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0:00 The richest man in history spent his entire life chasing wealth, pleasure, and achievement. He got all of it. Every last thing he wanted. [music] And then he sat down and wrote one word to describe all of it. Meaningless. The book of Ecclesiastes is the most financially honest book in the entire Bible. It is also the book most pastors skip. Why? >> [music] >> Because it doesn't fit the prosperity sermon. It doesn't support the follow God's principles [music] and get rich framework. It says the opposite. And the opposite is the truth [music] most people don't want to hear. But hidden inside Ecclesiastes, [music] buried in the brutal honesty, are five financial principles [music] that will
0:46 protect you from every wealth scam, every prosperity lie, and every get-rich-quick scheme you'll ever encounter. Today, we're going to dig them out. Ecclesiastes [music] opens with a title, "The words of the teacher, son of David, king in [music] Jerusalem." Most scholars believe this is Solomon, or at least someone writing [music] in Solomon's voice. The richest, wisest king Israel ever had. This matters [music] because of who is speaking. This is not a poor man complaining about wealth he never had. >> [music] >> This is the wealthiest human being in recorded history telling you that wealth did not deliver what it promised. His opening statement sets the tone for the entire book.
1:32 "Meaningless, >> [music] >> meaningless, everything is meaningless." The Hebrew word is hevel. It literally means vapor, [music] breath, smoke, something you can see but cannot hold, something that appears for a moment and then [music] vanishes. Solomon is saying, "Everything I chased turned to vapor in my hands." Now, >> [music] >> most people read that and think Ecclesiastes is depressing, nihilistic, a downer. It's not. It's the most freeing book in the Bible >> [music] >> because once you stop chasing vapor, you can finally see what's real. Principle one, the one that demolishes [music] every prosperity gospel promise in a single verse.
2:18 Ecclesiastes 5:10. Whoever loves money never has enough. Whoever loves wealth is never [music] satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. This is not a nice quote for a Pinterest [music] board. This is the richest man in history reporting his findings. He had more money than anyone before or since, and his conclusion was, "It's never [music] enough." The more you have, the more you want. The goalpost moves every time you reach it. >> [music] >> Modern psychology has a name for this. The hedonic treadmill. The phenomenon where every increase in income produces a temporary spike in happiness [music] followed by a return to your baseline. You get the raise and feel good for 2 weeks, then [music] it's normal. Then
3:04 you want more. Solomon knew this 3,000 years before psychologists named it. He continues in verse 11. [music] As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast [music] their eyes on them? The more you earn, the more people show up to spend it. Bigger house means bigger maintenance. Better car means higher insurance. [music] Higher salary means higher taxes, higher expectations, higher lifestyle. Solomon saw the whole cycle, and he called it vapor. If the richest man who ever lived tells you money never satisfies, and you still think the next raise will make you happy, [music] you're not disagreeing with a preacher, you're disagreeing with the data.
3:51 Principle two. This is the one that shocks people because they don't expect practical [music] investment advice from a book about meaninglessness. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2, "Cast [music] your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. >> [music] >> Give portions to seven, yes, to eight, for you do not know what disaster [music] may come upon the land." "Cast your bread upon the waters." [music] In the ancient world, this was a trade metaphor. Merchants would send grain on ships across [music] the Mediterranean. You cast your bread, your goods, onto the water, and after many days, the ship returns with profit. [music] But the key is the next line.
