Lessons About Money And Wealth From Solomon

King Solomon was one of the richest men in history. He spent his entire life chasing after wealth, pleasure, knowledge, wisdom and other achievements.

Everything he wanted in life, he had. But when he was elderly, he sat down, and wrote one word to describe all of it. Meaningless.

Everything is meaningless. It is all a waste of time! Nothing but vapor. Everything is just vapor that vanishes.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is very honest in dealing with life issues, especially the pursuit of money and wealth. There are no get-rich plans and methods.

In fact, what it teaches is the exact opposite of the prosperity gospel. And the truths written therein are not what most people would want to read or hear.

Hidden inside Ecclesiastes are some buried gems that can protect us as we encounter wealth scams, prosperity gospel lies, and get-rich-fast schemes today.

Ecclesiastes 1:1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

The opening of Ecclesiastes was a title. The Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

As he was the richest and wisest king that Israel ever had, what he said about money and wealth really matters to all of us.

Solomon was not a poor man complaining about wealth he never had. He was the wealthiest human being in recorded history, telling us that wealth was not what it appeared to be.

Ecclesiastes 1:2
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

His opening statement sets the tone for the entire book. Meaningless, meaningless. Everything is meaningless.

The Hebrew word for vanity is hevel. It literally means breath, vapor, smoke or mist. It is something we can see with our eyes but cannot hold in our hands. It is something that appears for a few brief moments, and then vanishes away.

Solomon is saying, "Everything I chased after in life has turned to vapor in my hands."

Most people think that the Book of Ecclesiastes is depressing and pessimistic. Not uplifting but a discouraging downer. But it's not.

The truths shared will free us from pursuing and loving the things of the world. How? Once we stop chasing after vapor, we will begin to pursue things that will last in life!

There are five truths that we can learn from Solomon.

• Wealth never satisfies
• Diversify our investments
• Workaholism is not good
• Enjoy what we have now
• Fear God and keep His commandments

Firstly, wealth never satisfies. Whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-12
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
11 When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

Solomon had more money than anyone else in ancient Israel. And his remark was, "Money is never enough.”

The person who loves money will never have all the money he wants. The person who loves money will not be satisfied when he gets it.

The more money a person has, the more friends he has to help him spend it. What does he really gain? He gains nothing except to look at his riches.

A man who works hard sleeps in peace regardless of whether he has little or much to eat. But a rich person worries about his wealth. He cannot sleep well at night.

The more we have, the more we want. The goalpost moves every time we reach it. Every increase in income produces a temporary spike in happiness followed by a gradual return back to our baseline and starting point.

We may get the raise and feel good for weeks, then it becomes normal. Then we want more. And the whole cycle continues and repeats itself again and again!

As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The more we earn, the more we will have to spend it.

Bigger house means bigger maintenance fees. Better and more expensive car means higher insurance. Higher salary means higher taxes, higher expectations and higher lifestyles.

Solomon saw the whole cycle, and called it vapor. And we cannot disagree with the richest man who told us that money was never enough. It can never satisfy anyone.

Secondly, diversify our investments. It is amazing to find this practical investment advice from a book that preaches all is vanity!

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
11 Cast your bread upon the waters,
For you will find it after many days.
2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,
For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

We need to do good things everywhere we go. After a while, the good we do will return to us in a different way.

Invest what we have in several different businesses as we do not know what bad things might happen on earth.

In the ancient world, the phrase “casting bread upon the waters” was a trade metaphor. Merchants would send grain on ships across the Mediterranean Sea. Bread or goods casted upon the water would become profitable after many days when the ship returned.

Give a serving to seven, and also to eight. Never send all our grains on one ship. Spread it across seven, maybe eight. Why? Because we don't know which ship will sink.

This is diversification for investments. This ancient wisdom is still practical and useful today. We do not know how, when and what disaster may come upon us.

The future is uncertain. We cannot predict which investment will fail, which market will crash, or which job will disappear. Thus, we need to spread our assets and resources.

Even Solomon knew that he could not control the future. He didn’t know about his tomorrows.

