Wealth and Wisdom Ecclesiastes 5:10-20

Quentin Matsys was born in the year 1466 in Leuven, Belgium. Matsys was a Dutch Renaissance artist. In the year 1514, he painted this picture titled, The Moneylender and His Wife. The painting is on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris. Matsys’ painting confronts us with the choice everyone has to make between God and money. In the painting, the moneylender is seated at a table with a scale and a pile of coins in front of him. He’s carefully assessing the value of a coin he’s holding in his hand. The moneylender’s wife is seated next to him. She’s leafing through a devotional book that has an illustration of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus. She’s trying to focus on spiritual things, but she’s distracted by the money her husband is counting. What motivated Quentin Matsys to paint this picture? In the 16th century, his adopted city of Antwerp, Belgium was the European center for banking, business and trade. Antwerp was a very affluent city, but it was in a state of spiritual decline. Massys was giving artistic expression to the fact that the love of money can distract us from our relationship with God.

Every believer grapples with this challenge. As followers of Christ, we know that God calls for our highest allegiance and complete trust - and yet, money can compete for the rightful place God wants to have in our heart.

All of us come from different backgrounds and have learned different things about money. Some of us were raised in families that struggled to get by. Some of us were raised in a family that wasn’t rich per se, but there was always enough money for food, clothing, shelter and the things that were needed. Some of us were raised in a family that was well off. Whatever our background, money plays a significant role in our sense of security. Because of this, we need instruction on how to use it wisely. Apart from Jesus, who is more qualified to teach on this subject than Solomon? God blessed Solomon with riches. The Lord also gave him the wisdom to understand that wealth can either be a tool – or it can be an idol.

As we return to Ecclesiastes chapter 5, we find that Solomon continues to make observations about things that impact our lives. Thus far in 2 this book, he’s talked about the elusive nature of happiness. Solomon searched high and low to find happiness apart from God, but he ended up frustrated and disillusioned. Solomon has talked about the challenge of finding enjoyment in our vocation. He’s talked about the value of friendship. In our text of the morning, Solomon talks about the folly of putting our hope in money – instead of finding our security in God. We’re going to look at some practical lessons he learned from personal experience. I invite you to write these down in your outline. First, Solomon learned that:

1. Wealth doesn’t ultimately satisfy. Solomon says three things about this in verses 10-12. He says in verse 10 the more you have, the more you want. Solomon writes: Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. In 1948, Warner Brothers Pictures released the movie Key Largo starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Edward G. Robinson. Edward G. Robinson played the role of a gangster named Johnny Rocco. Johnny Rocco’s life was filled with violence and greed. In the movie, Rocco and his thugs take a group of people hostage. One of the hostages, Frank McCloud (played by Humphrey Bogart) asked him, “Why do you lead the life of a gangster? What is it that you really want?” Johnny Rocco wasn’t quite sure how to respond. So Frank McCloud suggested an answer. He said, “I know what you want. You want more.” Johnny Rocco’s face brightens – and he said in an animated voice, “Yeah, that’s right. I want more!”

That’s the mindset of our culture. We want more - and through the years we’ve acquired more. When the film Key Largo was made in 1948 - the average home in America had about 1,000 square feet. Today, the average new home in America has about 2,200 square feet. Home sizes have doubled since 1948 - and yet, we don’t have room for all of the things we own. In recent decades, a whole new industry has cropped up in America called the self-storage business. As of 2013, there are more than 48,500 self-storage facilities in the United States. These units offer more than 2.3 billion square feet for people to store their belongings. 40 years ago, the self-storage industry didn’t exist. But today, Americans spend more than 24 billion dollars a year on storage space rentals. 3

John D. Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company. In his day, Rockefeller was one of the richest men in the world. When he was 53 years of age, he was earning one million dollars a week. Rockefeller was once asked how much money was enough. He said, “How much money is enough? Just a little bit more.” Solomon observes that the accumulation of riches can lead to a desire for more riches.

We find another lesson in verse 11: The more you have, the more others want it. Solomon wrote: As goods increase, so do those who consume them. Let your eyes train on the phrase “…so do those who consume them.” Solomon is saying that those who are wealthy sometimes have to fend off people who try to take advantage of them. In his paraphrased version of the Bible called The Message, Eugene Peterson puts verse 11 this way: “The more loot you get, the more looters show up.”

The retired heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson earned a staggering 300 million dollars in his prizefighting career. But in 2004 – the year before he retired - he was 23 million dollars in debt. Tyson lost his money to unscrupulous financial consultants, lawyers, poor business decisions – and he gave away a significant amount of money to people who asked for help. Late in his career – and certainly well past his prime – Tyson took fights just for the payday. He took savage beatings from opponents. We see another lesson in verse 12:

The more we have, the more we worry. Look at verse 12: The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep. Why can’t the rich sleep well at night? Solomon doesn’t say, exactly. Perhaps their brain won’t go into rest mode because they’re thinking about how to make more money – or they’re worried about losing their money?

In February 2004, a 62-year old man who lived in western France was rushed to a hospital because he was gravely ill. It was believed he had a cancerous tumor in his abdomen. A preliminary x-ray showed a mass about the size of a bowling ball. Doctors performed exploratory 4 surgery and were shocked by what they found. The man had swallowed 350 French Franc coins and several gold necklaces. He was worried about losing his valuables. Sadly, the man died from sepsis a few days after surgery.

