Eccles. 5:13-17
This passage is a continuation from yesterday's, but this passage focuses on the hoarding of what you have. While money is the most obvious thing we can hoard, we have other riches that we keep to ourselves. If we have the joy of being in Christ and we hide it and keep it from others, what happens to the joy? We have every spiritual blessing but most of us keep them hidden and safely tucked away. What things like love, a smile, or a gracious word do you have that you are reluctant to share?
13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.
- What is the purpose of hoarding riches?
- What can happen to riches?
- How effective is hoarding riches?
- Why are riches a flimsy foundation to build an entire life on?
- What are some specific ways that hoarding riches can hurt the owner? - How often does your mortality come to mind?
- How often does your mortality affect your daily actions?
- How does your awareness of your mortality affect how your look at possessions? [v.15] - What advantage is there in striving for riches under the sun?
- How does a miserly attitude affect a person's enjoyment of life?
- Who comes to mind when you read v. 17? (real or fictional) - How do you approach your riches?
- What riches do you have?
- How might this passage apply to spiritual riches?
- How can a person hoard their spiritual riches?
- How happy is a person who hoards spiritual riches?
- How happy is a person who shares his/her spiritual riches?
This passage is a continuation from yesterday's, but this passage focuses on the hoarding of what you have. While money is the most obvious thing we can hoard, we have other riches that we keep to ourselves. If we have the joy of being in Christ and we hide it and keep it from others, what happens to the joy? We have every spiritual blessing but most of us keep them hidden and safely tucked away. What things like love, a smile, or a gracious word do you have that you are reluctant to share?
1 comment:
I don't think I would have ever made the connection of hording and not sharing spiritual blessings in the passage of Eccles. 5:13-17. Now that I think about it, I can see it. As Christians, we are spiritually rich and counted as heirs of God. It would be a tradgedy for one who has Jesus Christ as his Savior to never share the Good News with others. It is said that Jesus descended to Hades, but he only stopped in to cancel our reservations. That's Good News and we need to spread the word.
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