Study 2: Wealth, riches, toil, work

This clip shows the repetition of part-time work and how it shapes aspirations.

Group 1 (Students who do not have paid employment)

Read Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 and Ecclesiastes 6. Use a bible paraphrase if necessary. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%206&version=NCV 

What does it say about wealth, riches, toil and work?

Group 2 (Students who work and study)

Warming Up to God

Do you feel more like God's dutiful employee or his valued friend? Explore your perspective and tell him your heart. Remember that he is your most patient listener and he's eager to hear how you're doing.

Read Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

Discovering the Word

• How would you describe the Teacher's emotional state as a result of his quest for meaning so far?
• The phrase "under the sun" appears often throughout Ecclesiastes—five times in this passage (vv. 17, 18, 19, 20, 22). Describe the "under the sun" mentality.
• What does the Teacher say about work (vv. 21-23)?
• What shift do you see in the way the Teacher views work (vv. 24-26)?
• Describe the contrast between seeking pleasure (vv. 10-11) and finding enjoyment (vv. 24-26).

Applying the Word

• When have you experienced the kind of satisfying enjoyment described here?
• If you were to view your work as a gift from God to be enjoyed, how could that change your attitude about it?
• Taken from http://www.ivpress.com/bible/study.php?study=620#ixzz4ELdt8tmC

Group 3 Business, finance or economics students

Read/ Listen to Ecclesiastes 11 for principles on money. 

Here are some examples from Ecclesiastes 10

1) Be diligent, otherwise your household economy will collapse like a leaky, rotten roof (Eccl. 10:18). 

2) Understand that in this life financial well-being does matter. “Money meets every need” (Eccl. 10:19) can be read in a cynical manner, but the text does not say that money is the only thing that matters. The point is simply that money is necessary for dealing with all kinds of issues. To put it in modern terms, if my car needs a new WOF, or I need University fees, it is going to take money. This is not greed or materialism; it is common sense. 

3) Be careful about people in authority (Eccl. 10:20). If you belittle your boss or even a customer, you may live to regret it.

Look for 4 more principles in chapter 11. 

For answers http://tscfhamilton.tumblr.com/post/147372289855/work-diligently-and-invest-wisely

Did you find drawing principles from the texts difficult? What dangers could you see from creating principles like these from the book of Ecclesiastes?

Share as a big group what you have learnt on the topic.

For further resources https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/ecclesiastes/