Ecclesiastes chapter 5

vs 11

"Goods" is a pretty vague word. I'm guessing from the context it is talking about stuff beyond just simple food, housing etc. Trade goods, manufactured goods - the sort of stuff people can live without. And it's true - the more there are, the more people buy them. Probably partly to do with supply and demand - greater supply, price goes down; price goes down, demand goes up. And yet, as the writer says, all you do is stare at it. Meaning isn't going to be found there.

vs 12

Hard work obviously induces deep sleep. But those who are rich can rest easy - and it turns out, resting easy isn't so easy.We hit this later too, but it's almost like the ability to reflect deeply on circumstances is a curse, because it brings anxiety and realisation of meaninglessness.

vs 13

People don't often hoard poverty. But we live under the misapprehension, especially today, that more wealth brings more happiness. In fact, it just brings a different, more complex kind of misery. That can be worse, because if you believe that more money brings more happiness, you won't realise that it's actually part of the problem, so you can just keep compounding it.

vs 14

It's funny that inheriting great wealth is seen as meaningless, because you never worked for it, but now losing everything so that your kids get nothing is also a grevious evil. But as we will see, it's just a fact of how the world works.

vs 15

The idea of "taking it with you" implies that you are going somewhere. What we have in this life stays here. It is ephemeral. But we aren't.

vs 16

This does in fact seem far more grevious - we live and die, yes, and the ephemeral stuff around us is pretty much meaningless. But we are forced to toil hard for it while we're here! That just sucks!

vs 17

And who can blame them? Even just sitting and thinking about it for a minute makes God out to be a real bastard. He creates us and puts us in a situation where we have to work for things that are eternally meaningless, or else we suffer.

vs 18

It's not a perfect lot by any means. But the writer is not concerned, and we shouldn't be either. Because the attitude that I expressed (on purpose) up above is one that stems from the idea that God owes us something. In fact, he owes us nothing. Instead of thinking he's a bastard for putting us in a crappy situation, we should be thankful that he allows us to exist at all, and that he makes it so that we can enjoy anything at all, even if only for brief periods. I know the "it could be worse" argument isn't fabulous, but this one has a slight twist to it, "You don't necessarily deserve better."

vs 19

Not everyone actually enjoys wealth and possessions. For some lucky buggers, they are just there, and their real joy comes from God. For most, they just add to misery, even if it is in an invisible way. Those who get to have wealth and enjoy it are really blessed by God.

vs 20

Busyness in order to keep our minds from reflecting too much - this is what I was talking about earlier. Because as the author is showing, when you reflect on it a bit, you see an awful lot of meaninglessness around. Better to be kept busy by God, as a blessing, and to be glad for it.