Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God. Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every manThis phrase acknowledges God's sovereignty and provision. In the ancient Near Eastern context, wealth was often seen as a sign of divine favor. The Bible consistently teaches that all blessings, including material wealth, come from God ( Deuteronomy 8:18). This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that God is the ultimate source of all good things ( James 1:17). The phrase also implies stewardship, as wealth is given by God and should be managed according to His principles. and He has enabled him to enjoy them
Enjoyment of wealth is presented as a divine enablement, suggesting that true contentment and joy in material possessions are gifts from God. This contrasts with the futility often associated with wealth in Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The ability to enjoy wealth without it becoming an idol is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing gratitude and contentment (1 Timothy 6:17). to accept his lot
Accepting one's lot refers to a contentment with one's circumstances, a theme prevalent in Ecclesiastes. This acceptance is not resignation but a recognition of God's sovereignty and provision. It echoes the Apostle Paul's teaching on contentment in Philippians 4:11-12. The phrase suggests a trust in God's plan and timing, acknowledging that He knows what is best for each individual. and to rejoice in his labor
Rejoicing in labor highlights the value of work and the satisfaction it can bring. In the cultural context of ancient Israel, work was seen as a God-given duty and a means of serving Him (Genesis 2:15). This perspective is reinforced in the New Testament, where believers are encouraged to work heartily as for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). The joy in labor is a counter to the often negative view of work as toil and drudgery. This is a gift from God
The concluding phrase underscores the central theme of divine generosity. Everything, including the ability to enjoy wealth and find satisfaction in work, is a gift from God. This reflects the biblical teaching that life and its blessings are not earned but given by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). It calls believers to a posture of gratitude and worship, recognizing God's hand in all aspects of life. Persons / Places / Events 1. GodThe ultimate giver of all good things, including wealth and the ability to enjoy it. 2. Every ManRepresents humanity, specifically those who receive wealth and the ability to enjoy it as a gift from God. 3. Riches and WealthMaterial blessings that are bestowed by God. 4. LaborThe work or effort that a person engages in, which is also a source of joy when seen as a gift from God. 5. Gift from GodThe concept that both material wealth and the enjoyment of it are divine blessings. Teaching Points Recognizing God's SovereigntyUnderstand that all material blessings come from God, and He is sovereign over who receives them. Contentment in God's ProvisionLearn to accept your lot in life and find joy in your labor, recognizing it as a gift from God. Enjoyment as a Divine GiftRealize that the ability to enjoy wealth and work is not a given but a special grace from God. Stewardship of WealthUse your resources wisely, acknowledging that they are entrusted to you by God for His purposes. Gratitude and WorshipCultivate a heart of gratitude for God's gifts, leading to worship and a deeper relationship with Him. Bible Study Questions 1. How does recognizing wealth and enjoyment as gifts from God change your perspective on material possessions? 2. In what ways can you cultivate contentment in your current circumstances, as encouraged by Ecclesiastes 5:19? 3. How can you apply the principle of stewardship to the resources God has given you? 4. What are some practical ways to express gratitude to God for His gifts in your daily life? 5. How do the teachings in Ecclesiastes 5:19 relate to Paul's message about contentment in Philippians 4:11-13? Connections to Other Scriptures James 1:17This verse emphasizes that every good and perfect gift is from above, reinforcing the idea that wealth and the ability to enjoy it are gifts from God. 1 Timothy 6:17Paul advises the wealthy not to be arrogant or to put their hope in wealth, but to trust in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Proverbs 10:22This proverb highlights that the blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it, aligning with the idea that wealth is a divine gift. Philippians 4:11-13Paul speaks about contentment in all circumstances, which relates to accepting one's lot and rejoicing in labor as a gift from God. People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Accept, Eat, Empowered, Enables, Enjoy, Enjoyment, Furthermore, Gift, Gives, Happy, Joy, Labor, Labor-this, Labour, Lot, Money, Pleasure, Portion, Possessions, Power, Receive, Rejoice, Reward, Riches, Thereof, Toil, WealthDictionary of Bible Themes Ecclesiastes 5:19 5289 debt
5325 gifts
5476 property
5629 work, ordained by God
5830 delight
5874 happiness
8780 materialism, and sin
8809 riches Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 5846 enjoyment Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 8287 joy, experience
8811 riches, attitudes to Library Naked or Clothed?
'As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.'--ECCLES. v. 15. '... Their works do follow them.'--REV. xiv. 13. It is to be observed that these two sharply contrasted texts do not refer to the same persons. The former is spoken of a rich worldling, the latter of 'the dead who die in the Lord.' The unrelieved gloom of the one is as a dark background against which the triumphant assurance of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureLessons for Worship and for Work
'Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few. 3. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. 4. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for He hath …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Things to be Meditated on as Thou Goest to the Church.
1. That thou art going to the court of the Lord, and to speak with the great God by prayer; and to hear his majesty speak unto thee by his word; and to receive his blessing on thy soul, and thy honest labour, in the six days past. 2. Say with thyself by the way--"As the hart brayeth for the rivers of water, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God: When shall I come and appear before the presence of God? For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Literature.
i. editions of chrysostom's works. S. Joannis Chrysostomi, archiepiscopi Constantinopolitani, Opera omnia quæ exstant vel quæ ejus nomine circumferuntur, ad mss. codices Gallicos, Vaticanos, Anglicos, Germanicosque castigata, etc. Opera et studio D.Bernardi de Montfaucon, monachi ordinis S. Benedicti e congregatione S. Mauri, opem ferentibus aliis ex codem sodalitio, monachis. Greek and Latin, Paris, 1718-'38, in 13 vols., fol. This is the best edition, and the result of about twenty …
St. Chrysostom—On the Priesthood Ninth Day for God's Spirit on Our Mission Work
WHAT TO PRAY.--For God's Spirit on our Mission Work "The evangelisation of the world depends first of all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men--ay, deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life, is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-wide prayer." "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul. Then when they had fasted and prayed, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed."--ACTS …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession Thoughts Upon Worldly-Riches. Sect. Ii.
TIMOTHY after his Conversion to the Christian Faith, being found to be a Man of great Parts, Learning, and Piety, and so every way qualified for the work of the Ministry, St. Paul who had planted a Church at Ephesus the Metropolis or chief City of all Asia, left him to dress and propagate it, after his departure from it, giving him Power to ordain Elders or Priests, and to visit and exercise Jurisdiction over them, to see they did not teach false Doctrines, 1 Tim. i. 3. That they be unblameable in …
William Beveridge—Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 How to be Admonished are those who Give Away what is their Own, and those who Seize what Belongs to Others.
(Admonition 21.) Differently to be admonished are those who already give compassionately of their own, and those who still would fain seize even what belongs to others. For those who already give compassionately of their own are to be admonished not to lift themselves up in swelling thought above those to whom they impart earthly things; not to esteem themselves better than others because they see others to be supported by them. For the Lord of an earthly household, in distributing the ranks and …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Ecclesiastes 5:19 NIVEcclesiastes 5:19 NLTEcclesiastes 5:19 ESVEcclesiastes 5:19 NASBEcclesiastes 5:19 KJV
Ecclesiastes 5:19 Commentaries
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