Ecclesiastes 5:18 – Behold that which I have seen:  it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor which he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him for his portion.

 

Thought:  Solomon returns to a concept discussed earlier.  He tells us that it is “good and comely” for an individual “to enjoy the good of all his labor.”  Ultimately, man dies and leaves all his hard work behind.  He leaves it to others who do not appreciate it and may misuse it.  Therefore, the benefit of his labor comes in this life.  When a person enjoys the portion God has given him, it is a blessing.  Solomon is not talking about wastefulness.  He is referring to one being the beneficiary of his diligent labor.

 

Acts 20:34-35

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Solomon expresses a truth regarding the profits we make from our labor.  He says it is “good” for man “to enjoy the good of all his labor which he taketh under the sun.”

1.       There are some people who have no problem with this idea at all. 

2.       There are others who do have a problem spending money upon themselves. 

a.  Their conscience hurts when they spend money on themselves.

b.  There are ways to deal with this.

                        1)  Set aside a percentage of money for God.  This will increase as we mature.

                        2)  Set aside a percentage of money for savings.  This will increase as we mature and

                            grow older.

                        3)  Once this has been done, do not fret over the money that you spend upon yourself. 

                             Solomon says that doing this is “good and comely.”

a)      Good:  good, pleasant, agreeable, valuable in estimation, appropriate, becoming,

right

b)      Comely:  beautiful, fair, handsome

          c.  NOTE:  This does not mean that we are not to practice other qualities such as

                contentment, not being wasteful, not being covetous, etc.

 

B.      Another thought that all need to keep in mind is the profits we receive from our labors are really gifts from God. 

1.       “…which God giveth him for his portion.”

2.       Yes, we have put in the time and the hard work.

3.       God, however, is the one who has blessed us with knowledge, skills, health, and time to labor and benefit therefrom.

4.       When we truly appreciate that our profits from God, we will spend our money, but it might be upon things that are not materialistic in nature such as mission works, charities, and good deeds for others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 5:19 – Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

 

Thought:  When we work hard, we often deceive ourselves into thinking that we are the ones who have brought blessings into our life through our diligence.  We sometimes forget that what we have really comes from God.  He blessed us with talents.  He blessed us with good health.  He blessed us with time.  He blessed us with profits.  What we enjoy from our labor is “the gift of God.”  May each of us be thankful for God’s blessings.  May we never forget God’s involvement in our labors.

 

Daniel 4:29-30

 

Commentary:

 

A.     The one thing we want from our work is profit.

1.       It enables us to eat.

2.       It enables us to both spend and save.

3.       It enables us to be happy and rejoice in the efforts we have put in.

 

B.      However, all us must remember that our riches and the pleasure we derive from them “is the gift of God.”

1.       James 1:17

 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

2.       When my daughter was in PT school, one of her tests was to show the impact of one movement on every aspect of the body involved in that movement.  It would be interesting for us to be able to track the involvement of God in all that goes into our wealth and profits.  If we could do this, we would be amazed and how thankful we should be of God’s involvement in our blessings.

1.       Our intellect

2.       Our health

3.       Our talents

4.       Our personalities

5.       The input of others

6.       The weather

7.       The growth of animals and plants

8.       Transportation

9.       Natural resources

 

C.     When we eat, we should give thanks.

When we enjoy the fruits of our labors, we should give thanks.

When we receive our paychecks or profits, we should give thanks.

When we retire from our labors, we should give thanks.

When we are able to pass our profits on to others, we should give thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 5:20 – For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answered him in the joy of his heart.

 

Thought:  Enjoying the fruit of one’s labor allows a man to forget the struggles, difficulties, and hardships of life.  The good seems to offset the bad.  The good enables him to appreciate life rather than being discouraged by life.  This blessing comes from God.  God grants man serenity and ease in a world that is filled with turmoil and sin.  God gives man joy in a world that is filled with sorrow.  Man tends to remember the good and forget the bad.  Thank God for this blessing.

 

Psalm 4:7-8

 

Commentary:

 

A.     When we work, we toil, struggle, bleed, cry, worry, and lose sleep. 

 

B.      Then, we get to enjoy the fruit of those labors.

1.       We make a major purchase.

2.       We take a trip.

3.       We enjoy a few days of R&R with family and friends.

4.       We play a round of golf.

5.       We go to the mall or the spa.

 

C.     While enjoying our rewards, we do not remember the days of our life.

1.       The joy enables us to forget the toil.

2.       The relaxation causes us to forget the work.

3.       The pleasure makes us forget the pain.

 

D.     Solomon says tells us that this happens because, “God answered him in the joy of his heart.”

1.       Examples:

a.  Women bear several children even though childbirth is painful and difficult.  Why?  The

      joy of a child causes her to forget the experience of labor.

b.  Athletes forget the pain and travail of surgeries and rehab.  Why?  Because the joy of

      playing the game lessens the pain that was endured.

c.  A person who labored intensely for years to build a business will start another company. 

      Why?  The joy of the profits and success cause them to forget the turmoil of a new

      business.

2.       God knows that joy can remove sorrow. 

God knows that the reward makes all the suffering worth it.

 

E.      Paul seemed to understand this before he ever experienced eternity (See 2 Cor. 4:17).

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 6

 

Ecclesiastes 6:1 – There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men.

 

Thought:  Remember, Solomon has been investigating the world trying to find true happiness.  In his search, he has found much evil among men.  There are things that are not fair.  There are things that bring sorrow.  There are things that sometimes involve sin.  There are things that cause man to believe that all that is in the earth is vanity and vexation.  It is good for us to see and understand these things.

 

Ecclesiastes 1:13

 

Commentary:

 

A.     There are many people in our society who love to highlight the differences that exist between men.  We can almost list our differences as being ten things or less.

1.       Race/culture

2.       Age

3.       Body types

4.       Intellect

5.       Personality

6.       Socio-economic status

7.       Gender

8.       Place of birth:  city versus farm

 

B.      There many more things that are common among men than there are differences.

1.       Some of the commonalities are good.

2.       Some of the commonalities are evil.

 

C.     Solomon is about to discuss one of the evil that “is common among men.”