9/2/03 10.30a.m. Ecclesiastes
4:1-16
4 1 Again I looked and saw all the
oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed-- and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors-- and
they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died, are happier than the living,
who are still alive. 3 But better than both is
he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that
is done under the sun. 4 And I saw that all labor and
all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This
too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 5
The fool folds his hands and ruins himself. 6 Better
one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind. 7 Again I saw something
meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother. There was no end
to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and
why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too
is meaningless-- a miserable business! 9 Two are
better than one, because they have a good return for their
work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help
him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one
to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they
will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 13 Better
a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer
knows how to take warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison
to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within
his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the
sun followed the youth, the king's successor. 16 There was no
end to all the people who were before them. But those who came
later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.
PRAY
Littlewoods, the high street clothing retailer,
to leave the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a voluntary code of conduct
set up to help improve labour standards in poor countries. The Ethical
Trading Initiative is a voluntary organisation set up by campaigning
groups, including Christian Aid, retailers, suppliers and trade unions
aimed at improving labour standards in poor countries. It was established
after a Christian Aid campaign in the 1990s which exposed the poor labour
standards and employment practices behind many high street goods.
The company is also closing its ethical trade department and making
many of its experts in labour standards redundant.
LW Investments, owned by media entrepreneurs the Barclay Brothers, bought
Littlewoods in November 2002. Since the sale, the company has been split
into several business units and the department set up to carry out and
monitor its ethical policy has been disbanded. Many of the staff who
were experts in enforcing ethical standards throughout Littlewoods'
operation have been made redundant.
On Friday November 22, 2002 the Guardian newspaper
reported that Gap clothes stores are being targeted by campaigners who
presented new evidence yesterday that the company is making extensive
use of sweatshop labour.
Gap is encouraging the exploitation of workers in six countries, the
activists say. They presented a New York conference yesterday with documented
evidence of "abusive working conditions" collected from interviews
with 200 people in more than 40 factories making Gap garments in Cambodia,
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Lesotho, El Salvador and Mexico for the company's
global network of more than 4,000 shops.
To support their claims the union and Africa Forum invited labourers
from Indonesia, Lesotho and El Salvador to describe their working conditions.
They gave accounts of working long hours for low pay, and facing health
hazards and brutal working conditions at factories making Gap products.
Tebello, a Lesotho garment worker whose family members have become seriously
ill as a result of working in a factory supplying Gap, said: "The
factory is dusty. We can't escape breathing in the fibres. When we cough,
if the T-shirt we were working on was made of blue fabric, then our
mucus would be full of blue fibres."
A Bangladeshi worker employed at a Gap factory in Chitagong recounted
physical abuse at her plant. "If we make simple mistakes, they
beat us up. I made some small mistakes one time, so the supervisor came
and slapped my head and pulled my ears. And if we make mistakes, they
don't pay us for our work."
An Indonesian worker from a Gap plant in north Jakarta described how
low wages left employees unable to buy enough to eat.
The union accused Gap of systematically driving down wages. "Gap
does not readily disclose the locations of its factories. But now workers
in Gap contractor factories have reported abuses that demonstrate a
pattern of global exploitation," it says.
Many people are exploited in the developing world in the name of cheap
prices and profits for shareholders. The first four verses are about
those who oppress others for their own gain. This is inspired by envy
- a desire to have what someone else has, is meaningless and leads to
the oppressed suffering, with no hope, no power and no comfort.
Research International polled 1,500 young urban shoppers in 41 countries
and found consumers were prepared to turn a blind eye to ethical malpractices
when they involved favourite brands. A study by the UK food industry's
Institute of Grocery Distribution found the majority of shoppers were
equally unmoved by ethical considerations.
As Christians we should be different and not
accept the ways that things are done. We can protest, for example I
have e-mailed Littlewoods to register my discontent at their withdrawal
from the Ethical Trading Initiative. We can refuse to buy goods from
companies who do allow their workers to be mistreated. We can buy 'Fairtrade'
goods that are produced ethically and ensure that a fair price is paid
and/or proper working conditions provided.
The problem is widespread. Unscrupulous companies
or governments are able to gain short-term competitive advantage by
abusing fundamental workers' freedoms. This has been seen most clearly
in countries like Malaysia, where workers in the electronics export
sector are denied the opportunity of joining trade unions; Turkey, where
free trade zone workers are denied the right to strike; Lesotho, where
the mainly women workers in export estates producing goods like textiles
and garments face violation of basic working conditions, police violence
and even shooting; and Egypt, where child labour is extensively employed
in export sectors like commercial agriculture, textiles, leather and
carpet-making.
One day an expert was speaking to a group of
business students and, as this man stood in front of the group of high-powered
overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled
out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed jar and set it on a table in front of
him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed
them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside,
he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled
out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the
jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces
between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of
them answered.
"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought
out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into
all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked
the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!"
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the
jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked,
"What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter
how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit
some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The
truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks
in first, you'll never get them in at all."
What are the big rocks in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish?
Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances?
A cause? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get
them in at all.
This passage is also about how we work and use
our time. It gives examples of people who have the wrong 'big rocks'.
5 The fool folds his hands and ruins
himself. Literally 'The fool folds his hands together, and eats his
own flesh.'
The 'big rock' here may be laziness or apathy. You can imagine someone
being too lazy and starving themself because they cannot be bothered
to prepare, cook and eat food.
