Vainly Chasing the Cheese - Ecclesiastes #25

Ecclesiastes 6:7-9

⁷ All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied.
⁸ For what more has the wise man than the fool?
What does the poor man have,
Who knows how to walk before the living?
⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Is it worthwhile to strive to live up to the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself” whenever you gain nothing in this world? What if you get zero credit for respecting others, or even lose for giving deference to others not as valuable or dependable as yourself? In the mid-19^th century novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the titular character knew how to live in both of his worlds: the world of the free man and the world of the slaves. He loved his first master, Mr. Shelby, and his family, and they loved and respected him for his devotion and integrity. He was also well-known by many other free people for the same reasons, and this made him an incredibly valuable slave.

In the beginning of the novel, Mr. Shelby needed to figure out how to pay off a heavy debt ASAP, and had to sell Uncle Tom. This tough decision meant not having to sell several of the other slaves, but it also forced him away from his wife and children as well as being shipped down the Mississippi River for inevitably harsher conditions. He landed in an even better situation for a season, but tragedy forced his sale to the violent and abusive Simon Legree. One thing led to another, and he was eventually beaten to death for refusing to betray a runaway.

This disaster did not need to happen for a multitude of reasons, one of the simplest right at the beginning. Tom knew what it was like to be content. Take the Apostle Paul’s words from Philippians 4, Tom was abased while his first master, Shelby, at least appeared to be abundant. However, because he wasn’t content with what he had, he had to quickly pay off a serious debt. There was so much Shelby could have learned from Tom about contentment and trusting in Christ, and his inability to do so is one of the greatest tragedies of that novel.

Shelby is the guy in verse 7; no matter how much he has, he continues to consume and needs more. Tom is the fellow in verse 8; the poor man who has learned to live with what he has, bettering the lives around him. And as verse 9 says, what you already have is better than the proverbial rat race, vainly chasing the cheese. What Tom had (and we can easily have for ourselves): Jesus Christ! The only One who truly makes you free! Trust in Him, then join with other believers and commit to serving Him! (Any questions, contact me here)

In Christ Alone,

Dan