“Tell me what you want to emphasize and I’ll show you the appropriate Bible verse.” Theologians call what is expressed somewhat sarcastically here “introduction”. In contrast to the interpretation, already existing thoughts are only underpinned with apparently suitable Bible verses. The US author shows how easy it is to slip into this behavior and how one can actually arrive at well-founded views Brittany Ann using the example of “money”.
Anyone who opens the book of Ecclesiastes will find statements like these in Preacher, Chapter 10, verse 19: “Meals are prepared for pleasure, and wine delights the living, and money grants everything.” Does money really make everything possible? Is it the answer to everything? (This is how others translate this statement.) Already in the Ecclesiastes book itself this view is put into perspective, there it says in Preacher, Chapter 5, verse 9: «Those who love money can’t get enough of money, and those who love wealth can’t get enough of profits. That, too, is void!”
Interestingly, such statements stand side by side throughout the Bible: Sometimes money is praised as a blessing and sometimes as a personified, demonic one «Mammon» rejected. Obviously, none of these statements are fully valid on their own, so context matters a lot.
With Solomon, not only a king is responsible for the content of the book, but at the same time a man who had a lot of money and could handle it. However, the book is not a financial guide. Instead, it is a collection of numerous ideas on various topics. In it, Solomon reflects on a wide variety of areas of life. In a way these all bear the handwriting of God, but some are more the expression of Solomon’s search for meaning, while others summarize results, some are more general, others describe Solomon’s specific experiences.
In the search for a common thread in the book of the Old Testament, Brittany Ann emphasizes that it is not only about the repeatedly mentioned “insignificant things”, about what cannot be achieved in life, but primarily about reaching out to God and an orientation to him. So Solomon sums up his book at the end as follows: «Let us hear the sum total of all teaching: Fear God and keep his commandments; because that is what makes the whole person. For God will bring every work before judgment, together with everything that is hidden, whether good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes, chapter 12, verse 13-14) Ann concludes: “As we read Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that we should seek righteousness through a genuine relationship with God, rather than simply chasing fleeting pleasures (or commitments) that do not truly satisfy us.”
Theologians and scientists do not really agree, but most consider Solomon’s statement about money as the answer to everything to be sarcastic or as a description of the injustices of this world – he speaks in the same context of servants sitting on horseback while their masters walk . According to Brittany Ann, what the preacher means by this is: “Like so many other things Solomon tried to pursue, the pursuit of money is futile because life is not fair. Those who work hard, do what is right, or have special skills or talents are not always rewarded.”
Even if it is not clear what Solomon means when he says “money is the answer to everything”, it is clear that he does not encourage other people to pursue money in particular. That would go against the theme of the entire book. Instead, the prominent king seems to have come to the conclusion that “to find true fulfillment in this life, the best thing to do is to put God first” — with or without money.
On the subject:
A new commandment: love your second neighbor
ChristNet Forum: How money determines politics and ourselves
Advertisement: Invest sensibly now or continue to lose purchasing power
2023-07-02 22:30:55
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