Good Morning! I went on vacation, which led to an extended vacation from writing! My travels this year took my family and I to northern Scotland, which was a very nice break from Texas weather. This week we pick up our review and further thoughts on Don’t Waste Your Breath by Brian Borgman.
8 “If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for on official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them. 9 After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. 11 When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on? 12 The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. 14 When those riches were lost through [r]a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. 15 As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil—exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? 17 Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. 19 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.” Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 NASB
Borgman does an excellent job with this section. Chapter five is essential reading for Christians in a capitalist world. The practicality of the chapter, and its convicting nature will extend until Christ returns. It could be said for all of scripture, but I will say it here, there is a reason the Spirit inspired the writer to include the subject of money.
The Teacher begins by addressing oppression of the poor and denial of justice by the King. This is terrible and a result of the fall and the unregenerate decisions of men who lead and follows down the chain of command. These decisions to oppress come from many sinful motives, but the result of power and fear driven leadership is suffering by citizens.
We should as Christians strive to relieve those who are oppressed, and not oppress those in our charge. The best way to fight oppression is to begin with your family, co-workers, employees, and church. Those who you encounter daily. Show love, care, and pray for freedom for those who we cannot directly help. Sometimes we can aid groups that are aiding those in terrible situations who need help, or financial aid.
Two groups that come to mind. The first is domestic, the CASA program. Court Appointed Special Advocates help children that are in awful situations at home and need someone to look after them as they travel through our court system. The second is Program for Humanitarian Aid, which has provided relief for orphans in Ukraine for more than a decade. PHA is an organization that prioritizes the Christian message by aiding those less fortunate without parents or relatives to raise them in a country that does not care for its orphans (in fact individuals who are orphans are identified first as orphans and are second class citizens for life).
PHA existed long before the war between Ukraine and Russia and its locations of operation have made it even more impactful on those who are oppressed and impacted by government decisions. These are just two of many organizations that make a difference in the world. Christ said we will always have our poor, He did not mean that we should give up and not work with the strength, talents, and treasure that He supplies. We continue by the Spirit influencing our offspring and those around us to care for the less fortunate, not oppress others, and fight oppression. I am trying to stay away from politics in this post and stay practical.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good;
Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:16-17 NASB
Stated positively; We can make the impact on oppression and the poor that we can make in the time we have on earth by the power of the Spirit (John 15:5). Governments will sometimes make a positive impact on oppression, even war is a necessary evil to stop oppression (WWII), and other times it seems as though the world’s governments look away as genocide occurs. As Borgman says “It is human nature to be self-serving and devour others, like beasts, for personal gain” (90), this nature combined with power and position leads to “using one’s position…to obtain personal profit, or advantage, through fraud or deceit.”
Unregenerate leadership in disordered governments still, even though we may not see how, serve our Sovereign God in his plan toward greater glory, and these leaders who commit atrocities or fail to aid when able will see God’s righteous judgement. This world is not the end, it will be restored. We must make a general call to those who are oppressed and in need, Christ has prepared a mansion in glory for those who will call upon His name. There may not be relief in this world, but in the next there will be no more pain or sorrow.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and [e]brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:1-8 NASB
Further into chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes and chapter 6 of Borgman’s book is the discussion of the love of money. “The portrait Qoheleth paints for us is of a man who hoards riches to his own hurt” (93). Let’s be honest- money does make things easier. The man who does not have enough or does not have control over his cost of living is a preoccupied man. Not having enough can consume a man, but desire and drive to never not have enough is equally consuming and striving after the wind. Even in 2024 money can disappear, even with the FDIC, inflation will corrode your hoard! I still remember 2007 and 2008, watching what many investors thought couldn’t possibly happen, banks failing and many a rich man humbled. Placing money as an end and not as God’s blessing and means for necessary care and expanding his kingdom is disordered. When the money disappears the mirage that is success apart from God blows away like the wind. Job is the easiest scriptural example, also when Jesus tells the parable addressing covetousness.
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21 NASB
The key to the parable is to be rich toward God- always mindful that finances and health are uncertain- and that our faith in Christ and his completed work is certain. Building new barns is not a bad idea- if the Lord wills, but to strive after the wind in this temporary dwelling to the point that you lose sight of Christ is disordered. We should make plans! And we should plan how Christ should be the center of those plans, and aim that He would be glorified by the results. In all these things we must remember earlier passages and posts, Godliness with contentment is great gain, and this applies to how we handle the wealth God has blessed us with. Handling our finances in such a way that we can monetarily aid projects and missions that spread the gospel and aid those who are oppressed and less fortunate. Glorifying God with that which he has made us stewards of, because the text has made clear, this is not “our” money, it is God’s. He is sovereignly in control of everything, and Christ is King of all, it is His gift to us to use to his glory, caring for our families, the church, and those in need.
The image that always comes to mind is that camel trying to fit through the eye of the needle. I could also go off on a tangent of whether we should accept recognition for properly stewarding that which is not ours to those in need. We are God’s go between, handling financial blessings is one of the “good works prepared for us beforehand, that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10. To answer my question about recognition, any thanks always should be met with “Glory to God” or some saying similar. Glory to God for blessing me more than I deserve, and for giving me the opportunity to joy in giving for the furtherance of his kingdom and those in need.
“17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19 NASB
So we conclude with verses 18-20, which bring conclusion to the Teacher’s statements, “he revisits the remedy; he reminds us of the corner pieces of the puzzle” (94). Wealth and health is a gift from God to be enjoyed! The days of our lives are short, and God ordains the ways which we are kept occupied in our short lives. “The things of earth, the mundane, eating, drinking, and working, constitute God’s reward to us” (95). When taken to disordered extremes there is no joy in any of the mentioned reward, in fact extremes beget fear, worry, and stress. “The happier and more content we are, the more occupied we will be with the joys of life, and the more quickly it will pass by” (95). Yes, it will fly by, much like my vacation. While the scenery and history were amazing, the quality time focused on my family and nothing else seemingly caused the vacation to fly by. Not that there were no times of stress, lol, I drove nearly 900 miles on the wrong side of the road.
Borgman finishes with a statement I have been chasing in this post, “Enjoy the gifts, but hold them loosely. Love the Giver more than the gifts, because when the gift goes away, the Giver remains” (95). That Giver is the Trinitarian Fullness of God, creator and sustainer of all things, and we know he will see us through to glory. I need to get back to work now, lol!
The Wicket Gate 
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