There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune; when he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a severe evil—just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. Ecclesiastes 5:13–17
Last week we concluded that there is little point in spending too much time and effort in this world enriching ourselves in a currency that will be worthless in the world to which we hope to go. Wouldn’t it make more sense to pass our time here laying up stores that will be of value in that eternal home (Matthew 6:24)? But how is this to be done? What things can we take with us?
Obviously we will not be taking our worldly possessions. Paul observed, “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). In the context of this statement, the apostle tries to correct the thinking of those who suppose that godliness might be beneficial as a means to getting gain instead of realizing that “godliness with contentment si great gain” (v 6) in and of itself. He adds that those who crave riches fall into a snare (vv 9–10), much like the mouse that craves the cheese set in a trap. He concludes this thought by urging young Timothy to flee such things (v 11) and to lay hold instead on eternal life (v 12). Look at it this way: If you were a Jew who had sacrificed everything to buy a lavish mansion in Austria in 1937, what good would it have been to you in 1943? If you work 80 hours a week and manage to afford the house of your dreams, what good will it mean to you in the year 2100? How many people have lived on the land that we now call our own? How many people have carried the money that is now in your wallet? If earthly possessions are my goal in life, then all is vanity and striving after the wind, for there is nothing on this earth that anyone can keep forever.
Neither can we take our mortal bodies. Paul explains that this is because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50). Paul encourages Timothy to “exercise himself toward godliness,” adding that “bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 6:6–8). We need to be good stewards of our bodies, but we must also remember not to make too much of them, for we will soon take permanent leave of them.
We cannot take our titles of distinction. When John saw the judgment scene, he said, “I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened” (Revelation 20:12). The dead are not given preferential treatment based on wealth or social class. When presidents and Pharaohs emerge from marble tombs and vaulted burial chambers, they will find themselves standing on a level plane with the beggar who rises from an unmarked grave. In this world a badge might get you out of a traffic ticket, and a bribe might keep you out of jail, but such things will get us nowhere when we stand before God’s judgment seat!
There are indeed many things that we cannot take along, but there are other things (more important things) that we can take, and it is toward the acquisition of these things that we must dedicate all our energies. These are the things which we will consider here next week.