(“The Money Mirage”)

Ecclesiastes 5:10-17 (NASU)

(Ecclesiastes 5:10-12)

(A) MIRAGES AND OTHER ILLUSIONS (2:00)

(1) Several centuries ago, a group of Egyptian soldiers were attempting to cross a vast, unfamiliar desert on foot. In time, water had to be rationed and the men began to suffer from extreme thirst.

At some point they saw a mirage that looked exactly like a beautiful lake, and insisted their Arab guide take them to it. The guide tried to explain there was no lake, and he would not waste precious time and waning strength by veering off course to prove it. One word led to another – words led to blows – and the guide upon whom the soldiers’ lives depended was killed.

The men then proceeded to make their way toward the much needed water, only to watch it vanish as they came closer, leaving nothing but more empty burning sand. With their guide dead, the soldiers had no idea how to find their way out of that pathless desert, and soon perished in the scorching heat.¹

(2) Today most people know what a mirage is, even if they’ve never seen one that looks like a great big lake. We often see small mirages during the summer as we drive down the highway – i.e. reflections on the road that look like water, but quickly disappear as we draw closer.

Webster’s dictionary defines a “mirage” as, “an optical phenomenon produced by a layer of heated air of varying density across which are seen inverted reflections of distant objects”² – and/or, “an atmospheric phenomenon in which the air appears to move in ascending waves.”²

There’s another less literal, more figurative definition of a “mirage” that fits the subject matter before us this evening – namely, “something illusive or unattainable”² – a “delusion”² – and/or something that’s beyond our reach.

(3) In tonight’s Scripture lesson, that “something” is the idea wealth equals happiness. The “mirage” Solomon warns us about is the notion that “money” and/or an “abundance” of “good things” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10-11) can bring a person long-lasting satisfaction. Hence, verse ten says: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10).

(4) One can’t help but wonder if Solomon may have been looking in the mirror (so to speak) when he wrote those words³ – after all, Scripture indicates he was one of the wealthiest men of his day.

For example, in First Kings chapter three, God told him: “I have … given you … riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days” (c.f. I Kings 3:13) – while earlier, in Ecclesiastes chapter two, Solomon said (in part): “I enlarged my works: I built houses … planted vineyards … made gardens and parks … and … planted … all kinds of fruit trees; I made ponds … from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves … I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem … I collected … silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces … I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem … All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure …” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:4-10).

You may also recall, however, that he concluded it was all “vanity and striving after wind and (that) there was no profit under the sun” in any of it (c.f. Ecclesiastes 2:11) – meaning neither his great wealth, nor all the things wealth could buy, had brought him true happiness and/or lasting satisfaction. (7:00)

(B) THE FIRST OF THREE VAIN, GRIEVOUS EVILS

(1) In tonight’s Scripture lesson, Solomon speaks of three vain or grievous evils “under the sun” – all having to do, in one way or another, with what Scripture calls the idolatrous love of money (the last part of Colossians 3:5, says: “greed … amounts to idolatry”). The first of these vain evils is found in verse ten of our text, which says: “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10).

(a) A biblical view of money and wealth includes (but is not limited to) the following facts. First, since God is sovereign Ruler over heaven and earth (c.f. Daniel 4:35), He is the One who gives people what they have, be it little or much – furthermore, this is true of Christians and non-Christians alike.

We’ve already seen that it was God who gave Solomon his great wealth (c.f. I Kings 3:13). Elsewhere, the Book of Deuteronomy says: “(do not) say in your heart, ‘My power and … my hand made me this wealth.’ (Instead) you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who (gives) you (the) power to make wealth” (c.f. Deuteronomy 8:18a) – likewise, the Book of Proverbs says: “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich” (c.f. Proverbs 10:22a). In the Book of Hosea, God laments the fact Israel has gone off to worship vain idols, forgetting “that it was I who gave her the grain, the new wine and the oil, and lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal” (c.f. Hosea 2:8) – while in the Book of James we’re told that, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (c.f. James 1:17).

