THE VANITY OF ‘GETTING AHEAD’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on January 27, 2010 under PM Bible Study |

PM Home Bible Study Group; January 27, 2010
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

Theme: Solomon presents the vanity of all the ways people try to ‘get ahead’ of one another in material things ‘under the sun’.

In his continuing survey of life ‘under the sun’—seeking after ‘meaning’ without God in view—the Preacher now turns his attention to the value that may be found in ‘prosperity’. This is much like what he has already had to say in 4:4-6. Experientially, it is like what he described—painfully—of his own encounter with prosperity in Chapter 2.

The theme that Solomon develops in this passage is like that taken up by his father David in the psalms; but in quite a different spirit. David wrote, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2); and, “Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you” (Psalm 128:1-2). In a similar spirit, Paul warned us that “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (2 Timothy 6:6-8). As Jesus Himself taught, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

How many folks at the far end of life could testify to the truth of such words! And how many young people would be spared a life of weariness—and of disappointment in their later years—if they would only heed them! But sadly, few do. As Paul testifies, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (2 Timothy 6:9-10).

The covetous pursuit of “getting ahead” that so prevails the culture around us is extremely dangerous—and even damning to the soul! And that makes the words of Solomon in this passage profoundly important. In verses 18-20, he gives us the conclusion of his careful investigation into this dimension of life—and as the wealthiest and most powerful monarch of his time, his conclusions have great credibility. But before coming to this conclusion, he first walks us through the many observations he has made with respect to the vanity of the many ways people attempt to “get ahead”.

I. THE VANITY OF ‘GETTING AHEAD’ THROUGH POLITICAL OPPRESSION (vv. 8-9).

A. This may have spoken to a particular temptation to Solomon as king. In his position as the greatest king of his day, he would have seen the sorts of things described in verse 8a: “oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province”. It is, sadly, a regular feature of life under the sun. Even those governments such as ours that have checks-and-balances built into the system are still, nevertheless, led by fallen human beings; and corruption and abuses of power still occur. And even though it’s often boasted that the poor will be protected, it is—in fact—the poor who end up suffering the most.

B. But Solomon tells us not to “marvel” when we see this. It’s certainly no surprise in a fallen world. But even more, it isn’t as ‘unchecked’ as it may seem. He goes on to say, “for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them” (v. 8b). Corruption and abuses of power, which hurt the poor, cannot last long. Solomon notes that there is a natural accountability to it all; and one official (who wants to get ahead) stands in the way of another. Thus, trying to get ahead by seizing power leads to vanity. Even more, all have God watching over them (see Ephesians 6:9).

C. Solomon further notes another reason why such pursuits are vain; “Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served by the field.” There ends up being no advantage to the king who ruins the land and runs roughshod over the people; since he, in the process, shoots himself in the foot and loses everything! It may be true that some mad monarchs have made ruin of their kingdom through such covetousness; but those who have been at least ‘street-wise’ have recognized that such oppression will not lead to long-term gain. And if this is true in so great a field as that of kingdoms and empires, surely it is also true in all lesser areas of life.

II. THE VANITY OF ‘GETTING AHEAD’ THROUGH HORDING GOODS (vv. 10-11).

A. Again, Solomon would have known something of this from personal experience. He had tasted personally from all the abundance that wealth could give a man. And yet, he could say—with great authority—”He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity” (v. 10). Note that it is not a matter of having silver or and increase that’s the problem, but rather of ‘loving’ them. That’s not where true satisfaction can be found.

B. He goes on to say, “When goods increase, they increase who eat them . . .” (v. 11a). No sooner do goods increase than the consumers of them also increase. “So”, he asks, “what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes?” (v. 11b). This can mean either that the hoarder of the goods can do nothing more with the abundance but to sit and look at what he has—since he has more than he can use; or it can mean that he can do nothing more than pile it up and watch it be consumed by others’ use of it, or by theft, or by rot, or by moth. What vanity!

III. THE VANITY OF ‘GETTING AHEAD’ THROUGH LUXURIOUS LIVING (vv. 12).

A. The next verse makes you wonder if Solomon ever looked out the window of his palace and felt envious of some simple working man that he saw laboring away in a ditch. “The sleep of the laboring man is sweet,” Solomon notes, “whether he eats little or much”. No doubt, the great matters that confronted Solomon over the care of his vast empire made him wish he could just put in a simple, hard-day’s labor and fall in bed—hungry or full—and sleep through the night! Even today, people who have no worries about money nevertheless spend much of that money in medicines and counseling—just to get to the place where they can sleep peacefully!

B. “But the abundance of the rich”, Solomon says, “will not permit him to sleep.” This may mean that such a man is kept awake at night by the worries and cares that all his riches present to him; or it may even mean that a belly full of the kind of rich foods that a wealthy man spreads on his table keeps him up all night with indigestion!

IV. THE VANITY OF ‘GETTING AHEAD’ THROUGH HARD WORK (vv. 13-17).

A. It’s the stuff of countless movies and novels: the proud, self-reliant man who makes a name for himself through hard work and industrious labor—only to lose it all, leaves nothing for his children, and ends his days in tragedy and loneliness. Solomon calls it “a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owners to his hurt” (v. 13). It seems to be a fact of life that, for some people, the worst thing that can happen to them is to get a taste for riches. It has made many men into monsters. But Solomon may also be speaking of the fact that many, who work all their lives to obtain those riches, are left unhappy and worn-out and empty in the end. Some gain the world and lose their soul in the process. What’s more, added to that tragedy is that those riches are easily lost through misfortune or calamity or bad investing. Thus, even if a man labors to leave a legacy to his children, “when he begots a son, there is nothing in his hand” (v. 14).

B. When Solomon looked at the course of the life of such a person—viewed strictly from the ‘under-the-sun’ perspective—he wonders what the gain from it all could possibly have been. “As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came . . .” (v. 15a). These are words very similar to those of Job in Job 1:21; but with a much more tragic turn than even Job meant! “And”, Solomon adds, “he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand” (v. 15b). He leaves it all. It may be true that a son gains the inheritance from his father; but what about the generation after that (see 2:18-19)?

C. Solomon goes on; “And this is a severe evil—just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger” (vv. 16-17). What high price a man pays for what he cannot keep! As Solomon wrote elsewhere, “Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5). Perhaps it’s providential that there’s a set of wings printed on the back of every U.S. dollar bill—just as a reminder!

V. THE CONCLUSION ABOUT “GETTING AHEAD” (vv. 18-20).

A. Solomon goes on to give us his conclusions about the whole matter of “getting ahead” under the sun. First, he tells us, “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 this is his heritage” (v. 18). In other words, instead of the mad pursuit of “getting ahead” for a day yet to come, a man should learn to be content with what God has given him now. Even his labor is a gift from God. This is very much like the conclusion he came to in review of his own life—as he tells us in 2:24-26). Who would have thought that the work itself— and the ability to be content in it—is it’s own gift from God?

B. Now; that’s a good word for the working man. But what about the wealthy man? He then adds, “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” (v. 19). If a man has plenty—and is able to enjoy it—this too is something to rejoice in! The opposite—as described in 6:1-3—is truly dreadful! Solomon goes on to say, “For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart” (v. 20). The pursuit of the easy life in which someone doesn’t have to struggle or work isn’t all that it’s cracked-up to be. It leads to too much unhealthy introspection—and that from a man who knew!

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How truly, then, Paul spoke when he said, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). May we, by God’s grace, remember that only he who has Jesus Christ can have both—and thus be someone who has truly ‘gotten ahead’!