The False Comfort of Envy and Riches Read: Ecclesiastes 4:1-8 There was no end to his tail, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. –Ecclesiastes 4:8 “Money can’t buy happiness.” So the old axiom goes. But a study published last year by University of Michigan professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers claims that it is false. According to their research, the wealthier that people are, the more satisfied they are with their lives. In our final section this month, our study focus shifts from lament to biblical comfort. Today and tomorrow we’ll see examples of what Scripture reveals to be false comforts. Contrary to the findings of Stevenson and Wolfers, the Bible says material riches and wealth will never provide ultimate comfort and satisfaction. Chapter 4 opens with the sad fact of oppression. The book of Ecclesiastes refuses to sugarcoat the harsh realities of our fallen world: all is not as it should be, including people exploiting their power to take advantage of others. Where can comfort be found? The powerless and oppressed are miserable; perhaps the answer is to make sure you’re on the side of the powerful! Or maybe the secret to happiness is to work as hard as you can in order to make more money than the person next to you—if you’re always ahead, then you can’t be oppressed or miserable. Right? Wrong, according to Ecclesiastes. As it turns out, endless toil fueled by envy may indeed result in wealth, but amid the loneliness of broken relationships, you are likely to find it all a “miserable business” (v. 8). Neither this passage nor any other biblical text teaches that hard work and making money are inherently wrong. But this passage does teach that these are not to be valued as ends in themselves. The man in today’s text was alone and miserable despite his wealth. Money can never buy the ultimate comfort: true friends, contentment, and, most of all, faith in God. Apply the Word Have you ever been tempted by the thought “If I just had ____, I’d be happy”? God doesn’t call us to the pursuit of happiness; He calls us to a life in Christ, which is more fulfilling than fleeting notions of happiness. In your prayer time today, thank the Lord for all He has given you, especially the valuable gifts that money can’t buy. Today in the Word
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 18:12:56 +0000
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