ECCLESIASTES 5.13-20

13. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely: riches hoarded by the owners thereof to their hurt.

14. Or riches lost by some misfortune; and when he begets a son, there is nothing left for him.

15. As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour which he may carry away in his hand.

16. And this also is a sore evil: that in all ways as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he that has laboured for the wind?

17. All his days also he eats in darkness, and has much sorrow and wrath [fretfulness] with his sickness.

18. Behold that which I have seen: It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he takes under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him; for it is his portion.

19. Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given power to eat thereof and to take his portion and to rejoice in his labour, this is the gift of God.

20. For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God occupies him in the joy of his heart.

Men can even oppress themselves – and so the theme continues as Solomon now urges those who have been consumed by a desire for riches, those who may be wearing themselves out hoarding, Acquiring and Accumulating wealth to their hurt, to count the personal cost of the sorrow, fretfulness and sickness that their driven life-style demands of them.

Such men, says Solomon, eat in darkness – possibly implying early starts, late finishes and excessively long working days.

In the Hebrew, to eat in darkness can also be a metaphor for living in spiritual darkness -- being a slave to the system, and never attaining the basic enlightenment Solomon offers yet again as he urges such individuals to take stock of their lives, and consider what ultimate profit their heartaches, disappointments and sickness are providing.

Once again, also, the apostle Paul quotes the words of Solomon from Ecclesiastes when he reminds the evangelist Timothy, Quote: “We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Timothy 6:7).

Encouraging Christians to opt for a balanced and simple life, Paul continues, Quote: "But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that”

Do we, can we, relax and really savour the basic pleasures of life, as typified by eating and drinking – or are we too consumed, rushed and stressed out to do so? Can we actually rejoice and find pleasure and fulfillment in our daily labour?

Yet again Paul cites the words of Solomon, in his letter to the Philippians, when calls on Christians to wake up and consider what really profits, and to make the resurrection and eternal life their goals -- rather than the fleeting fame and fortune of this age, which he personally rates by comparison as so much rubbish, or dung, as some translations render it (Philippians 3:7-14).
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Then, encouraging them to trust in God and adopt the positive mindset described by Solomon, he continues, Quote: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

With words that also echo those of Solomon in the last line of this section, Paul then urges Christians to occupy their minds with wholesome matters, saying, Quote: “Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (verse 8).