(b) Second, it is not money per se, but the idolatrous love of money that is to be shunned (c.f. Colossians 3:5). Hence, Paul doesn’t say a man has to be poor to be an elder or deacon in Christ’s church, but that he must be “free from the love of money”, and/or “not greedy for money” (c.f. I Timothy 3:3, 8, NKJV). Elsewhere he says it’s the “love of money (not money itself that) is a root of all sorts of evil, and (that) some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith” (c.f. I Timothy 6:10; see also Matthew 13:22). Likewise, the author of Hebrews does not exhort Christians to strive for poverty – as if there’s something about being poor that makes a person more spiritual – rather, we are to “make sure … (our) character is free from the love of money, (in part by learning to be) content with what (we) have” (c.f. Hebrews 13:5).

(c) It should be noted in passing that no where does Scripture say or imply that the idolatrous love of money (c.f. Colossians 3:5) is a sin confined solely to the rich – hence, we should not automatically assume all people with wealth are guilty of the sin of greed. As a matter of fact, some of the worst offenders are found among the poor. To put it another way, a person doesn’t have to have a lot of money and/or an abundance of things to be a lover of money – people who are poor can worship the idol of prosperity just as easily as those who are well off. Remember, Scripture says Judas (who was certainly not a rich man) used to “pilfer” from the “money box” Jesus and His disciples carried with them to help cover their expenses (c.f. John 12:6).

(d) You may have noticed Solomon doesn’t directly condemn the love of money, or the “abundance” money can buy – rather, he approaches the matter from a different perspective, pointing out that those who make these things their god will never be “satisfied” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10) – literally, they will never “have enough”.⁴

In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon said there are four things that are never “satisfied” – Sheol – a barren womb – the earth when it’s parched – and fire (c.f. Proverbs 30:15-16). Now in tonight’s text he adds a fifth – namely, the person who has an idolatrous love for money and/or the things money can buy. As one writer said: “the appetite is created, but never satisfied … physical hunger can be satisfied by food, and physical thirst by drink. But a hunger and/or thirst for wealth is as unsatisfied at the end, as it was at the beginning.”⁵

Another writer said: “those who live for money will be perpetually dissatisfied no matter how much they make. It’s like the old story of the man who asked a millionaire, ‘When are you going to stop working and start taking it easy?’ The wealthy man answered, ‘When I make enough money.’ And when asked, ‘How much is enough?’ he replied, ‘Just a little bit more.’”³

(e) The idolatrous love of money is like a narcotic – the more a person has, the more they want.³ Nor should we assume that Solomon is talking about the proverbial “other guy”. As Charles Bridges said: “Multitudes condemn it in others, who little suspect its influence in their own hearts.”¹² Therefore, regardless of whether we consider ourselves rich, poor, or somewhere in between, as we study tonight’s Scripture lesson, we ought to ask ourselves again and again: “Do I have an idolatrous love of money?” – “Have I become addicted to the things money can buy?” “If Jesus were to tell me, “go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’ (c.f. Mark 10:21b-22), would I do it? Or would I turn away with grief and sadness because I’m more in love with my wealth than I am my Lord and Savior?” (see what Zaccheus did in Luke 19:8-9).

(2) If the spiritual side of the issue doesn’t get our attention, perhaps a more practical down-to-earth problem will. Look at verse eleven, where Solomon says: “When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:11).

(a) Here’s another reason why wealth cannot satisfy the deepest needs and/or longings of the human heart – or, as one writer put it, why those who have it seldom get a chance to really enjoy it⁶ – because, increased wealth brings increased demands. The more a man has, the more people there are who want a piece of it – the more a man has, the more hangers-on he attracts⁷ – the more a man has, the more people he needs to try and help him protect it.

One example would be celebrities – be they film stars or professional athletes – who make exorbitant amounts of money. Many have an entourage to help them cope with the demands being made on them and their wealth. As one writer said: “Wealth has its own burdens – for success often necessitates the hiring of a staff to help administer one’s time and assets.”⁸ To put it another way, the more one has, the more one has to spend to try and keep it.

