16 Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth,
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles,
and whose princes feast at the proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Through laziness the roof caves in,
and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.

19 A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry,
but money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich even in your bedroom,
for a bird of the air may carry your words,
and a winged creature may report your speech.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

The Teacher says in v19: “A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.”

“Money is the answer for everything”? Is the Teacher promoting materialism and the love of money? I don’t think so. A consistent theme in Ecclesiastes is that God gives us every good thing in this world to enjoy. That includes a feast where people relax, eat, drink and laugh together – while avoiding gluttony and drunkenness, of course. The downside of a feast is that it costs money. But if it brings joy, it’s money well spent.

But money can also be used for all sorts of other good purposes. It is one of the most versatile of God’s gifts. It can bring joy and happiness in many ways. We can use money to rent or buy somewhere to live, or to purchase a gift for someone, or to visit a friend, or to see the world, or to help the poor, or to spread the gospel. These are all good uses of money.

You cannot serve God and Money, but you can use your money to serve God. We must avoid the love of money, but we can love others with our money. So, let’s thank God for the money he has given us, enjoy the good things it enables us to buy, and use it for the growth of God’s kingdom.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is one of our Assistant Ministers.