Ecclesiastes 5 Study Notes

5:10-6:6 This is a lengthy passage on wealth. It makes the point that a life spent pursuing wealth is futile. Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 gives a series of seven reasons not to devote ourselves to getting rich. First, seeking wealth is an endless quest, because those who want to get rich never feel that they have enough (v. 10). Second, if you get rich, you attract people who care nothing for you but just want your money (v. 11a). Third, once you acquire much money, you cannot do anything with it but look at it (v. 11b). Fourth, working people are not full of anxieties and they sleep well; the rich are awake at night worrying about their investments (v. 12). Fifth, wealthy people live in a world of high-stakes financial deals. They can lose their money in bad business deals just when they need the money for their families. In the world of finance, men put their families at risk (vv. 13-14). Sixth, at death you lose it all. You cannot take it with you (vv. 15-16). Seventh, the quest for riches is hard and bitter, and days are spent in tedious and vexing work. It is far better to get by with fewer things and less money and be able to enjoy life (vv. 17-20).