Saturday, August 10, 2013

Eccl. 5:8-15

v. 8-15 "If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.  The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
As goods increase,
so do those who consume then.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?
The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.
Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand."

Throughout history oppressing the weak has been consistent.  Leadership has often ignored the pleas from the weak or used propaganda to make it appear they are doing good when they are not.  This will continue until the end.  I am not surprised anymore by people's ability to be cruel or indifferent.  Not every leader is corrupt, there are some who go against evil at all cost.  There is a chain of command just like in the military.  Corruption can run up or down the ladder.  King's used to profit off of the poor farmers in their kingdom, they got a fat cut of the crops while the farmers were left with little food to feed their families.  Today all we have to do is look at what companies pay their CEO's and president's.  The companies hand out millions in bonuses a year (even if the company is not doing well) while they have employee's who can't afford to make payments for necessities or their retirements are liquidated to feed the greed.

Those who lust after money will never be satisfied.  They will be driven by greed to increase their status in society.  You can have all the money in the world and still be miserable.  What is the antidote to greed?  Giving.  The more you give away the more the desire will leave.  At first the flesh will grasp at the money as if it were it's air.  When you give and help others you will get a payment that no check in the world could duplicate. 

The bible speaks of hoarding wealth as a problem.  There are other things that are hoarded that could be equally dangerous.  If you have ever watched any hoarding show then you see that keeping things in mass amounts can be harmful to a person's mind and health.  What is the point of keeping 20 TV's or 10 microwaves when someone maybe right down the street could really use it.  There are many reasons people hoard things; sentimental reasons, usefulness (I'll need it someday) or not to be wasteful.  When you stack bricks all around you then you will find you did not leave yourself a way out. 

We are supposed to leave something for our children and not waste all of our possessions.  Not all have money to give, some items are from a relative to pass down to the generations or if you have nothing at all then you can leave your wisdom.  Not all treasure is gold or silver.  Unlike the beliefs of many cultures throughout history, we take nothing with us when we leave here.  No matter if you were homeless or a billionaire, we are all the same in the eyes of God.

2 comments:

  1. "When you stack bricks all around you then you will find you did not leave yourself a way out."

    I like it! Good thoughts here.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you John. I'm glad to have a place to share what's in my heart. I hope you have a blessed day.

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