The
great Jewish psychologist, Abraham Maslow, taught that man’s needs
form a hierarchy, the most basic of which is to stay alive, which, apart
from avoiding danger, requires the regular consumption of food and drink
via the mouth. Without that food he will perish
– as they will anyway, sooner or later, no matter how much food
they consume or now much money they Accumulate.
This
is true of all men, even the richest and most powerful, and is interesting
that one of the greatest pleasures that money affords is fine food,
expensive wines, and meals prepared by accomplished chefs – all
of which helps impart, temporarily at least, a comfortable feeling of
immortality.
On
the other hand, the stark reality of life for billions of human beings,
even today, is that they very obviously labour for their
mouth -- struggling to obtain enough food today to keep
them alive for yet another day of labouring for their mouth tomorrow.
Nevertheless,
no matter how well or frugally we eat, our hunger will inevitably return
– because the appetite cannot be permanently satisfied
or filled. Here, then, is a very strange fact -- that
even hunger, the most fundamental of man’s appetites, can never
be permanently satisfied in this present life. Is it the same with those
who hunger for success – like the wealthy man in the previous
section who had been so consumed by success that he could no longer
properly enjoy anything?
In
that regard, says Solomon, what advantage has the wise man
over the fool, or the rich and famous over poor and unsuccessful?
Neither can permanently satisfy his bodily appetites, and who is to
say that the wise man enjoys his food more than the poor, since God
has given both the same set of taste buds – and the situation
must be just the same with the other pleasures of life.
Perhaps
the thought continues in the obscure second part of that same verse,
which speaks of a poor man knowing how to conduct himself
before others – possibly referring to a person born
into poverty who, driven by his appetite for more and better, learns
and applies the principles of success and so transforms his life. With
death looming, however, where does it really get him, and at what price?
We
are all driven, lured and led by various desires
or appetites that can never be fully and finally
satisfied in this life, by a restless wandering of the soul,
and perhaps what Solomon is pointing out is the importance of taking
conscious charge of our lives, of becoming truly enlightened –
of thinking for ourselves, seeing the big picture and identifying what
really is important in this transient human existence.
The
sight of the eyes apparently implies those
things that we already possess, and what Solomon seems to be counseling
is contentment, the need to eliminate an obsession with money, to simplify
our lives, to savour the quality of life’s pleasures rather than
mere quantity, and to live life as God intends it -- as a caring, sharing
members of the human family, doing good and discovering, as Jesus teaches,
that it is more satisfyingly happy and joyful to give than to receive.
Perhaps
another intent of Solomon’s message here is that of the inspirational
book “Acres of Diamonds” which teaches that opportunities
exist all around, in our own back yard, so to speak, and that there
is no need to chase the proverbial rainbow in search of opportunity.
Perhaps
Jesus offers the much more important and inspired meaning of this section
of Ecclesiastes, the real solution to mortal man’s dependence
on physical food, when he says to the Devil in the wilderness, Quote:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
After
eating physical bread, a man’s hunger soon returns – but
in another place, speaking of eternal life, Jesus says, Quote: “I
am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he
who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). The remainder
of that chapter shows how he then explained this mysterious statement
to his confused disciples.
The
metaphorical parallel between physical food and spiritual food runs
throughout the New Testament, as does that between physical and spiritual
growth – which is why Peter says, Quote: “Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”
(1 Peter 2:2). Again we see that the Christian calling is not to a life
of stagnation but of continuous growth in knowledge, wisdom and spiritual
stature.