The Limits of Wealth and Human Control

Ecclesiastes 6:1-6

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
August 2, 2026
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

Big idea: Wealth cannot guarantee enjoyment, desire cannot satisfy the soul, and human beings cannot control life's outcomes. Therefore, receive God's gifts gratefully and trust the God who is sovereign.

Introduction

Our culture often presents life as a problem that can be solved by acquiring enough resources and exercising enough control. If we earn enough, plan carefully enough, and protect ourselves thoroughly enough, we imagine that we can secure happiness.

Ecclesiastes 6 confronts that illusion.

The Preacher introduces a man who appears to have everything: riches, possessions, honor, and everything he desires. Yet one essential thing is missing - the ability to enjoy it. He owns life's gifts, but he cannot make those gifts satisfy his soul.

That is the sobering message of this chapter: having more is not the same as enjoying more, and controlling more is not the same as living well.

1. Wealth Cannot Guarantee Enjoyment

"God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them" (Ecclesiastes 6:2).

The man in this passage lacks nothing materially. He has wealth, which means abundance; possessions, which provide security; and honor, which gives him social standing. By every visible measure, he has succeeded.

Yet a stranger enjoys what he accumulated.

The tragedy is not simply that he loses his wealth. The deeper tragedy is that he possesses wealth without possessing the capacity to enjoy it. His bank account is full, but his soul is empty.

We often assume enjoyment is automatically included with possession. Ecclesiastes says it is not. A person may own a house without having peace in it, fill a table without enjoying fellowship around it, and accumulate money without ever feeling secure.

Enjoyment is not something wealth can purchase. It is a gift from God.

Earlier, Ecclesiastes describes the ability to eat, drink, and enjoy one's work as God's gift. The lesson is not that wealth is sinful. Scripture includes faithful people who possessed great wealth. The danger begins when we expect wealth to give what only God can provide.

Money can purchase a bed, but not sleep. It can purchase entertainment, but not joy. It can purchase medicine, but not immortality. It can attract companions, but not guarantee friendship. It can expand our options, but it cannot give our lives meaning.

The question, then, is not merely, "What do I possess?" It is, "Can I receive what I possess with gratitude, freedom, and joy?"

Some people postpone enjoyment indefinitely. They tell themselves, "When I reach the next income level, then I will rest. When I receive the promotion, then I will be content. When the house is paid off, then I will become generous."

But desires move the finish line. The person who cannot receive today's bread with gratitude will probably not receive tomorrow's banquet with gratitude either.

It is wise to work responsibly, save wisely, and provide faithfully. But we must not ask money to become our savior. Wealth is a useful servant, but a cruel master.

2. A Long Life Cannot Satisfy an Empty Soul

"If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years... but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things... I say that a stillborn child is better off than he” (Ecclesiastes 6:3).

The Preacher intensifies his argument. In the ancient world, many children and a long life were prominent signs of blessing. This hypothetical man has both in extraordinary measure: a hundred children and potentially two thousand years of life.

Yet his soul is not satisfied, and he receives no honorable burial.

Ecclesiastes uses shocking language to make its point. A life may be long, productive, prosperous, and publicly admired, yet still be inwardly barren. Length of life does not guarantee depth of life.

Verse 6 asks: "Do not all go to the one place?"

Death exposes the limits of human achievement. The wealthy and poor, celebrated and forgotten, successful and unsuccessful all share the same mortality. Death does not mean that nothing matters; it means that earthly gifts cannot bear the weight of ultimate meaning.

The man's problem is not merely that he will die. His problem is that he never truly lived while he was alive. He had many years but could not enjoy them. He accumulated blessings but never received them as blessings.

This passage invites us to examine our definition of a good life. Is it simply a longer life, a larger family, greater recognition, or more visible success? Those things may be genuine gifts, but none can satisfy a soul estranged from God.

Jesus later expresses the same truth: "One's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).

The rich fool in Jesus' parable built larger barns because he believed greater storage would produce greater security. He spoke to his soul as if grain could give it rest: "Soul, you have ample goods... relax, eat, drink, be merry." But his soul did not belong to him, and his future was not under his control.

A full barn cannot satisfy an eternal soul.

Conclusion

When a person loves earthly things so much that he can't get along without them, he opens himself to much suffering, both physical and mental. Some people, for example, have taken foolish risks to keep their riches intact. They have died rushing into burning houses or were killed because they stubbornly resisted armed robbers. Apparently they felt that without their material possessions life would not be worthwhile.

Others, when forced to part with their wealth, have been thrown into agonizing despair, even to the point of suicide. In 1975, six armed gunmen broke into the deposit boxes in a London bank and stole valuables worth more than $7 million. One lady, whose jewelry was appraised at $500,000, wailed, "Everything I had was in there. My whole life was in that box." What a sad commentary on her values!

What or who are you trusting in today? How does that trust unfold in your life? Are you honoring God with your wealth? Being a good steward of what God places in your hands indicates where your treasure is. Give God what belongs to God and keep God at the center of your life every day. This is the word of the Lord.