“劳碌的人，不拘吃多吃少，睡得香甜。富足人的丰满，却不容他睡觉。” – 传 5:12
传道书把睡眠与生活上平安和满足的感受连在一起，这些福气和诚实的工作，都与明白一切美物都是来自供应我们需求的神有关。能够接受和享受我们有的生命、又以我们的工作为乐，是神极大的礼物。它带给我们平安的心，好让我们睡得香甜，因为我们知道神时常都在看顾我们。
传道书警诫我们关于永不满足地追求财富和它引起的灵命危机。这段经文虽然不是说财富不好，然而它提出警告，假若太富足以致受损，倒不如拥有不多但却能享受得到。钱财和富足都是神所赐的福，然而单为拥有更多金钱而追求财富，反影出一颗贪婪和不感恩的心，结果会带来穷乏的生命和甚至会伤害我们的心灵。把我们的资源、追求、和热忱献给神，更上算得多。
耶稣取材自这里所说的智慧，来帮助我们更清楚明白它的意思，衪说：“不要为生命忧虑、吃什么、喝什么，为身体忧虑穿什么。生命不胜于饮食么，身体不胜于衣裳么？… 你们需用的这一切东西，你们的天父是知道的。你们要先求他的国、和他的义，这些东西都要加给你们了”（马太福音 6:25-33）。
祷告
主啊，求你帮助我们专注为你而活，在我们的生命中和在你的世界里，寻求把你的国放在首位。阿们。
传道书 5:10-20
10贪爱银子的不因得银子知足，贪爱丰富的也不因得利益知足。这也是虚空。
11货物增添，吃的人也增添，物主得什么益处呢？不过眼看而已。
12劳碌的人不拘吃多吃少，睡得香甜；富足人的丰满，却不容他睡觉。
13我见日光之下有一宗大祸患，就是财主积存资财，反害自己。
14因遭遇祸患，这些资财就消灭，那人若生了儿子，手里也一无所有。
15他怎样从母胎赤身而来，也必照样赤身而去，他所劳碌得来的，手中分毫不能带去。
16他来的情形怎样，他去的情形也怎样，这也是一宗大祸患。他为风劳碌，有什么益处呢？
17并且他终身在黑暗中吃喝，多有烦恼，又有病患呕气。
18我所见为善为美的，就是人在神赐他一生的日子吃喝，享受日光之下劳碌得来的好处，因为这是他的份。
19神赐人资财丰富，使他能以吃用，能取自己的份，在他劳碌中喜乐，这乃是神的恩赐。
20他不多思念自己一生的年日，因为神应他的心使他喜乐。
Satisfaction And Sleep
“The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.” – Ecclesiastes 5:12
Ecclesiastes connects sleep with a sense of peace and satisfaction in life. These blessings are linked with honest work and recognizing that all good things come from God, who provides what we need. The ability to accept and enjoy the life we have and to be happy in our work is a great gift from God. This brings us peace of heart so that we can sleep well, knowing we are always in God’s care.
Ecclesiastes warns about the insatiable pursuit of wealth and its spiritual perils. Though it doesn’t condemn wealth, this passage warns that it’s better to have little and enjoy it than to have too much and be spoiled by it. Wealth and abundance are blessings from God, but pursuing wealth for its own sake shows a heart of greed and a lack of gratitude that will impoverish our lives and even harm our souls. Directing our resources, pursuits, and passions toward God is far better.
Jesus draws from some of the wisdom here and helps us understand it more clearly when he says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25-33).
Prayer
Help us, Lord, to focus on living for you, seeking to put your kingdom first in our lives and in your world. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
