is what the preacher is talking about as well.
Don’t pursue wealth, it leads only to grief.
However, if you pursue God, He will take care of your needs.
And let me show you the REPERCUSSIONS of the life
When God gets to manage your checkbook.
There’s 3
1) ENJOYMENT (18)
“Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.”
When God is in control of supplying your needs
We find a man who works for an entirely different reason.
• YES work is still important.
• YES a man is still required to do it.
• WORK was instituted before the fall; it has always been part of the plan.
But here a man gets to work and simply enjoy himself in all his labor.
When seeking God is your goal,
And when God is the One who is charged with meeting your needs
THEN YOUR LABOR CAN TAKE ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FEEL.
No longer are you a slave to your job,
But rather you can learn to enjoy what you get to do every day.
• Your job can actually become about “seeking first the kingdom of heaven”
• Your job can actually become a mission field.
• Your job can become the place where you serve and worship God and seek to honor Him in the world.
• Your job can actually become a mission trip!
• Your job can be viewed as a hobby.
When God is sought, and God is trusted to meet your needs,
Then the job is not about the money, it is about enjoyment.
YOUNG MAN,
• Would you rather be a slave to money so that the rest of your life you have to pursue a job you hate in order to get money?
• Or would you rather let God handle the money and you do a job that you love?
This life is short, seek God and find enjoyment in life, not grief.
2) REJOICING (19)
“Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”
Somewhere in OUR TERMINOLOGY
The world has crept in and done a doozy on our thinking.
Today we constantly hear men make the phrase about work,
“Just trying to earn a living.”
Think on that statement for a moment.
• Who gives life? God
• Who sustains life? God
• Have you ever been able to work hard enough to coerce God to give you anything? No
So how do you “Earn a living”?
YOU DON’T.
Your living, regardless of your labor,
Has always been and will always be
Nothing more or nothing less than the grace of God.
You may have deluded yourself into thinking
That you are alive and have things because you worked so hard,
But it is only by the grace of God.
God is generous; God is giving; God is not stingy.
• He even sends rain on unjust men who hate Him.
• He even maintains the heartbeat of the atheist who blasphemes Him.
God is good and He more than cares for us.
And when you know that,
Your paycheck becomes more than something you earned,
It becomes a reason you rejoice and even worship.
When you seek God and trust Him with your wealth or livelihood
Then every day is a gift from God; and every day is a celebration.
SO YOUNG MAN
• Would you rather spend your life frustrated and worried about your wealth and who will take it?
• Or would you rather spend your life rejoicing in all that God has allowed you to have?
One more consequence that comes with seeking God over wealth
3) PEACE (20)
“For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.”
Now that sounds like a good way to live doesn’t it?
• Not always worried about tomorrow…
• Not always feeling the need to watch a 401k to see if there’s enough…
• Not always consumed with the toil of labor…
The man who pursues God and trusts God with his provision
Is a man who trades anxiety for peace.
• It is a man who trades fear with assurance.
• It is a man who trades frustration with enjoyment.
• It is a man who trades toil with rejoicing.
Listen again to the promise of Jesus.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
You seek God; you seek God’s kingdom.
And God has promised to take care of the rest.
Trade in your grief, dissatisfaction, frustration, anxiety, risk, and loss
In exchange for enjoyment, rejoicing, and peace.
And you don’t have to take it from me, this is what the Bible says.
• Don’t buy what the world is selling.
• Don’t let them cause you to fear tomorrow.
• Don’t play their game of worry and anxiety.
You seek God and God will take care of everything else.
And of course by now you know that
This isn’t just a message for the young man, it’s for the old man too.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
Life indeed…
That sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
Proverbs 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”
