I think most people don’t care why they get an extra day off work, they’re just glad to get it. This was confirmed when one of my sister-in-law’s came over yesterday for Thanksgiving. I asked her how she was doing and she responded, “I’m doing pretty well today – I don’t have to go to work!”.
Many people work at jobs they don’t like and don’t enjoy. Perhaps they have tired of doing something they enjoyed ten or twenty years ago. Perhaps they would like to try new work, but for one reason or another, can’t afford to do so. Going back to school might not be a feasible option for them. Self-study might not be their “thing”. Perhaps the changing of careers carries enough risk that the fear of failure holds them back. For whatever reasons, many people work at jobs they don’t like and don’t enjoy.
Solomon seems to have had a cushy job. For sure, he had wisdom beyond anyone on the planet. He had an abundance of wealth and women. Yet he had this “hole” inside his heart that he couldn’t fill. He tried to use his wisdom to figure out what it was that would fill it. Several times in Ecclesiastes, he acknowledges the same basic point: “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”. [emphasis added] I would like to point out several items of note in this text (Ecc 2. 17-26).
Solomon admits that he had accomplished great things in his work. But that accomplishment was overshadowed by the realization that he would die someday and would have to leave the fruits of his work to someone else who may or may not manage them well. He found this to be meaningless. He was also worried that they would not do as good a job as he had done in managing all that he had. Applying this to our day and age, nearly all small business owners have a tough time entrusting portions of their business to someone else. They don’t like losing the “hands-on” in the various parts of their business. And the entrustment of work to an employee often adds to their frustration as they learn to be a good manager and find that the employee might do things differently than they would have. Especially frustrating is when the employee appears to be doing good work, but upon close examination, you find that their work is substandard.
Solomon noted that leaving his work to others caused his despair (a strong word) because he was leaving his work to someone “who had not worked for it”. So, the first point is this: the transition of your work and your accomplishments is inevitable. You will leave your business someday. Either through death, liquidation or sale, you will leave your business. This is why good succession and “end-game” planning is so essential. If you’re running a business today and haven’t thought one whit about how you plan to exit your business, then it’s time to make that transition in your thinking. Start today on learning how to plan for your exit.
The second point follows closely to the first: there is something unsettling about working hard to create wealth and then leaving it to someone who didn’t work for it. Those who don’t have any “skin in the game” will not fully appreciate just what you’ve done to grow and build your business. This is why selling your business is likely the best way to ensure that it continues in one form or another after you have left the scene. Those who pay for your business have “skin in the game” and will have a level of appreciation for your work and the fruit you have produced.
The Scriptures connect wealth with work. If you don’t work, then you shouldn’t eat. The Scriptures don’t tell the wealthy to hoard their wealth or to ignore the poor – on the contrary, James tells us to ensure that the wealthy don’t hoard their wealth and there are plenty of illustrations and commands to ensure that those with wealth give to those who are poor. When we are wealthy, it is sin to spend that wealth on ourselves and not give it away. The balance that is struck between enjoying your wealth and giving it away is between the individual and God. Recognizing that wealth is an entrustment from God will give you a better perspective on how much to give away, when and how. In the Christian ideal, while there are differences of economic strata, the wealthy have a moral obligation to support those who work and don’t have enough to make ends meet.
As a side note, this is one of the reasons that I advocate that a business owner run his or her business in such a manner that they can grow a business that can produce on-going wealth and then sell that business for cash, if possible. I also advocate that business owners form foundations, either collectively or individually, to help ensure that their wealth persists and becomes an instrument of wealth creation that also gives wealth away to those who need it. Many in the Christian community shun foundations and endowments, saying that God can supply whatever monies are needed at any time to fulfill his agenda on this earth. This is true. But this doesn’t nullify a proper use of savings in the form of a foundation or endowment that can continue to generate wealth and giving for the foreseeable future. In fact, once that money has been used to give more that it’s total amounts, I would submit that foundation or endowment is fulfilling the good servant’s role in Luke 19.
So, what is a Biblical View of Work? Well, in this passage, it is the following:
- Realize that the results of your work will be transferred to someone else someday. Don’t despair about it. Instead, plan for it.
- Realize that without a connection to God (vs. 25), that your work will be nothing but meaningless toil.
- Find satisfaction in your work. We’re not told how to do this, but since it is a command, it must be possible.
- Enjoy the fruits of your work (eat and drink).
Ecclesiastes is one of the best books to read and study if you want to know how God thinks about money and wealth. Find satisfaction in your work and accept this satisfaction as a gift from God.
Bill English, Founder
Bible and Business
