The Solomon Project-Ecclesiastes 5:8-12

"It disturbs me no more to find men base, unjust, or selfish than to see apes mischievous, wolves savage, or the vulture ravenous." Jean Paul Sartre Thus we begin our next installment in Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 5:8 says: "If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." (Ecc 5:8 NIV) Oppression here has the idea of extortion. Government officials were not in the business of helping the poor but of getting everything they could out of them. Social services were someone else's problem. Each official was under the care of another. Under his thumb so to speak. Ultimately the poor are their own resource. They have no one to draw from. Even Jesus recognized this fact he said "you will always have the poor with you. (Matt. 26:11) It is not just extortion or oppression but the denial of rights to the poor. One of the characteristics of the wise person is that he does not take a bribe. The poor had nothing to offer those officials before whom they may find themselves. The character of those officials was demonstrated when they had to yield a judgment for the poor.

"The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields." (Ecc 5:9 NIV) Solomon's growth in his kingdom came at a price. the growth of government brings layers of management. Everyone has to be paid. Even the king made something off of the land. Sad but true. Taxation increased. At the end of Solomon's reign taxation was onerous.

As usual Solomon tempers this evil with the opposite. 5:10 says: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecc 5:10 NIV) Just as the poor can have too little the rich can become enamored with too much. Covetousness can keep the rich from enjoying what they have. The message or at least one of them in the book of Ecclesiastes is "Learn to enjoy what God has given you as you obey his implicit and explicit commands." We are commanded to love God and use things. Many times we get this reversed: We love things and (or attempt to) use God. This is never satisfying.

Verse 5:11 says: "As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?" (Ecc 5:11 NIV) Another fact of life. As one's assets increase the need for care and protection increase. This means more servants workers etc. It also means more taxation. With wealth comes complication. The only thing that the owner gets from this is to see it. He can feast his eyes on it knowing that it is his.

Verse 5:12 ends the discussion with the concept that a complicated life of wealth doesn't make for a restful night's sleep. "The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep." (Ecc 5:12 NIV) I am reminded of the parable of the wheat and the tares told by Jesus "The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word making it unfruitful." (Matt 13:22) The laborer sleeps well because he has earned his wage for the day. He awakens the next day to probably do the same thing and be paid accordingly. There are no cares to this. The only thought is for himself and his family. He can sleep well. The rich could rely upon God for the safe keeping of his wealth knowing as Job said: "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away." (Job 1:21). But wealth without trust in God is an unquiet position. Life becomes too unwieldy at that point and causes one to lose sleep over it.

What are the applications for us? Are you or have you ever been in a position to Lord it over someone else? I am reminded of a great quote by George Washington Carver: “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong—because someday in life you will have been all of these.” The first order of training for leadership is to be a follower. Then continue to be a servant to those you lead. Easy to say hard to do. Lording it over people says more about you as a leader than it does those you lead. Are those you are leading becoming rich if not in fiscal resources then in knowledge, education and wisdom? The Biblical story of Joseph may be a good example of an excellent manager. By his prudent management he saved the country of Egypt from famine.

We find ourselves in an economy that is sadly focused on the needs (and sometimes the wants) we have. The uncertainty of the interaction of our political system with our financial system has never been higher. There is a distrust of our wealth and the power to hang on to it. As compulsive and addictive people we need structure to carry out addictive behaviors. This kind of uncertainty is cause for upheaval in our addictive system. We may want to act out more. We may attempt to control things we perceive that we can when we can't control the important things. We may try to micromanage eating, exercise, our children's behaviors our spouse's behavior our friends or our subordinates behavior. Trusting in God rather than financial security will ultimately bring a much needed rest. One of the promises of the Twelve step program is that fear will recede as we work the program.

In our daily meditation do we release these cares and submit ourselves to the care of God--even though we may know him imperfectly? This goes a long way to procuring much needed sleep.

Our time is up for today. Keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it.