The Vanity of Covetousness and Competition
Ecclesiastes 4:4-12:
4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. 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 unhap py business.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Introduction: We love to make comparisons.
1. Arguing for a wise life under the sun.
2. The preacher’s value-judgment
1. Choose Contentment not Covetousness
The Qoheleth (Preacher) turns again to look at work (4:4-6).
“Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a hand ful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.”
Two individuals are being described here. On the one hand, we have a man who is envious and greedy. On the other hand, we have someone who is lazy.
A. Envy and Discontent - The preacher asserts that all labor and every skillful work comes from the jealousy of a man against his neighbor. People love to compete and get ahead of others. We want to be better than our neighbor. To climb the top, we step on someone else’s toes or step on other people’s heads. But this is also meaningless. Why? Because our advantage, acquisitions, and attain ments (the short-lived popularity of the great) are fleeting.
B. Laziness – If eventually we are going to lose it all, what’s the purpose of pressing on? The foolish man will simply choose to drop out of the race (stop working altogether). Again, this also is vain. Why? Because it leads to self-cannibalism or self-destruction. The one who refuses to work de stroys himself. Laziness will not solve the envy issue.
C. Solution – The antidote to the conundrum is contentment (moderation). It is better to be satisfied with what you’ve been given than to want what others have.
Application:
1. Embrace life for what it is rather than what you’d like it to be.
2. Enjoy whatever good things that come your way – As you enjoy, extend a helping hand. Everyone has a choice. Be a worker who is covetous or a worker who is content. A “handful of quietness” doesn’t mean a hand full of stuff, but a hand full of joyous contentment. “Quietness” here means “rest – peace of mind and calmness of the soul” (David Gibson, Living Life Backward, 66). Jeremiah Burroughs - “But the Christian has another way to contentment. He can bring his desires down to his possessions.”
G.K. Chesterton - “There are two ways to get enough. One is to accumulate more and more, The other is to desire less.”
With one hand he labors for God’s glory, and with the other he extends to the needy (down and-out, orphans, widows, oppressed, etc.).
2. Choose Companionship and Cooperation not Competition
Verse 7-8 illustrate the Preacher’s point:
“Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 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.”
A. The misery of solitude.
First off, take note of the word “one” which is repeated 5x in Ecclesiastes 4 (see verses 8-12). Earlier we talked about a man who is unsatisfied. Now, we see here the same man whose only moti vation is to gain more (Ask him, “How much is enough?” He will say, “A little more.”) and be better than others. The Preacher described him here as being alone. He’s made it all the way to the top of the ladder of success, but he lives there alone (utterly alone). He has neither son nor brother (neither friends nor family). He is wealthy but not healthy and happy, possessing everything except enjoyment. The man who only labors for himself deprives himself of what is truly “good.” Illustration: How much do you make? How much would you need to make to be comfortable?
B. Companionship is better than aloneness (4:9-12)
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man
might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
The idea of solitariness (no family or friend) brings to the preacher’s mind
the idea of companionship (friendship or partnership). Notice the word “two” (in contrast with the words one and alone). This theme of companionship permeates the whole chap ter. “Douglas Sean O’Donnel (REC, Ecclesiastes, 94) observes, “In verses 1-3, Qoheleth saw those op pressed without anyone to comfort them (isolation increases the pain of oppression); in verses 4-6, he saw envy of others as the ambition for industry; in verses 7-12, he saw the isolation of avarice; and in verses 13-16, he saw that is lonely even at the top.”
The benefits of godly fellowship/community:
1. Larger profit
2. Help in time of need
3. Emotional support to each other
4. Protection
Note: We must refrain from spiritualizing the phrase “a threefold cord is not easily broken (what a lovely numerical parallelism in Hebrew).
There is strength and security in numbers (having a godly alliance). Qoheleth’s “commendation of community” (collaboration, care, cooperation, etc.) is a potent remedy to the individualism that infects the church. Just as the body of Christ “does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14), we must then recognize that we need each other and live in harmony with one another.
Illustration: Songs about friendship (Guess the title).
1. “Lean on me when you're not strong. And I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry on…” (Answer: “Lean on me” by Bill Withers)
2. “I’ll reach out my hand to you. I’ll have faith in all you do. Just call my name and I’ll be there.” (Answer: “I’ll be there” by Jackson Brothers and Mariah Carey)
3. “You just call out my name. And you know wherever I am, I’ll come running, oh yeah baby, to see you again. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you got to do is call. And I’ll be there. You’ve got a friend.” (Answer: “You’ve got a friend by James Taylor)
4. “Keep smiling. Keep shining. Knowing you can always count on me, for sure. That’s what friends are for. For good times and bad times, I’ll be on your side forever more. That’s what friends are for.” (Answer: “You’ve got a friend by Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Won der)
5. “You can count on me like 1, 2, 3, I'll be there. And I know when I need it. I can count on you like 4, 3, 2 and you'll be there. Cause that's what friends are s'posed to do, oh yeah” (Answer: “Count on me” by Bruno Mars)
6. You’ve got a friend in me. You’ve got a friend in me. When the road looks rough ahead and you’re miles and miles from your nice warm bed. You just remember what your old pal said. Boy, you’ve got a friend in me. Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me.” (Answer: “You’ve got a friend in me” from Toy Story by Randy Newman)
Are you dependable? Are you comfortable to be with? Are you the kind of person others would like to talk to when they are disheartened, sad or lonely?
Conclusion:
1. Contentment and community are the antidotes for envy and isolation and Christ is the answer to it all. How did we get back into a right relationship with God? Jesus suffered and died alone on the cross. “Out of his solitude of suffering, the stairway to heaven was opened and the pathway to brotherly love was paved around the whole wide world” (REC, O’Donnell).
2. How are you doing with asking how are we doing?
3. Be able to serve and secure. Remember Jesus is “the friend of sinners.” Those who were touched by Jesus came out us changed individuals.
4. We are better together. Together to get there.