Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

c. Exhortation to enjoy the riches God permits Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

TEXT 5:18-20

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.

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.

20

For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 5:18-20

140.

List the four things which God does for, or gives to, men.

141.

What is it that Solomon here calls good?

142.

What is man's reward?

143.

Who gives every man riches and wealth?

144.

Can every man rejoice in his labor and his riches? Discuss.

145.

What does man forget when God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart?

PARAPHRASE 5:18-20

What does any man gain? I have asked myself this question before. Now, I arrive at a similar conclusion. That which is satisfying and appropriate is to eat, and to drink, and to enjoy oneself in all the events of life under the sun. Let the labor of your hands bring you pleasure. That is really all one gets out of life. In addition, if your excessive wealth is indeed a gift from Godthat is, you can actually enjoy it and it makes you happy because God permits it, consider yourself fortunate. You have just received a bonus from God. Another blessing which will come to you is the fact that you will not be vexed over the past experiences of your life. You will have your mind occupied with happy thoughts and thus you will not sit and ponder the transitory nature of life.

COMMENT 5:18-20

Solomon is still pursuing the profit that is available to one who labors under the sun and during the few years of his life. He speaks of such profit in these three verses as a reward or gift from the hand of God. He also instructs his reader to rejoice and discover the gladness of the heart that comes from his labor. This theme is an oft-repeated one that culminates in Ecclesiastes 9:7 with the imperative form which states: Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. Note also Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 8:15. There is a sense in which man can find pleasure and some advantage in his labor. The qualifying mark appears to be that God must approve.

Ecclesiastes 5:18 To find personal satisfaction in one's labor and the joys of living is the reward available to men. Yet, on the one hand there are very few who seem to find it. Much of what the Preacher has observed and experienced, has been the opposite of this. There has been the inescapable futility that has marked all his labors. Now, however, there is a shaft of light that reveals some cause for rejoicing and joy that can be shared. He calls it good and fitting. Actually the rendering is good and beautiful which implies personal satisfaction. What does one have to do to receive such a reward? Evidently avoid the attitudes which have been illustrated with such detail by Solomon in the preceding materials. (1) Eliminate the love for money and abundance. Use your wealth as a means to an end, and not an end in itself. (2) Do not offer hasty words before God. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it. (3) Do not put your trust in the acclaims of men. Realize that men are fickle and drawn by success rather than integrity. (4) Avoid selfishness which results in loneliness. Choose friends over insatiable desires for wealth. (5) Admit to the anomalies of life. Sorrow over the oppression of the poor, but do not despair. (6) Do not fail to see the hand of God in control of His world. The prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous are not indicators of God's justice, but rather His patience. God has made everything appropriate in its time. Thus, from Solomon's own observations we draw the conclusion that there is a way to find a reward in the short years one has upon the earth.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 As noted, riches and wealth are not evil of themselves. God gives them. When they are looked upon with a proper attitude and used in harmony with God's ordained will, they bring joy. This is what is meant by the fact that God has empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward. Such behavior is also called a gift of God. It is surely available to every man, but some men choose the unrestrained, selfish pathway of avarice and greed. They miss the gift, the reward and the joy. The Preacher's admonition is to the better way of life. Do not be carried away with excess. Rather, accept your life each day and live it to the fullest.

Ecclesiastes 5:20 There is a bonus for those who seek such a life before God. Not only do they discover that they have a reward in finding joy in their labor and living, but they soon forget the undesirable experiences of the past which causes greater joy for the present. Since it is God who now controls his daily attitudes, it is also God who causes him to forget the sorrows of his past years. This verse does not speak to eternal life or the anticipated joys of some future state. This would be out of character for Ecclesiastes. However, it does suggest that one's present life can be rewarding and filled with joy. One way to accomplish this is to be busy doing what God desires. The memory that haunts the rich, lonely miser and brings him to a prison house of gloom and vexation has no part with the one who discovers God's gift for living.

All men have past experiences that are better buried and forgotten. Some come as a result of external circumstances and pressures that are beyond the control of the individual but nevertheless erode his peace of mind when recalled. Other experiences are direct results of volitional folly or sin. These have a more damaging influence on the joy of the present. It is a much-desired blessing to be able to close the door to the past and find joy in the present. This is the promise the Preacher now offers to those who make an effort to be wise.

Since such a positive note is sounded regarding the possible rewards that one may find even under the sun, it might be expected that Solomon will turn to a new theme. This is not true, however. This rather refreshing observation that speaks of rewards and joy is to be looked upon as a temporary terminal in his reasoning. He dedicates the entire next section (Chapter Six) to the theme of the futility of riches. Let us close out this section with two observations. One comes from Jesus who speaks to this point with the words, Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). Also, the following quote from the Bereleburger Bible is very much to the point: To the pure all things are pure (Titus 1:15), and so a pure man may undoubtedly use riches with purity; and it will, therefore, chiefly depend on each one's own heart, on how it stands before God. But if any person is unable to remain just as contented and calm, when house and home are burnt down, or when some other damage is done to his property, he proves himself to be not yet truly composed and satisfied: that is the test thereof.

FACT QUESTIONS 5:18-20

259.

When and where does Solomon seek for a profit?

260.

What does he call this profit?

261.

What is the qualifying mark that makes man's labor profitable?

262.

To labor according to God's will is said to be good and fitting. What is an alternative rendering for fitting?

263.

List the six reasons given why men can discover a profit from their labors.

264.

How can riches and wealth bring joy? (Cf. Ecclesiastes 5:19)

265.

Why do some men miss the gift, reward and joy of life?

266.

Explain the bonus mentioned in verse twenty.

267.

Past, undesirable experiences come from what two sources?

268.

What general theme is discussed in chapter six?

269.

What did Jesus teach about anxiety over tomorrow?

270.

What does the Bereleburger Bible say is the true test of riches?