You and I may get a few annoying phone calls, or letters soliciting our financial contribution to some cause or organization – but it’s nothing like what those with greater wealth have to deal with. After all, poor men seldom need an entourage to help them protect what little they have.

Many Americans play the lottery, hoping to get lucky and strike it rich. But those who actually do often complain about having to get an unlisted phone number, having to call the police to remove people from their property, or even having to move to an undisclosed location – thereby confirming what Solomon said in verse eleven that, “when good things increase, those who (want to help us) consume them increase (as well)” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:11a).

(b) Hence, if we find ourselves struggling with an idolatrous love of wealth (regardless of whether we presently have little or much), it ought to make us pause and reflect on whether or not it’s really worth it. Maybe NOT having a lot is the greater blessing. Maybe our prayer should be similar to the one Martin Luther is said to have offered toward the end of his life: “O Lord God, I thank Thee that Thou hast been pleased to make me a poor and indigent man upon the earth”¹⁰ – or better yet, the one found in Proverbs chapter thirty where a man named Agur prayed: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or … be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (c.f. Proverbs 30:8-9).

(c) Another reason why wealth can’t satisfy the deepest longings of our heart is because many times all we can do is “look on” as it passes through our hands⁶ – or “feast (our) eyes on (it)”, as the NIV says (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:11b), during the brief time it’s in our possession.

Regarding “looking on” as wealth passes through our hands, Edward Reynolds wrote: “The possessor (receives) no more real good or satisfaction from his great estate, than his servants … many hands must be set (to) work, and consequently many bellies filled, many backs clothed; (hence, his servants) have their real share as fully as he himself in the things which he possess(es).”⁹

That quote made me think of Abraham, whom Scripture says had at least 318 male servants (c.f. Genesis 14:14) to help him manage the abundance God had given him, not to mention their wives and/or children. Are we to believe those servants and their families did not profit from Abraham’s wealth in some fashion? Do we really think none of the wealth that came into Abraham’s possession got passed on to his servants, either in the form of wages or other benefits?

Furthermore, sometimes the only benefit people get from what they have comes from putting it on display so they can occasionally look at it – admire it – and/or “feast their eyes” on it (as the NIV says). In that regard, then, we ought to ask ourselves, how many shoes do I really need? How many cars or trucks?¹¹ How many paintings? How many homes?

I’m not suggesting it’s wrong to have multiple pairs of shoes (for example) – but since we can only wear one pair at a time, what benefit do we derive from having twenty or thirty pairs of shoes, other than the satisfaction of knowing we have them, and/or opening our closet so we can “feast our eyes” on them once in a while?!

Nor am I suggesting there’s something innately sinful about owning several vehicles – but since we can only drive one at a time, what are we going to do with those we don’t drive except “admire them”, and/or take some kind of selfish pride in the fact we have them?

(d) The point I’m not making very well is this – “when good things increase” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:11a), so does the temptation to think we’ve found the secret of happiness and/or lasting satisfaction, even though all we’re doing is watching others consume much of what we have. “When good things increase”, so does the danger of trusting in ourselves and/or our possessions, instead of striving to “fear God and keep His commands” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13). “When good things increase”, so does the danger of making an idol out of what we’ve been given, in part, by putting it on display in our home, in a storage unit, or in our heart so we can look upon it with selfish admiration.

(e) Hence, the greater blessing may actually be to have less, IF God graciously uses that to teach us to trust Him more than money, and/or love Him more than the things money can buy.

(3) Finally, Solomon gives us yet another reason why the idolatrous (c.f. Colossians 3:5) “love of money and/or its increase does not satisfy” (v 10), saying in verse twelve that, “The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:12).

(a) First of all, it should be obvious that this verse must be interpreted in a general, rather than an absolute sense – for it is NOT true that ALL “working men” (literally, “slaves or servants”)¹³ sleep well EVERY night, or that NO person above a certain income EVER gets a good night’s sleep.

