Sweetness in Labor, Vanity of Riches and Directionless Toils (Ecc 5: 12-17)

SWEETNESS IN LABOR, VANITY OF RICHES AND DIRECTIONLESS TOILS (Ecc 5: 12-17):

The author didn’t just leave after reflecting with the vanity of the wealth, abundance or increase; the author continues saying that the sleep of the laborer is sweet whether he eats little or much whereas the fullness of the stomach of the rich will not allow him to sleep. The laborer receives his wages for all of his physical and mental effort. He rejoices and gets satisfied with what he has and eats what he has. He doesn’t care about the robbery of his possessions and what will happen on the next day, for the things he strived. The rich on the other hand has all things but don’t hold on to what is needed, worrying for the next day and worrying about protecting what he had strived. The rich may also have many physical problems for they put less physical efforts which steal their sleep.

The author looked at a great grievous evil under the sun that the riches were kept by their owners for their own hurt. The riches of the owners make the owners depend on it and to multiply it more, which actually doesn’t provide satisfaction, relationships, joy, and peace, beyond certain limits which are all very much essential for human beings after the fulfillment of basic needs. Also, the riches are not permanent as there isn’t only expected times. The riches may be lost at the times of unfavorable venture. An owner of the riches who is a father of a son may have nothing to give to his son while losing the riches, which is much more painful than losing the riches all of a sudden when a person is all alone.

The author realized that every human being in the face of the earth who had born from the mother’s womb has to face the point of death. And the author says that as a person came from the mother’s womb naked, he needs to go to the grave naked and couldn’t take anything for his toil; a person couldn’t even carry a handful of his toil while he dies. The author looks at it as a great and grievous evil, as a person comes into life and goes out of life alike and thereby the author asks rhetorically what gain is there to him who toils, but for the wind. There isn’t good worth in all the toils of every human being, which the author perceives and states that most of the human beings eat in the darkness with much starving and searching for food which is an extreme vexation causing sickness and anger.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    Whose sleep is sweet? Why?

2.    Who will not be able to sleep? Why?

3.    What does the author say about keeping the riches? Why he says that?

4.    Are the riches sustaining? Justify?

5.    How does it feel when the father doesn’t have anything for his son?

6.    What does the author say about taking for the toil? Why?

7.    What gain does anyone have for the toils at death?

8.    How does a man eat all of his days when there are no purposeful toils? Why?

9.    How could a person find satisfaction with riches?

10. How we can find joy in eating and living?