The Loneliness of Wealth

Steve continues our study in the book of Ecclesiastes, looking at Ecclesiastes 4:4-16. All labour and skillful work is only done in the selfish pursuit of getting ahead – due to jealousy and competition. People work hard and compile wealth and achievements – so that they might compare favourably to the wealth and achievements of their neighbour. But the Teacher says, “This too is futile. Like striving to catch the wind.” It is futile to be poor and weak and small – you will just be oppressed and overrun and at the mercy of the big, strong, and rich! But it’s futile to be big, strong, and rich as well! For one, it all just comes from jealousy and competition – bigger than who? Stronger than who? Richer than who? But also, consider these contradictory proverbs. The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh. Laziness is pointless. When you cease to work, you only bring poverty on yourself. But, it is better to have one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind! In other words, better to have less stuff but be happy with it than to have more stuff but be eaten by worry and spend all your time working. Is it better to have less stuff? No. The oppressed are in tears and there is no one to comfort them. Is it better to have more stuff? No. It all just comes from vain jealousy. So, is it actually better to have less stuff? No, only the fool folds his arms and lets poverty come upon him. So then, having more stuff actually is better? No. Better to have a little and get to rest than to exhaust yourself to obtain more.

And actually, what does it all matter when there is no one to share it with? People who obtain much also have to spend/sacrifice much. Why all the struggle and all the sacrifice? It’s not going to be worth it – there won’t be any contentment there – if there’s no one else to enjoy it with! If because you either failed to build relationships because you spent all your time achieving or because you found them but then ran them off and neglected them because your time was all elsewhere! Few things are more tragic than pouring your whole life into building a better life for your family – only to realize they are gone when the better life has been attained! Realizing too late that you should have poured your life into them instead of pouring it into the things you wanted to accumulate for them. So, is it better to have less or more? Neither. It’s futile. A miserable task. A pursuit of the wind. To those who have nothing: there is no one to comfort them. To those who have more: there is no one to share it with.

Two are better than one. Companionship is good. Isolation adds to grief under the sun. For instance (very practically), when you fall, it is beneficial to have someone around to help you up again. Another illustration: two can keep each other warm. If you have ever slept alone in a tent with less than satisfactory gear on a cold night, then you know firsthand the futility of trying to maintain warmth by yourself. And a third (again, intensely practical) illustration: if waylaid by brigands on the road, there is safety in numbers. Two are better than one; a cord of three strands is not as easily broken. One strand alone in isolation is far more breakable.

Riches. Wisdom. Even royalty. These are no remedies to the futility of isolation. To illustrate this, the Teacher gives us a hypothetical. There was an old foolish king. He once paid attention to his counsel. He once had companions and advisors. But no longer. He now rules in isolation. And he is outstripped by one who is far beneath his station. Better is the poor but wise youth. In fact, he rose up from his lowly estate! Because of his wisdom, this youth even came from prison to become king instead of the old fool. And everyone followed him. A great throng of all those in the land of the living pledged their support to this new, youthful king. The old fool – in his isolation – lost everything. But lest you think that this new king is the hero – lest you go searching now for ultimate meaning in youth, wisdom, or rising above your station – the Teacher reminds us: a great many people came before these two (this old fool and this wise youth), a great many who didn’t even know their names. And a great many will come after them too. But they won’t rejoice in them either. Great throngs of people have sung this new king’s praises, but it too is fleeting. Isolation is a great evil. But neither will companionship solve the problem of futility.