Jacob was not yet a wealthy man when he talked about working long hours for his Uncle Laban, and how “sleep fled from (his) eyes” (c.f. Genesis 31:40). Nor was the apostle Paul, when he listed “many sleepless nights” (c.f. II Corinthians 11:27b) as one of the things he had to endure for the sake of the Gospel.

(b) Generally speaking, however, it is true that the working man – especially one who fears God and strives to obey His commands (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13) – will sleep better than the wealthy man who has made money his god. It’s generally true that any working man will sleep better because he’s tired, and/or because has less to lose, and therefore less to lay awake at night worrying about.¹² But for the godly working man, there’s an added reason – namely that he has learned to say with David: “I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety” (c.f. Psalm 4:8) – and again: “I lay down and (sleep) … for the Lord sustains me” (c.f. Psalm 3:5).

(c) The irony – that flies in the face of what most “under the sun” people think – is that the working man generally sleeps better at night than the man he works for, even though he doesn’t enjoy the same level of prosperity.⁶ He doesn’t have the boss’s money – but he doesn’t have his headaches or worries either. He lives on less – but is generally happier and/or more content.¹⁴ He has enough to be comfortable – but not enough to keep him awake nights.

If he is a Christian, this is because God has graciously enabled him to learn what Jesus meant when He said: “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (c.f. Luke 12:15). He has learned what Solomon meant, when he wrote in another place that, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for (God) gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (c.f. Psalm 127:2).

(4) I doubt if anyone here tonight considers themselves rich – and yet, compared to other people living (for example) on welfare and/or in subsidized housing, we are. We may not think of ourselves as wealthy – but compared to people living just across the border in Juarez, we are. Hence, all of us need to seriously consider what Solomon says in tonight’s text from both sides – i.e. not just from the side of “the working man”, but also from the side of “the rich man” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12).

(a) Recently Miss Karen and I spent a day and a half in Natchez, Mississippi. One thing we learned is that prior to the Civil War, half the millionaires in the United States lived in this relatively small town located on the east banks of the Mississippi River.

Today there are many large homes – even mansions – a person can pay to tour (which we did). One is owned by a couple from Southern California, who flies to Natchez every two weeks to oversee the restoration of their historical property. As we drove around town, however, we noticed that we often went from obvious wealth to obvious poverty inside of one block.

(b) Miss Karen and I aren’t as wealthy as the people who own those big two and three story homes. On the other hand, compared to those who sometimes live only a block away, we’re rich. The point is, you and I (regardless of how much we have or don’t have) dare not read tonight’s Scripture lesson and/or text and say to ourselves, “This doesn’t apply to me. It only applies to people who are richer than I am.”

(c) A person doesn’t need a lot of money to “love money” in an idolatrous fashion – nor does a person have to have an “abundance” to make “abundance” their god (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:10). People from all income levels can chase the money mirage, not only to their disappointment, but also to their eternal destruction (c.f. I Timothy 6:9-10).

(d) So, if we should find that an idolatrous love of money and/or the things money can buy lurks in our own heart, we need to ponder anew verses like these – even using them as the basis for prayers of repentance and/or supplication – “if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (c.f. I Timothy 6:8) – and again: “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’” (c.f. Hebrews 13:5) – and again: “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all (these) things through (Christ) who strengthens me” (c.f. Philippians 4:11b-13) – and once more: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles (i.e. unbelievers) eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (c.f. Matthew 6:31-33).

(e) It has been said that a rich man is not someone who possess much, but who desires little. Charles Bridges said, a rich man is one whose treasure is in his God and Savior.¹⁵

May God graciously enable us to love Christ more than money – and/or to store up treasures in heaven, rather than here on earth (c.f. Matthew 6:19-21, 24)! (30:00)

Word #7646.

Testament; The Book of Ecclesiastes; p. 165.

p. 127.