Ecclesiastes 5:13–14

Solomon is the writer. He goes through his experience of wisdom, of riches, of labour, and of everything his heart as a man could desire (and who can come after the king?). He records it by inspiration. So when he proves it all to be nothing but emptiness and a chasing after wind, it is not the mere words of a disappointed man, but a conviction God has recorded. One mark runs through all the actions in the book: they happen "under the sun," with no thought of doing them toward God.

He speaks of wealth. It has its use. Money is a defence (Ecc. 7:12); it is God's gift. Yet how often men feel how empty it all is. Craved and worked for as the one great good, the man gets wealth, fills his coffers, and is still unsatisfied. If he loves silver, he will not be satisfied with it (Ecc. 5:10). How can things of earth satisfy a spirit that lives forever? If he feasts his eyes on his money today, it may vanish shortly, and he is left with an heir — his own child — born to inherit poverty (vv. 13, 14).

No amount of resources satisfies the man who owns them; they fall to others instead. So the labourer's lot is often the better one, and riches turn out to be a hurt instead of a comfort, with no permanence either, so that he goes as he came, naked. Where is the profit of such work?

People will build and hoard, if not for themselves, then at least for their children — or in other words, their second selves. If I hoard for my children, I am hoarding for myself. And in countless cases the hoard proves a positive curse to the child instead of a blessing. It takes him off the ground God appointed for him and for everyone in His moral government: "doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something" — not to hoard for himself or for his second self, but — "to share with anyone in need."

Augustine said, "God does not wish a man to lose his riches, but only to change their place." … A man was speaking of an American millionaire who had just died. He asked his friend there, "How much did he leave?" "Every dollar!" was the reply.

If God has given a man riches and wealth and the capacity to enjoy them, then he should take his portion and rejoice in his work. Such a spirit of enjoyment will make him forget the evil in his day; it will carry him over the disagreeable things of life. "For he will not much remember the days of his life, because God answers him in the joy of his heart" [older wording; the ESV reads, "because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart"]. That last phrase means that God Himself matches his joy, for real enjoyment is a God-acknowledging spirit.

The things you have here are your Master's goods. If you hoard them up here, you will surely lose them in the world to come, and you turn them into accusers. On the other hand, God graciously allows you to truly transfer them to your own account, by laying them up among your treasure, where your treasure is "in heaven."

Of wealth he speaks. It has its use. Money is a defence; it is God's gift; yet how often do men feel the emptiness of it all. He covets wealth and toils after it as the one great good. He gets it and fills his coffers, and still he is not satisfied. If childless, he may desire offspring, but children are God's gift, not to be purchased by money. If he loves silver, he will not be satisfied with it. How can things of earth really satisfy an immortal spirit? He may feast his eyes on his money today, and it may be gone soon. Then he is left with an heir — his own child — born to inherit poverty.

Even a king depends on the field. No amount of wealth satisfies its owner. It falls to others instead. So the labourer's lot is often better, and riches are a hurt instead of a comfort. They do not last either, and a man goes out as he came in, naked. Where is the profit of such labour?

More insidious and absorbing is the danger of seeking and setting the mind on being rich. Here you do not just guard against appetite. You have to stop leaning on your own understanding, which is so ready to find good reasons for an evil and selfish thing. The Apostle says that those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, even if they avoid crooked paths to it. They fall into many unwise and hurtful desires, and these plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of every evil. Some who have reached after it have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. So two things stand out sharply: riches are uncertain, and we trust ourselves far too much. Our wisdom is to set our mind on the eternal weight of glory where Christ is. We are not to look at the things that are seen. They pass quickly, while the unseen things are eternal.

God, not man, knows what is good for him. And God reveals an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven. But until Christ died and rose, it stayed largely hidden. Misery here was plain, especially to the wise.

Christians have riches that go far beyond earthly ones. God has given us spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. These are heavenly in nature, so we will enjoy them fully in heaven, but we can also enjoy them down here now. In contrast, we will have to leave our money and possessions here; in fact we have to leave them here.

It takes constant exercise to keep trusting the Living God, who richly gives us all things to enjoy. If this trust is real, it will reflect His own character of unselfish giving. They were to do positive good with what they had. Let them be rich in good works, not just in possessions. Let them be ready to give whenever there is need, and glad to share what God has entrusted to them. This is true investment, a laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come.