- For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. -
The last three verses of Chapter 2 are interesting, especially as we continue through the book.
This verse begins by confirming our priors regarding God rewarding good behavior. If you do what is right, won’t your life be blessed with wisdom, knowledge, and joy?
We know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and joy is to be found in the fruits of the Spirit. Check and check.
The second part deals with the idea that sinners prepare and gathers resources only to give them to those whom God admires.
This is a simple way of expressing hierarchy or class. God loves those who love Him, and so they, of course, sit higher in man’s structure of authority.
What do those above other men do? They run businesses or tax the population from the seats of government.
One of my favorite verses on this topic is what is known by economists as the Matthew principle.
In Matthew 25:29 Jesus says, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
This verse is from the parable of talents, and boy, it sounds harsh coming from Jesus’s mouth.
What does this verse mean? Well, it’s an observation of the truth, as well as the spiritual truth in the parable.
What do people do with riches? They invest those riches and grow their storehouses. Those who can’t pay their rent are evicted.
Tough, but true.
What does this have to do with our verse in Ecclesiastes? Aren’t those who please God to be those who have more and have it abundantly?
This might be jumping ahead a bit, but ask yourself, do you know any rich sinners in authority?
You might be inclined to say something like, “Well, they aren’t rich in happiness!”
Answer this, do you know any poor believers? Are they possibly poor because of the decisions they’ve made in their life to serve Jesus?
What about wise sinners? Knowledgeable sinners? Joyful sinners?
Have we not already stated that wisdom just turns the lights on? Both the sage and the fool die. One just knows it sooner and deals with that suffering longer.
This is why Solomon ends the chapter with his catch phrase.
Yes, this last bit I’ve said? Vanity and worse, it is consuming the immaterial.
What does this mean? It means your salvation is no guarantee of happiness, economic security, or mental acuity in this life.
Did you get saved for any of those reasons? Examine your heart. Lean on God to show you where you have deceived yourself.
To those who love God and live blessed lives, rejoice. Use your blessings liberally to influence others. Are we not called to be serpents and doves in our quest to make disciples?
To those who love God and live cursed lives, rejoice. You have been called to be faithful in the trials of a fallen world. Do not allow bitterness or deceit keep you from being Jesus.
John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Housekeeping: Thursday’s post will once again be a summary of Chapter 2. These posts are for paying subscribers only.
I’m not adding any content to these, except that which becomes obvious from connecting the dots between these posts.
As stated before, I’m not trying to create FOMO, but I want to provide the people who support this substack monetarily a resource they can easily return to for a complete view of every chapter.
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Thanks! And I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year =)