4:38 "Give portions [music] to seven, yes, to eight." Don't send all your grain on one ship. Spread it across seven, maybe [music] eight, because you don't know which ship will sink. This is portfolio diversification. 3,000 years before Harry Markowitz won the Nobel [music] Prize for modern portfolio theory in 1990, Solomon wrote the same principle in two sentences. "For you do not know what disaster [music] may come upon the land." Solomon is saying, "The future is uncertain. [music] You cannot predict which investment will fail, which market will crash, >> [music] >> which job will disappear. So, spread your resources. Don't bet everything on one outcome." This is not a wealth code. It's the opposite. It's an admission of
5:24 ignorance. Solomon, >> [music] >> the wisest man alive, is saying, "I don't know what's coming. Neither do you. So, plan for uncertainty, [music] not for certainty." Principle three, the one that will make every hustler, every grinder, every 5:00 a.m. club member deeply uncomfortable. Ecclesiastes [music] 4:6, "Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. One handful with peace or two handfuls with exhaustion. Solomon says, "Take the one handful." This is a direct [music] assault on hustle culture. On the idea that rest is laziness, that more is always better, >> [music] >> that you should sacrifice sleep, health,
6:10 relationships, and sanity to maximize your income. Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 [music] goes further. What do people get for all the toil and anxious [music] striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain. Even at night their minds do not rest. This too [music] is meaningless. Solomon built the greatest building project in ancient history. He managed a trade empire spanning three continents. He worked harder and achieved more than any human before him. And he says his [music] work gave him grief and pain. Even at night his mind would not rest. The biblical antidote to workaholism is
6:55 not laziness. It's Sabbath. It's the radical claim that you can stop and the world will not collapse. That your value is not measured by your productivity. [music] That rest is not a reward you earn. It's a command you obey. Principle four, the most [music] surprising financial advice in Ecclesiastes, maybe in the entire Bible. Ecclesiastes 9:7-9. [music] Go, eat your food with gladness and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. [music] Always be clothed in white and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless
7:41 [music] life. After 12 chapters of saying everything is meaningless, [music] Solomon commands joy. Eat, drink, enjoy [music] your spouse, wear clean clothes, put oil on your head celebrate. This is not a contradiction. It's the whole point. [music] Since wealth doesn't satisfy, stop chasing it. Since the future is uncertain, stop hoarding for it. >> [music] >> Since work never ends, stop killing yourself with it. And instead, enjoy what is in front of you. Right now. Today. This principle appears five times in Ecclesiastes. Five times Solomon circles back to the same instruction. [music] Enjoy your food.
8:27 Enjoy your work. Enjoy your relationships. [music] Because these simple daily pleasures are God's gift, and they are the only wealth that doesn't turn to vapor. The prosperity [music] gospel says, "God wants you to have more." Ecclesiastes says, "God wants you to enjoy what you already have." Those are not the same message. [music] The richest person in the room is not the one with the biggest bank account. It's the one who can sit down to a simple dinner and feel genuinely grateful. Principle five, the conclusion of the entire book, the sentence [music] that everything else in Ecclesiastes has been building toward. Ecclesiastes [music] 12:13 to 14.
9:12 "Now all has been heard. Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring [music] every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether [music] it is good or evil." After 12 chapters of testing every financial strategy, every pleasure, every achievement, Solomon arrives at a single [music] conclusion. Not follow my wealth code, not divide your assets into [music] thirds, not manifest abundance. Fear God, keep his commandments. [music] This is the most antiviral financial advice in history. It's not clickable, it's not shareable, >> [music] >> it doesn't promise you anything.
9:59 But it's true. Every hidden thing will be judged. The money you hoarded when you should have given, the corners you cut when you thought no one was watching, the wages you withheld, the [music] generosity you withheld. God sees every transaction, every decimal, every motive. That is not a threat, it's a freedom. Because once you accept that God is the final auditor, you stop performing for anyone else. You stop [music] chasing approval, you stop comparing. You do what is right, and you leave the results to him. Five principles hidden in the book most pastors skip. [music] One, wealth never satisfies. The more you have, the more you want. Two, diversify. Spread your resources [music] across seven, yes, eight, because you
10:46 don't know what's coming. Three, workaholism is vanity. One handful with peace is better than two handfuls with exhaustion. Four, enjoy what you have today. It's God's gift. And it's the only [music] wealth that doesn't turn to vapor. Five, fear God and keep his commandments. Everything else, every [music] code, every secret, every formula, is vapor. Ecclesiastes is [music] not a depressing book. It is the most liberating book in the Bible. Because once you stop [music] chasing vapor, once you accept that wealth will never satisfy, that the future is uncertain, and that God is the only audience that matters, you are
11:31 free. Free [music] to rest. Free to enjoy. Free to give. Free to live. Fear God. Keep His commandments. That's what the richest man in history [music] concluded. We'll keep walking. Together.
