Disagreements over money are one of the common reasons people seek divorce. Likely, every marriage has had disagreements at some point about what to spend money on, what is reasonable, and what should be given to others.
Many Christians have a mistaken understanding of money and possessions. On one extreme, some falsely claim that holiness necessarily results in health and wealth (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). Others seem to think that every truly holy person must abandon worldly possessions and live in poverty (like a monk in a cave). Some may look down on one who takes a vacation, wears jewelry, has a comfortable home, or drives a newer car.
Consider two extremes, both of whom God commended:
John the Baptist
God set John apart from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). His style of ministry was to preach the gospel while living in the desert, clothing himself in camel’s hair, and eating locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). Even by first-century standards, this was sacrificial living for Christ. Jesus said of him in Luke 7:28, “…there is none greater than John.”
King Solomon
God offered Solomon anything he wanted. Solomon did the right thing and prayed for wisdom to govern God’s people rightly (1 Kings 3:5–9). God’s answer was to (bless) praise Solomon for this request and give wisdom beyond measure (vv. 10–12). What some forget is that God also chose to bless him with vast amounts of material wealth (v. 13).
Should we live like John or like Solomon (before he stumbled, by the way)? In Ecclesiastes, Solomon (having learned valuable lessons from his folly) offers six main lessons on a biblical view of possessions that are instrumental for our consideration.
Possessions Cannot Satisfy You
By 1 Kings 11, Solomon turned away from God. The passages that follow record vast sin and subsequent problems for him. By the time he wrote Ecclesiastes much later in his life, he had evidently repented of this and learned many lessons. For example, Ecclesiastes 2:1 records a lesson from Solomon’s error: “I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself…” Solomon concludes that no material thing can satisfy (2:18). Jesus warned in Matthew 6:24 that no one can serve both God and wealth.
Give Thanks for What God Gives
In Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, Solomon writes of the blessings God gives, “this also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?” James 1:17 reminds us, “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.”
Romans 1:21 records that despite enjoying God’s creation, unbelievers, “did not honor Him as God or give thanks…” Jesus, after healing ten lepers in Luke 17, asks in v. 17 of the lone leper who gave thanks, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they?” Likewise, for every good thing we have, Solomon reminds the reader to give thanks to the Giver and be satisfied in the Giver, not the gifts.
You Can Enjoy What God Gave
A repeated idea in Ecclesiastes is, “enjoy life” (2:24-26; 3:22; 4:6; 5:18). Consider what Solomon wrote in 5:18, “Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward” (my emphasis). This seems very odd to one who thinks holiness looks like living in a cave, shaving your head, and isolating from society. Though Solomon warns of the danger of putting one’s faith in material things, he also calls the reader to enjoy what God has given.
How can it be that Solomon says both “vanity” and “enjoy it?” He is not contradicting himselfbut rather helping the reader see balance.
Don’t Hold on Too Tight
The conclusion of Solomon’s view of material prosperity in Ecclesiastes is that it is הֶבֶל (hevel). This is typically translated in the NASB and ESV as “vanity” (e.g., 1:2). Hevel occurs thirty-four times in Ecclesiastes (about half of OT uses). No other book comes even close. Thus, a proper understanding is crucial and helps make sense of the entire book.
The literal meaning of hevel is breath or vapor. This is why Solomon combines it with, “striving after wind” (e.g., 1:14; 2:11; 4:4, etc.). The main idea of hevel is brevity. One can see their breath on a cold day, but it quickly disappears. Similarly, wind can be seen and felt, but one cannot hold on to it. Hevel was the name of Abel in Genesis 4, whose life was brief because Cain killed him. In Job 7:16, Job states, “I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath [hevel].” In Psalm 39:5, David also uses hevel to refer to the brevity of his life (cf. Psalm 39:11; 144:4).
While you may enjoy the blessings God gives in this life, don’t hold on too tight.
Be Generous with What God Gave You
In Ecclesiastes 11:1, Solomon writes, “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters…divide your portion to seven, or even to eight…” While commentators differ on their interpretation, I believe Solomon is referring to being generous with what God has given. Bread represented prosperity in that time. This is why Bethlehem means “house of bread.” The word translated as “divide” in this verse is נָתַן (natan), which means “to give.” This results in a literal rendering as, “give your bread.” “Seven, or even to eight” is the idea of giving in abundance. The Jewish Targum takes this verse to refer to generosity to the poor. An ancient Arabic proverb similarly reads, “Do good, throw your bread on the waters, and one day you will be rewarded [implied by a deity].”1 This also parallels what Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, “Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
Give to your church, give to needy believers, give to missionaries, and give some more.
Keep the Temporality of Life in Perspective
Should you enjoy what God has given or give it away? The end of Ecclesiastes closes with this tension. He begins by reminding the reader that life is brief (v. 1), and encourages the reader to seek God while he has breath in his lungs. Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 is an illustration of getting old (e.g., loss of eyesight, trembling, losing teeth, losing hearing, timidity, and death).
As one enjoys the good things God has given, is generous, gives thanks, and guards that the good gifts don’t become his god, Solomon closes with tension in 12:13-14, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
Material things cannot satisfy, but you can enjoy what God gives. When He gives, give thanks and pass along the blessing to others. And remember, no matter what we do with material things, have joy in God, give thanks, and give away to others—all for God’s glory.
Further reading:
For a helpful overview of Ecclesiastes, consider Living Life Backwards: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End, by David Gibson.