The act of doing something enables us to strengthen ourselves and grow.
Many years ago I came out of hospital after a motorcycle accident and
some of my leg muscles had wasted away due to weeks of inactivity. I
had to do a lot of walking to build them up again.
Someone who is lazy or apathetic is disobeying God's will for them.
Contrast the fool in verse 5 with 2: 24 A man can do nothing better
than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I
see, is from the hand of God.
This is true of us spiritually as well as physically. We are called
to use and develop the talents that God has given so that we can grow
in our love, knowledge and trust of Him. If we don't step out in faith
for Him, He doesn't get the opportunity to reward our faith.
The "Coronary and Ulcer Club" lists
the following rules for members...
1. Your job comes first. Forget everything else.
2. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are fine times to be working at
the office. There will be nobody else there to bother you.
3. Always have your briefcase with you when not at your desk. This provides
an opportunity to review completely all the troubles and worries of
the day.
4. Never say "no" to a request. Always say "yes."
5. Accept all invitations to meetings, banquets, committees, etc.
6. All forms of recreation are a waste of time.
7. Never delegate responsibility to others; carry the entire load yourself.
8. If your work calls for travelling, work all day and travel at night
to keep that appointment you made for eight the next morning.
9. No matter how many jobs you already are doing, remember you always
can take on more.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under
the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son
nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes
were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling,"
he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless-- a miserable business!
This is the other extreme to the lazy person - the busy person. Whilst
this may apply to single people, as verse 8 infers, it does not have
to. He/she is a slave to work at the expense of everything else including
their relationships, their family, their faith and their health. This
can come from an insecurity, a fear of perceived 'failure' and need
to prove oneself. As verse 4 says, it can be prompted by envy linked
to greed.
Families, children and spouses, need time and love and not a 'successful'
parent, possessions, or high living.
Travis Simpkins was neglected by an absent father
who gave him "quality" time instead of quantity time. Travis
even invented stories about his dad to impress his friends. Dad
rarely sent child support and claimed birthday presents were lost in
the mail. Travis finds it hard to trust others now, and ended
up in jail awaiting trial for armed robbery.
There is a middle way between the laziness and
the busyness. 6 Better one handful with
tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after
the wind. You could paraphrase this,
'Don't be greedy, don't work too hard but make the most life'. Or 'make
sure you get the big rocks right.' When you get home today and have
a moment imagine your life as the container and think of what is important
to you. Imagine putting them in first, and not letting the other, smaller
things crowd them out. Then think about how you will have to change
your life to bring it in line with what you see as your priorities.
An elderly man who was very ill said to his
wife, "You know, Sarah, you've always been with me - through the
good and through the bad. Like the time I lost my job - you were right
there by my side. And the war came, and I enlisted - you became a nurse
so you could be with me. Then I was wounded, and you were there,
Sarah, right by my side. Then the Depression hit, and we had nothing
- but you were there with me. When our son got into trouble and we didn't
know what to do, once again you were right there by my side. And now,
here I am, sick as a dog, and as always, you're right here beside me."
Sarah smiled at her husband and lovingly squeezed his hand.
"You know, Sarah, there's just one more thing I'd like to say to
you. You're bad luck!"
Verses 9-12 refer to someone who has partnership,
perhaps marriage, as a 'big rock' in their life.
9 Two are better than one, because
they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and
has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together,
they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A
cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
The partnership here bring financial benefits,
help, security, warmth and comfort.
This week a woman from the Midlands was appealing
for a travelling companion to go with her to visit her daughter in Australia
via Russia and China to avoid a long-haul air flight because she had
deep vein thrombosis. It was clear that she was going to make the most
of things and enjoy the journey as well as the arrival in Australia.
We are called to be like that. To enjoy the journey of life, rather than being so concerned with 'getting there' that we do not enjoy it. The danger is that we let the journey shoot past us without taking in what is happening.
This caused someone to write;
When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.
When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.
When I became a full grown man, time ran.
And later as I older grew, time flew.
Soon I shall find while travelling on, time gone.
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old
but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning. 14 The youth
may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born
in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked
under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. 16 There was
no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later
were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing
after the wind.
If this book was written towards the end of Solomon's reign he could
have pictured himself as the old, foolish King who was becoming less
popular and was threatened by an ambitious youth.
The previous verses warn about the dangers of being a workaholic, or
lazy. This cautions the reader not to seek or idolise the rich, famous
and powerful. We live in a culture where this happens with pop stars
and sports stars, evidenced by the popularity of television shows that
seek to 'discover' new pop stars. Thousands of youngsters queue up and
are prepared to be publicly humiliated for a chance of fame, despite
the example of 'Hear Say' of how short-lived fame and success can be.
This reminds us of the fleeting nature of fame, as well as the way that
this does not necessarily guarantee happiness, health and continuing
success. We can illustrate this with the career of George Best who was
very talented, worked at the game of football and was part of a talented
and successful side but gave it up, was never able to return and rediscover
his form, lived a life of drinking that endangered his very existence
and now looks frail and old.
This Chapter seems to revolve around how we use our time. Do we use it to oppress, directly or indirectly? Do we not use it well enough like the lazy man? Do we use it in the wrong way, like the busy man? Or do we use it in a right way by having a right balance that involves work, relating to other people and relating to our God?