Ecclesiastes 6

“There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it.  This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.” Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 (NKJV)

When I was a boy, my friend's father owned a restaurant across town.  They happened to also be our next-door neighbors.  I had always wanted to eat at their restaurant, but my folks would never take me.  Well, one summer, when I was eight years old (4th of July weekend, to be exact), my friend’s family invited me to eat with them at their establishment.  When I asked my mom and dad, they said, “No.”  I was so mad!  So, I walked next door, told my friend’s father that my folks said, “Yes,” got into their car, sunk down in my seat, out of view, and drove away with them.  Furthermore, I took my birthday money ($20) with the intent of spending it all at the “buy one, get one free” fireworks stand my friend’s dad said they were going to visit.

Let’s just say the whole trip took longer than I had hoped. It was way past dinnertime when I arrived back home, full of good food and holding a grocery sack full of fireworks.  That is when I found out that my parents had called the police, and the whole neighborhood was searching for “the lost Wiggins boy.”  It was also when I found out that the Shreveport Louisiana Sheriff’s Department recommends that parents whip their children with leather belts in such circumstances. At least they did back then.  But the worst part was when my parents made me watch as my brother and sister were allowed to shoot off all my fireworks.  Very slowly and sadistically.

So, believe me when I tell you that I internalize today’s passage deeply.  I did not feel my parents were being fair by letting my siblings enjoy the instruments of my wealth.  Sometimes, we feel the same about God.  We work hard, only to see someone else enjoy the fruits of our labor.  We cry out, “God is not fair!”  But the reality is that God is not “fair.”  He is “just.”  Fairness implies that everyone should get the same amount, the same income, the same house, the same health, etc.  Justice promises that everyone will ultimately be weighed according to the same standard: God’s Word.

Personally, I am glad that God is not fair because that would mean that everyone would have to stand under the full force of His judgment, which brings up another attribute of God’s character: His gracious and merciful Love.

In terms of what we deserve for our labors, the Bible tells us that the “wages of sin is death.”  But because God is loving and not willing that anyone would perish, He poured out His judgment upon Jesus on the Roman cross.  Jesus paid a debt He did not owe in order to pay a debt we could not afford so that we could stand before God, justified.

Another concept that is misunderstood in our culture is that of wealth and peace.  Our culture says that if a man works hard and obtains wealth, wealth will bring him peace.  But what profits a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (Mark 8:36)