What does it mean that God tasks sinners with accumulating wealth only to later hand it over to those that please God?
Why does Solomon call this 'meaningless'?
Ecclesiastes 2:26
ESV - 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
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Asked January 08 2016
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Keri Adams
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
In my opinion, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes speaking from the perspective of one "under the sun" -- that is, from an earthly standpoint, apart from divine revelation or involvement. To such a person, much of human activity is vain or useless, and the "end states" of the wise and foolish man are identical (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and no different from beasts (Ecclesiastes 3:19). From such a viewpoint, it makes no sense that the devotion of one's life to accumulating wealth (even if one is sinful) should prove to be in vain through the passing of that wealth to someone who did not work for it, based on any considerations other than the fact that the person who had worked for the wealth "deserved" it because of his effort.
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