There’s a postscript to the story of John D. Rockefeller. When he was earning one million dollars a week, Rockefeller was so consumed by stress and worry, he was unable to eat. He survived on milk and crackers. Rockefeller’s health was in rapid decline – and he thought he wasn’t going to live much longer. Rockefeller began to lean upon the Lord. He was a member of the Riverside Church in New York City – but he was distracted by business interests. Rockefeller renewed his faith in Christ found freedom from worry. How? By becoming extraordinarily generous. He regained his health and lived another forty-four years – during that time, he gave away 540 million dollars. John D. Rockefeller died in 1937 at the age of 97.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “If I just had more money – it would solve all of my problems.” But Solomon learned that money can create more problems than it solves. It’s not uncommon for us to covet the life of a rich person – but it’s altogether possible that a rich person covets your life and mine! Solomon said, “If you love money, you’ll never be satisfied—because you’ll always think you need more.”

Here’s the second lesson. Solomon observed that:

2. Wealth is easily lost. The comedian Rodney Dangerfield once said, “Money talks. Mine says, ‘Goodbye’.” Look at verses 13-14 with me: I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. One of the illusions of wealth is that it provides security. But Solomon says in this passage that we can be harmed by hoarding wealth. For one thing, it can have a harmful impact on our spiritual life. Paul said this in his first letter to Timothy: Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root 5 of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Solomon also says that wealth is easily lost through misfortune. Even if we manage our finances wisely, we can be wiped out by a catastrophic illness, or an unwise investment, or by fraud, or by significant downturn in the stock market. Many of us remember a day called “Black Monday.” On October 19, 1987 – the stock market dropped 508 points – that was 22% of the value of the stock market. I didn’t have much invested in the stock market in those days, but I recall watching the news with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Vernon Lamberg, was the retired president of the Appleton Machine Company in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was described by friends and associates as an astute businessman. On Black Monday he lost $500,000 in the stock market collapse. He had exposed himself to too much risk. He was devastated financially and emotionally. The very next day - Tuesday October 20, 1987 – Lamberg was found dead in a motel room. He died of asphyxiation after breaking off the gas line from the wall furnace in his motel room. The Outagamie County coroner ruled Vernon Lamberg’s death was a suicide.

On Black Monday, a man in Miami Florida by the name of Arthur Kane lost 8 million dollars in the stock market crash. Kane was facing a deadline from his stockbrokers to cover his losses. He entered the executive offices of Merrill Lynch in Miami – opened his briefcase – pulled out a .357 magnum pistol he had purchased just minutes before. He shot and killed the branch manager and then turned the gun on himself.

Solomon gives us this sobering reminder in verse 15: Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. This verse echoes what Job said when he lost everything. Job said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Paul said the same thing to Timothy: “We brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” 6

It’s not a pleasant thing to contemplate, but all of us have to face the reality of our mortality. At the end of one of his most successful years on the European Tour, someone asked the English golfer Simon Dyson if there was anything he was afraid of. He said, “I’m afraid of death. I’m in a financial position now to do pretty much anything I want to do. Dying wouldn’t be very convenient.”

Solomon’s message in verse 15 is perfectly clear: However much we make – we can’t take it with us when we die.

In his third lesson, Solomon says there’s a foolproof way to find satisfaction. He tells us that:

3. Wealth is a gift to be enjoyed. Look at verses 18-20 with me: This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. Those of you with an eye for detail will notice that Solomon mentions God four times in these three verses. He tells us in this passage that happiness and the ability to enjoy life comes from God.

The Lord has graciously opened His hand and has provided us with everything we need: the air we breathe, the food we eat, the health we have, the families and friends we love, the job we have, the homes we live in. God wants us to enjoy the gifts we have.

The story is told of a wealthy businessman who was on vacation. He was walking along a beach and met a fisherman. The rich man was surprised to see the fisherman sitting back and relaxing with his toes in the sand. He asked the fisherman, “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” The fisherman said, “I’ve caught enough fish for the day.” The businessman said, “It’s still early in the day. Why don’t you catch more fish?” The fisherman said, “What would I do with them?” The 7 businessman said, “You could sell them in the local market and make money – and if you earned more money you could buy a better boat and better gear. If you had a better boat and better gear you could go out to deeper water and catch more fish and make even more money. If you made more money you could buy a fleet of boats and hire people to work for you.” The fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?” The businessman said, “You could sit back and enjoy life.” The fisherman looked over the top of his sunglasses and said, “What do you think I’m doing right now?”

God has provided us with many wonderful gifts - but the power to enjoy them doesn’t lie in the gifts themselves. The ability to enjoy wealth or family or friendship or food or work or any other good gift comes only from God. This is why it’s foolish to worship the gifts instead of the Giver. Solomon calls us back to a joy and contentment we can only find in God.

I’d like to close this morning by returning to the painting of Quentin Matsys. The husband and wife are both focused on the money on their table – but on the table between them, Matsys painted a small round mirror, which reflects a scene that’s taking place just outside the frame of the painting. If you look at the image in the mirror closely, you’ll see the dark lines of a window frame intersecting to make the form of a cross. We also see a man reaching out for the frame, as if to take hold of the cross. The face of the man in the mirror is familiar to art historians. It’s Quentin Matsys, himself.

Solomon challenges us to not find our security and hope in money. Whether it’s spent, lost or stolen – it can disappear in a moment. Instead, we’re invited to reach out for the cross where Jesus gave His life for our sins. As we cling to Christ and His cross – we find satisfaction for our soul and a hope that will never fade away.