Ecclesiastes 5:13

THE INWARD LIFE OF A STEWARD
Viewing and Handling Possessions

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

Part 1

Solomon gives us keen insight into those who have, but do not give. He observes in Ecclesiastes 5:13, There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt (NASB1995). Our sinful nature believes the more we make and the more we keep and the more we accumulate, the fuller and happier life will be. But Solomon tells us that those who have, but do not give generously from what they do have, are actually hurting themselves. History is full of examples of people who hoarded what they had and in so doing became only a hollow shell of what their Creator intended for them to be. What they thought was such a blessing, because they hoarded it, actually became a destructive curse. What about you? Think about it.

Part 2

Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:13 warns us about the danger of material possessions. He says, “There is a grievous evil which I have seen… riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt (NASB1995).” I know you think, “I am not rich.” But rich is a relative term. Did you know that if your family is earning $50,000 a year, you are in the top one percent of all income earners in the entire world? That means 6.7 billion people on this planet think you ARE rich. So this verse does apply to you. Solomon says if we hoard what we possess instead of generously share it, we will actually harm ourselves. Corrie Ten Boom understood this and advised, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” So, be careful. Don’t hurt yourself with your stuff. Think about it.