Sunday, June 10th

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Proverbs 22-24

Today's scripture focus is Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

Riches Are Meaningless

⁸ If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. ⁹ The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough;
    whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
    This too is meaningless.

¹¹ As goods increase,
    so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
    except to feast his eyes on them?

¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
    whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
    permits him no sleep.

¹³ I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
¹⁴     or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
    there is nothing left for him.
¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb,
    and as he comes, so he departs. 
He takes nothing from his labor 
    that he can carry in his hand.

¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil:

As a man comes, so he departs,
    and what does he gain,
    since he toils for the wind? 
¹⁷ All his days he eats in darkness,
    with great frustration, affliction and anger.

¹⁸ Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them,to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

Lots of stuff packed into this passage!

There are four types of people in this world ...
Those who are rich and righteous
Those who are rich and unrighteous
Those who are poor and righteous
Those who are poor and unrighteous

It's not a matter of rich or poor, it's a matter of righteous and unrighteous.

The way we make our money and the way we spend our money is a huge barometer on whether we are righteous or unrighteous.

Very often, those in power become corrupted by their power or the money and they rip you off. (v8-9)

Those who love money will never be satisfied, no matter how much money they have. (v10)  If they love money and are poor, they are also unhappy.

The rich who are unrighteous do not sleep well (v12) - they do not have a clean conscious and they are always worried about how to make more money or the problems that have come from having lots of money and likely having lots of corrupt "friends".  If you are rich and unrighteous, you will attract many unrighteous "friends" who will take your money away.

But the sleep of a righteous man, whether rich or poor, is sweet.  He has a clear conscience and sleeps well.

The rich, unrighteous man lives a lonely and angry life.  He's never sure if people want to befriend him because of him or because of his money - and it's almost always because of his money.

The righteous man, especially a poor righteous man, knows that his friends are there because they want to be there, because they like being with him.

We also need to remember that wealth is not for hoarding, it's for sharing.(v13) If God has gifted us with monetary wealth, He expects us to steward it well and that includes sharing with those in need and supporting ministries that glorify Him.

There's nothing wrong with money.  It's the love of money, or even the hatred of money that is the problem - either one make the focus on money when our focus should be on God.

Mark Driscoll (emphasis mine)....
You shouldn’t love money. You shouldn’t hate money. You should love God. You should hate sin. And you should use money to promote worship of God and to combat practice of sin.....If we love God, we will use money to bless people and to serve God....To perceive yourself as someone who loves God, uses money; not someone who loves money and uses God.

The goal should not be to be rich.

The goal should be to use our money to serve God and glorify Him.  We need to accept our lot in life, whether rich or poor, whether a labourer or a businessman or a mom.  We need to enjoy the life we've been given by God, we need to eat and drink and work, and enjoy our life.

When we counsel our children we should never tell them they can be anything they want to be.  They can't! I can't be a basketball star.  I can't.  God did not gift me with the build or talent or desire to be a basketball player.  But He did gift me with the desire, talent and fingers of a piano player.  And so I play piano instead of basketball.


I would say to you parents as well that have young kids that you’re trying to shape and mold. Your goal is not to get your kids to be valedictorian, to make a billion dollars and to be rich. Your goal is for your kids, to love Jesus and be righteous. And if that means that they love Jesus as a CEO, then praise to be God. If they love Jesus as the janitor at the CEO’s company, then praise be to God. Righteousness is the most important thing

We should teach our children to be honest, to be people of integrity, to work hard at their job, to do whatever it is that they're good it and whatever it is that they like to do because God has gifted them in that area, and to do it all for the glory of God.  If they work hard and work for God and accept the life that God has blessed them with, then whether they are rich or poor, God will enable them to enjoy their life.

Jesus is telling us, “Stick to righteousness. Stick to righteousness. Love me. Walk with me. Trust me. Repent of sin. Enjoy the life I give ‘ya. Don’t use me. Don’t use people. Love me. Love people. Use money for me and people.”

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ecclesiastes 6:1-6

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: 1 Kings 5-6, 2 Chronicles 2-3