Why Am I Depriving Myself of Enjoyment?

Ecclesiastes 4:8
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 a life-changing question. A question whose answer exposes your own folly to yourself. A question that leads you to a moment of discovery of what matters and what doesn’t matter. A question that stops you on your track so that you reconsider if you want to continue traveling that path. A life-changing question. Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

The writer of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon a man that God made the wisest. Solomon in this book gives life a philosophical approach. He makes observations and then logically reasons them out. This book is also inspired by the Holy Spirit. In this book are things that God wants us to know using this philosophical approach. Therefore, questioning and rationalizing is not contrary to the biblical way of life.

In the chapter of our consideration today, Solomon makes observations that he wants us to learn from. In some cases, he leaves us in suspense. An example is that first verse that tells us that people are oppressed and cry but no one listens or helps them, Ecclesiastes 4:1. Then he writes that, but those who oppress them are in power or have power. He doesn’t resolve that issue, he moves on to state that the dead are better than those who are alive and the unborn are better than them all, Ecclesiastes 4:2-3. End of story. He doesn’t give any further explanations and he doesn’t solve the issue of the oppressed.

As we read on in the chapter, we come across the text of our consideration today. In this verse, he gives the story of a certain man and he draws the conclusion. The man in the story didn’t have a brother or a son. That meant that there was no one who could inherit his property as per the law of that time. If he died, the wealth could easily be wasted or stolen. Yet this man worked hard, very hard to create more and more wealth. He worked hard to get more and more wealth. Then one day the man in the story came to his senses and asked the pertinent question that changes lives, “why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”

Solomon concludes that one verse story by giving what seems like its moral. Solomon tells us that this too is meaningless. It is a miserable business to work so hard for too much that you don’t need and will not benefit you or anyone you care about. You deprive yourself so much to gain nothing? Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

New Living Translation
This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

Amplified Bible
There was a certain man—without a dependent, having neither a child nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “For whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity (a wisp of smoke, self-conceit); yes, it is a painful effort and an unhappy task.

Contemporary English Version
For example, some people don’t have friends or family. But they are never satisfied with what they own, and they never stop working to get more. They should ask themselves, “Why am I always working to have more? Who will get what I leave behind?” What a senseless and miserable life!

Good News Translation
Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too–and a miserable way to live.

You have gathered enough, why are you gathering more? You won’t take any of it with you when you die. You have no one to bequeath what you are working hard for. In order to earn more and get more, you are denying yourself enjoyment of life. Is it worth it? You are making sacrifices but for who? Ask yourself the critical question, why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.

There is no success without sacrifice. This successful man sacrificed enjoyment of life in order to create wealth. He sacrificed happiness and things that could bring him happiness in order for him to acquire more and more wealth. If you can’t deprive yourself you can’t be successful or rich. The man deprived himself and succeeded but the key question was, what is all this sacrifice for? Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

What do I hope to achieve? Why am I overworking? Why am I endangering my health? Why am I working when others left the workstation long ago? What is my aim? What will I get? Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

Why am I saving a lot and living on less almost languishing in poverty? Why am I taking another loan and earning so little at the end? Why am I trying various sources of income? What do I hope to achieve? Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

If you have no goal or purpose that you are sacrificing for, stop sacrificing and find a goal first. It is the goal that makes the effort worthwhile. Hard work changes nothing if there is no goal. What goal are you aiming at as you work hard in your health, spiritual life, relationships, etc.? Why am I sacrificing so much so that I am healthy, then what? Why am I denying myself a lot in order to live a life that pleases God, then what? Why am I putting so much effort into my relationship and my partner is putting the minimum or none? What do I hope to achieve? Why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?

The message is simple, get a goal or get a life. If you have no goal, enjoy life. Do not miss both the goal and the happiness in life. For a worthy goal, deprive yourself of enjoyment and you will make it. For a poor goal or no goal, abandon that quest and enjoy life. May God help us to make wise decisions, as we ask ourselves this pertinent question, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on the notification, and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/