The Vanity of Loving Abundance

Downloadable Reflection Guide

Ecclesiastes 5:10

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Solomon returns to this theme of the pursuit or love of wealth noting how our desire for more can never be satisfied. In a prior week, it was noted how many people believe that they will reach the point of satisfaction with just a little bit more. Yet, Solomon notes in v. 11 that “When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?” What has been accomplished if having worked so hard to gain that little bit more, we are again left with that same feeling, that same desire to gain just a bit more once more?

What is interesting is that if we continue to read verse 12 we finally reach the point of resolution. “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.” For you see it is not the desire, pursuit, or even the accumulation of wealth that satisfies, but rather the labor done to provide for one’s self and/or one’s family. There is something truly rewarding and ultimately satisfying in the rest following a hard day's work.

If we tether the value of our labor to the accumulation of wealth our work turns bitter as we grasp after the fleeting accumulation of material goods. Yet, when we instead focus not on the value of the material wealth gained or created, but rather on the gifts of God at work in our labor, then our gains as well as the efforts expended are redeemed. We rest satisfied that in Christ, our labors are not in vain. Previously, Solomon discussed our labor as chasing after wind. The difference between that concern and this satisfied labor is how we focus our efforts.

Whether we are aiming to build wealth, prestige, or our ideal career, our labor done chasing these things many times comes up empty in a way that our labor, good hard work done as a vocation in the service of God and others does not. There is something substantively different about the work we do in the service of our God from the work we do when we seek to serve ourselves. A self-serving pursuit of money will always come up empty. There will never be enough, yet in Christ, we will always have our ultimate needs met.

Thoughts for Reflection

How can turning away from the love of money, help create a healthier relationship with your material possessions as gifts from our loving God?