The Teacher in the second half of Ecclesiastes 5 now turns his wisdom to pondering corruption. It is not surprising, he concludes that all levels of the food chain favor the rich on top and create the poor on the bottom as each level of responsibility takes their “cut.” That is life for sure. He laments,
“Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.”
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 sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.”
Ecclesiastes 5: 10-12
Did I hear an “amen” sighed? Somehow the end of the month that brings in the bills is always challenging as we consider the scales balancing our assets and deficits, not to mention the bills we anticipate for the future – college for kids, medical, house payments and hopefully a restful vacation.
Corruption, the Teacher concludes is meaningless, as our “wants” always exceed our “haves.” Focusing ourselves on those who are “richer” than ourselves always leads to dissatisfaction. So what does give us a good nights sleep as that is possible for the rich and the poor? We can all sleep peacefully but many don’t. I would suggest the reason for poor sleep rests in our ability to rest our cares in the hand of God. How? I have heard that one way is having a notepad by our bed and if our minds keep chewing on our favorite topics of concern, be that worries or grudges, write it on the pad, like an email to the “boss.” Another person said they keep a box by their bed and they lock that paper in the box for safe keeping til tomorrow. I start praying for my kids, grandkids, friends, people facing problems and suddenly I’ve relaxed been sleeping.
When my daughter was 5 months old I used to walk with her and lament my loss of sleep. My neighbor had a tiny baby and was walking our porch. I introduced myself and asked how old his tiny tot was. I was shocked to learn the baby had a chromosome defect and needed to be fed all the time so he and his wife took turns walking with the little tyke. He shared that he had learned that it didn’t matter really how much sleep he got but what he did with those hours of care. Worry drained them. I have never forgot.
I love Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
On the Way to Wonder 