Originally posted: 2/02/2021
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, (5:19-20).
I had to stop and ask myself, what am I preoccupied with? What, or who, preoccupies my mind and my thoughts.
But as I read the Preacher’s review on this life, I realized there is something, or should I say, Someone else at work here. The Preacher certainly does not suggest that man is the one who preoccupies himself. It is the gift of God, Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy.
Preoccupy:
* to engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or preferentially
* to be the main thought in someone’s mind, causing other things to be forgotten
* to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things
* to occupy completely the mind or attention of
But I was stunned when I looked into the Hebrew language to learn how this phrase, “keeps him occupied,” which is translated from one Hebrew verb, is actually defined:
occupy: 6031. עָנָה ʿānāh: A verb indicating to be afflicted, to be oppressed, to be humbled… Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
Afflicted, oppressed, humbled… how could this be? I kept digging to see if there was some other inference involved, but found none. And then I remembered Deuteronomy 8:2-3:
“You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”
And this Hebrew word that is translated, “humbled” in Deuteronomy 8, is the same word penned in Ecclesiastes 5:20, that is translated “keeps him occupied.”
So why the translators chose to translate this passage with the English word, “occupy,” is beyond my reasoning ability. But it does make sense. For as God told the nation of Israel that His humbling was to test them so they would know what was in their heart, He was after all, revealing to them what preoccupied their mind, their thoughts, their emotions, and their will… in other words, their heart.
And it is as we place our faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation, and accept life as a good gift from our very Good God, that we learn to see the meaning of this life according to His purposes and ways. And as we spend our energy in thanksgiving for His blessings, our heart will be moved away from the concerns of this world and turned instead to consider Him Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy.
For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart, (5:20).
Consider Him Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy
- He Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy as we choose to love His Riches and Wealth rather than the world’s.
- He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity… (5:10).
- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (Ephesians 1:3).
- He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity… (5:10).
- He Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy as we learn to find our contentment in Him.
- 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, (5:12).
- Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, (Philippians 4:11-3).
- 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, (5:12).
- He Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy as we store up the fruit of eternal treasures.
- 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? (5:15-16).
- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matthew 6:19-21).
- 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? (5:15-16).
- He Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy as we work heartily for His reward.
- 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, (5:18-19).
- Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve, (Colossians 3:23-24).
- 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, (5:18-19).
- He Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy as we occupy our minds with His Presence, His Hope, His Strength, His Truth, His Kingdom, His Holy Spirit, and His Salvation.
- For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart, (5:20).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Presence:
- You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever, (Psalm 16:11).
- You will make known to me the path of life;
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Hope:
- The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes, (Proverbs 10:28).
- The hope of the righteous is gladness,
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Strength:
- “…Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength,” (Nehemiah 8:10).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Truth:
- “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full,” (John 15:11).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Kingdom:
- for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Romans 14:17).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Holy Spirit:
- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control… (Galatians 5:22-23).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Salvation:
- and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls, (Peter 1:8-9 ).
- His Gift of Joy Preoccupies Us With His Presence:
- For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart, (5:20).
How do we respond to Him Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy?
The Preacher began this portion of Ecclesiastes by drawing our attention to our need to guard our steps and to walk in the fear of the Lord.
Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil, (5:1).
Let us take this admonition seriously. For if we will preoccupy ourselves with the truth that He is Holy and Worthy of our adoration and obedience, we will grow in our knowledge of Him Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy, and thereby delight in His commands to live uprightly in His righteousness.
Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever, (Psalm 112:1-3).
Let us ask Him to humble us and so Preoccupy Us With His Gift of Joy that we would live all our days in the Joy of His Presence, His Hope, His Strength, His Truth, His Kingdom, His Holy Spirit, and His Salvation.
Preoccupy: to engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or preferentially.
Let us ask Him to humble us that we would grow in our understanding of His surpassing value, that He would be our preference before anything else, as we live in the fear of Him Who Preoccupies Us with His Gift of Joy.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, (Philippians 3:7-8).
Preoccupy: to be the main thought in someone’s mind, causing other things to be forgotten.
Let us ask Him to humble us that we would grow in our desire for Him to be the main thing on our mind, causing other things to be forgotten as we live in the fear of Him Who Preoccupies Us with His Gift of Joy.
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God, (Colossians 3:1-3).
Preoccupy: to absorb or engross to the exclusion of other things.
Let us ask Him to humble us that we would become so absorbed and engrossed in Him that other things would be excluded from demanding our attention, as we live in the fear of Him Who Preoccupies Us with His Gift of Joy.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart, (Hebrews 12:3:).
Preoccupy: to occupy completely the mind or attention of.
Let us ask Him to humble us and to grow us in the fear of the Lord, until we, like Paul, can boldly claim there is no greater joy than knowing Jesus Christ as our very life; that our entire life would be lived in, and for, Him Who Preoccupies Us with His Gift of Joy.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain, (Philippians 1:21).
Oh, let us daily fix our eyes on Jesus, that we would walk in humility and the fear of the Lord, just as He did. Let us ask Him to humble us, that we would truly grasp the futility of fixing our focus on this world; that we would learn to live with an eternal perspective of the Joy that awaits us when our faith will be perfected by Him Who Preoccupies Us With His Gift of Joy.
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, (Hebrews 12:2).
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, (Philippians 1:6).