7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
- How does your commitment to family motivate you to work?
- Why do people work and accumulate wealth?
- How often do you hear people mention plans to leave an inheritance for their children?
- How often do you hear people just wanting things to have things?
- Why is it common to not be satisfied by riches? - How likely are you to work hard and not stop to enjoy life?
- How often do you ask the question "For whom are I laboring?"
- When is your labor vanity and chasing the wind?
Here Solomon talks of a man with no dependents and has apparently put work into that void. Some of us have been guilty of putting work into the family's space, even when we have family. Solomon is pointing out that work for works sake is not worth it. Money for money's sake is not worth it. Neither is truly satisfying in the long run.
1 comment:
This passage seems to be talking about a man working very hard who has no relatives or even a business partner. He doesn't want anyone to help him because maybe he wants to keep all the profit for himself. What seems incredible is that he was so busy, he didn't have any time to enjoy his wealth or even to share his wealth with someone else. Also sad is that when he dies, he has no family to inherit his estate. I can plainly see that all his labor was in vain. Makes me wonder if his life was worth living because he robbed himself of enjoying life. As Solomon says, "... an unhappy business." Thanks Harold for this lesson.
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