I am going to skip over verses 1-7 for the moment and come back to them after chapter 6. The reason is that I want to show the unending stream of “under the sun thinking in these chapters. When we bop back into the eternal (1-7), it will all make sense.
8 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. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Solomon makes the case that oppression is a part of life, so don’t be surprised by it. Why? Because we all depend on the oppression. Through all of the bureaucratic layers, all the way up to the king, each person relies on the oppressed person in the field. So in the “under the sun” thinking, mode, there is a hopelessness that is associated with oppression, because even though it is widespread, we can’t do anything about it because we too depend on it.
10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? 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.
Let’s take these verses one by one.
Verse 10: The contention is this: when we focus on the temporal, greed is a natural answer to creating a rewarding life. Whoever loves money never had enough is a real thing! John D. Rockefeller, arguably the richest man America has ever producer, was once being interviewed and asked the question, how much is enough money? His answer: just a little more. It shows us that this hamster wheel we get on with money doesn’t have an end. It’s never enough. Greed is selfish.
Verse 11: The problem is laid out: The more you make, the more your expenses increase. So think about it in these terms: you have an idea in your mind of the amount that you require for a perfect, happy life. It may be triple what you make right now. When you ultimately achieve that, you realize something: the shiny and perfect life you thought you’d have looks different from what you came from, but it is essentially the same in regard to personal riches. You need more to get above your expenses. The point: greed is endless.
Verse 12: This verse shows the dynamic between those who worry about money and those who do not. The contrast is this: those not consumed by finances aren’t bothered by maintaining a certain lifestyle. Those who are consumed are worried about maintaining their lifestyle, thus are never content. Here, greed is the focus.
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. 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. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? 17 All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
These verses are concerned with the uncertainty of wealth. Wealth worries the owner to the point of physical harm. But it can also go away suddenly. He reminds us that we come into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing. So the question becomes, if this is the reality, why do we spend so much of our time worrying over it all?
One of the reasons why males have a life span lower than females is because men fall into this problem area all the time. We worry about finances, worry about how to provide, fall down that hole of believing we are about to fall down into homelessness. It harms us physically. Instead of putting our foundation on Jesus, we set it in the sand of uncertainty.
18 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. 19 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. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
Solomon agains tells us the way to cope with all of this in an “under the sun” mindset. The best thing to do is enjoy life, see it as a gift, don’t think about it too much. Because you have amassed all of these things around you, it will make you happy and distract you from the inevitability of death.