Ecclesiastes 5:18 - Meaning and Application

Solomon has just shown how vain it is to hoard riches. From that, he draws this lesson: the best course is to use what we have well, to serve God with it, to do good with it, and to enjoy it with our families. He had already pressed this point before (Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 3:22).

What he recommends is not giving ourselves over to fleshly appetites, or making present pleasure or profit our whole portion. Rather, we should use, in a sober and moderate way, what God’s providence has given us for our journey through this world. We must not deny ourselves needed food because of greed, or wear ourselves out with worldly cares and heavy grief. Instead, we should eat and drink what is fitting, so our bodies stay fit for the service of our souls in God’s work.

He also warns us not to wear ourselves out with labor and then let others enjoy all the fruit of it. We should take the comfort of what our own hands have earned, and do so not only now and then, but all the days of the life God gives us. Life is God’s gift, and he has fixed the number of our days (Job 14:5). So we should spend those days serving the Lord with joy and gladness of heart.

We must also not do our daily work as if it were mere drudgery, or make ourselves slaves to it. Instead, we are to rejoice in our labor. We should not take on more business than we can carry without trouble and anxiety, but find pleasure in the calling where God has placed us, and carry on with a cheerful spirit. This is what it means to rejoice in our labor, whatever it may be, like Zebulun going out to work and Issachar staying in his tents.

Solomon gives several reasons for this counsel. First, it is good and fitting. It is right, and it looks right. Those who use God’s gifts with cheerfulness honor the One who gave them, answer the purpose of the gift, act wisely and generously, and do good in the world. This brings both credit and comfort. It is good and comely, meaning there is both duty and beauty in it.

Second, this is all the good we can get from the things of this world. It is our portion, our share. In using what we have this way, we take our portion and make the best use of it. God must have his part, the poor theirs, and our families theirs, but this is ours. This is the share that falls to us from worldly possessions.

Third, a heart that can use God’s gifts in this way is itself a gift of grace from God. If God gives a man riches and wealth, he makes the blessing complete when he also gives him the ability to enjoy them rightly, and wisdom and grace to do good with them. If this is God’s gift, then we should desire it eagerly, since it is the best gift connected with the good things of this life.

Fourth, this is the way to make life easier and to help us bear the many troubles that come with living in this world (Ecclesiastes 5:20). Such a person will not dwell much on the days of his life, the days of sorrow and hard toil, his working days and weeping days. He will either forget them or remember them only as passing waters. He will not hold his losses too tightly or keep the bitter taste of them for long, because God gives him joy in his heart. That joy balances the burdens of his labor and rewards him for it by letting him enjoy the work of his hands. If God does not answer every wish exactly as asked, he gives something better in return, the joy of the heart. A cheerful spirit is a great blessing, because it makes our work easier and our afflictions lighter.