Useful Bible Studies > Ecclesiastes Commentary > chapter 5

Wrong reactions to God’s kindness

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Usually, a poor person must work very hard. His work is difficult and unpleasant. He does not earn enough money so he does not get enough food.

However, sometimes God shows special kindness to that poor person. So, that person enjoys his work. And he has enough to eat and to drink. He should be very grateful to God for his kindness; many people do not have these things.

The wealth of a rich person does not really give him a better life than the poor person has. Of course, the rich person has both money and food. But often rich people suffer because of wrong desires or jealous attitudes (Ecclesiastes 4:4; Ecclesiastes 5:10). Their wealth does not satisfy them. They believe that they need even more money.

But sometimes, God shows special kindness to a rich person. The result is that the person can enjoy his wealth. He is content with the wealth that God has provided for him. So that person does not waste his energy in an effort to become richer. That is God’s kindness, and that person should be very grateful.

But people often show a wrong reaction to God’s kindness. They should be grateful for the joy that God has put into their hearts. But often, they just feel pleased about the things that they have in this world. They allow the things that are in this world to satisfy them. They forget that soon they must leave this world. They neglect the fact that God will be their judge (Ecclesiastes 3:17). So their present happiness benefits them only during their short lives in this world.

Next part: A rich person who cannot enjoy his wealth (Ecclesiastes 6:1-2)

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© 2019, Keith Simons.