Ecclesiastes Chapter Five, Oppression, Profit, & Abundance

Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. [9] Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

The preacher first approached this topic at the beginning of chapter 4, noting that the oppressed weep because they lack a comforter; whereas the oppressors have strength, or power, to oppress without opposition, Ecclesiastes 4:1.

While the aforementioned verse explains what happens, the preacher now explains why it happens. The poor are those that weep because they have no comforter. The rich, then, are the oppressors that cause the grief. The preacher is not remiss in relating that the wealthy are not happier, better people for their wealth; this is a fantastical illusion perpetuated even today. They still suffer from the same fundamental issues that plague humanity, rich or otherwise.

The wealthy have overseers to report to, who in turn have greater than they. The conspiracy theorist would have a field day with this passage, transferring it the Deep State theories of American government today, and how even our former president Joe Biden was but a pawn of others to whom he answered, etc. To make the cogs of the machine turn, pressure is asserted on those beneath the high official receiving his orders. Of course this trickles down to lesser officials with less power, until it finally reaches ground zero: the poor who labor for a pittance. 37.9 million Americans are considered poor, out of a population pool around 330 million. Conversely, an amazing 1% of households in our country represent 26% of the United States’ wealth. This disparity between the rich and the poor is one reason why many people have a poor outlook toward Capitalism and free enterprise. But Capitalism, Socialism, or any other ‘ism’ is humanly manufactured, and comes with the baggage and defects ingrained in our sinful nature. The preacher saw this in his own kingdom circa 1,000 BC; civilization and human nature have not evolved since then.

Yet he seems to mock this disparity, since he reminds his readership that even the highest of the high benefits from the laborers that work the land. The profit of the land–meaning its bounty of food–serves even the king’s table. This was why the preacher referred to the oppression of the poor as, “the evil work that is done under the sun,” Ecclesiastes 4:3. 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.

Our Lord Jesus once remarked that man cannot love or serve both God and wealth, Matthew 6:24. Paul wrote that those who desire to be rich would suffer for their greed, and that loving money is a root of manifold evil, 1 Timothy 6:9, 10. Wealth is a capricious god; it will never leave its devotee with lasting satisfaction. Those suffering from it will always yearn for more, to their hurt.

Modern society has given way to a new type of individual termed a hoarder. They collect, gather, and keep anything and everything, just in case, and cannot bear to part with anything material as though every item that comes under their power is both vital and precious. Mammon is a means to acquire what we think we need: things. Things provide distraction, ease, pleasure, prestige, bragging rights, and who knows how many more things we each convince ourselves are necessary for life. This was why the skilful man was earlier resented by his neighbor, who burned with envy rather than chose to improve his own ability. We want, for wanting’s sake. I happen to be a comic book collector, having enjoyed the medium since I was a little boy. But there is a real danger in going wildly overboard with what should merely be a hobby and nothing more. I can attest a pull within myself, something unreasonable and even whimsical that just wants what it wants. The Bible calls this lust; a term we often attribute to sexual perversion. But lust is a trait we practice anytime we are inflamed with the desire to gain something for ourselves that burns with an intensity that is unreasonable. That is, there is no reasoning with the person suffering it when they are in its thrall.

The preacher employs concepts his contemporaries would easily grasp, being silver and abundance. It is fitting that, in Solomon’s time, the king made silver commonplace, or practically worthless, 1 Kings 10:27. Perhaps an aging Solomon reflected upon man’s innate desire to still accumulate, even when the more objective value of said item has declined. It has less to do with what the item is or does that is objectively beneficial, and more to do with the individual’s preoccupation with it. That might explain why the preacher follows this observation with the man who loves abundance but is never satisfied with it. He increases, but his satisfaction remains unsated. Why? Materialism is never going to genuinely satisfy. Humanity is not a purely physical being. And while God acknowledges that we need material things, (see Matthew 6:31, 32) we need something else infinitely more. Man is a spiritual creature. Or more to the point, we are spirits housed in bodies to function on this earth. Material gain then is destined and doomed to fail in our effort to satisfy a spiritual need with a physical solution. It is not unlike a child playing with a toy that has different shaped holes. He tries to push a square through a star’s opening and becomes increasingly upset when it won’t fit. He knows it isn’t fitting but does not understand what to do to remedy the problem. The problem boils down to simplicity itself: he picked up the wrong shaped block. When we delve into greed and the pursuit of wealth or things, we’ve picked up the wrong block. It will never fit, and we will never be ultimately satisfied by it, because it was never designed to provide that type of satisfaction.