Never put all our eggs in one basket. We should not risk all our money, time, or efforts on a single plan or choice. We don't know what's coming. Thus, we need to plan for uncertainty.

Thirdly, workaholism is not good. Many people have an uncontrollable and compulsive need to work excessively, and are not able to disconnect themselves from work.

Ecclesiastes 4:6
Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

It is better to be contented with whatever little we have than always struggling to work without end to obtain more. That is like chasing after the wind.

For many people today, taking a rest means laziness. Getting more money is better. Sacrificing sleep, health, relationships and our sanity to maximize income has become the norm.

But, what do we get after all the toiling, striving and laboring under the sun? Our endless working hours only bring us griefs and pains. Even at night, our minds and hearts do not rest. This too is meaningless.

Solomon had done many great building projects in ancient Israel. He managed a trade empire spanning many nations. He had worked hard, and had achieved much wealth. But he said that workaholism only brought him griefs and pains. Even at night, his mind would not rest.

Exodus 20:8
“Remember to keep the Sabbath as a holy day.

The Biblical antidote to workaholism is not laziness. It is Sabbath. Even if we stop working for a day each week, our world will not collapse when we rest.

Our value in life is not measured by our productivity. This sacred rest is not a reward we earn. It is a commandment of God that we need to obey.

Fourthly, we need to enjoy what we have now.

Ecclesiastes 9:7-9
7 Go, eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
8 Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

We need to enjoy life while we can. Eating our food and enjoy it. Drinking our wine and be happy. It is perfectly alright with God if we do so.

Put on nice clothes and make ourselves look good. Enjoy life with our loved ones. Enjoy all the days of this brief and short life that God has given us here on earth. It is all we have. We also need to enjoy the work we have to do here on earth.

After saying everything was meaningless, Solomon told us to eat, drink, wear nice clothes, put oil on our heads, rejoice and celebrate life. And he was not contradicting himself.

The truth is that since wealth doesn't satisfy, we need to stop chasing after it. Since the future is uncertain, we need to stop hoarding because of it. Since work never ends, we need to stop killing ourselves by working non-stop!

We need to enjoy what we have today, and what is in front of us right now. Enjoy our food. Enjoy our work. Enjoy our relationships and friendships.

These simple daily pleasures are God's gifts to us. And they don't turn to vapor.

The prosperity gospel says that God wants us to have more. But the truth is that God desires us to enjoy what we already have. Having sufficiently is good enough!

The richest person is not the one with the biggest bank account. It is the one who has enough, the one who can sit down for a simple meal, and the one who is thankful and grateful to God for all the blessings He has bestowed, whether big or small.

Fifthly, fear God and keep His commandments. Solomon gave us the conclusion of the whole matter.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

After Solomon had said and taught, he gave us this final instruction. Honor God and obey His commands. This is the most important thing that we need to do.

God knows everything people do, even the things done in secret. God knows all the deeds, whether good or evil. He will judge everything people do.

After having obtained wealth, pleasure and achievement in life, Solomon arrived at a single and final conclusion. Fear God, and keep His commandments.

Psalm 67:7
God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

God is the source of our blessings. We need to respect and revere Him.

Every hidden thing we have done will be judged. The money we hoarded when we should have given to others. The corners we cut when no one was watching. The wages we withheld to our workers. The generosity we withheld to the poor and needy around us.

God sees every action, transaction and motive. This is more than just a warning to us. It is financial freedom for us.

Once we accept that God is watching us, we will stop doing evil in His sight! We will stop chasing after the wind. We will stop loving the world, and the things of the world.

1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We do not love the world or the things in the world. If we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us. These are the evil things in the world. Wanting things to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and becoming proud of the things we have. But none of these things comes from the Father. All of them come from the world.

The world is passing away. And everything that people want in the world is passing away. But the person who obeys God, and does what He wants, lives forever.

When we fear God, and obey His commandments, we know we are truly blessed as we have everything in life. He is more than sufficient!

We are no longer chasing after the wind under the sun. We are pursuing eternal treasures above and beyond the sun!

If interested, please listen to this song I Wish You Jesus.

 

Written on 4 September 2026