Eating in Darkness with Sorrow and Wrath - Ecclesiastes 5:17

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said, “There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit has he that has labored for the wind?”, and in chapter five and verse seventeen of his book Solomon said, “he eats in darkness, and has much sorrow and wrath” where we read,

All his days also he eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

The verse reads, “All his days also he eats in darkness, …” Solomon began with the words, “all his days also” or “each, every, the whole and everyone of his, the wealthy man’s, sunrises to sunsets even so and indeed” “he eats” which means “he, the wealthy man, consumes and devours” “in darkness” or “within a secret place and obscurity”. Solomon said the wealthy person consumes and devours in obscurity in each of the sunrises to sunsets of his life.

The verse goes on to say, “… and he has much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.” Daniel continued with the words, “and he has much sorrow” or “and he, the wealthy person, possesses a great and abundant amount of vexation, grief and indignation” “and wrath” which means “and anger that wrinkles the nostrils and nose” “with his sickness” or “accompanying his, the wealthy person’s, malady, anxiety, calamity and disease”. Solomon said the wealthy person also incurs an abundant amount of vexation and grief accompanied by anger in their malady and disease.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Solomon how the person who is “wealthy” in this world without an eternal perspective lives in obscurity and incurs abundant grief and anger within their calamity and disease. God never intended for possessions to cause us such troubles, and when we have an eternal perspective that includes Him as the owner of all things, we will be inclined to live in a manner that pleases Him and has eternal rewards in mind. God loves us, and when He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sin of all mankind and resurrected Him from the grave after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and provided with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth concerning that which He gives us to use in His Kingdom.

Next time Solomon says, “it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".