Solomon continues his criticisms of the materialist, or the person who values wealth and money above all else.  

Solomon writes that the one who hoards their riches and spends a lifetime worrying about them ends up unhappy…here is what Solomon specifically says about such a person: 

Ecc 5:17  Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.

Vexation, sickness and anger are about as far from happiness as one can get.  It paints a picture of Ebenezer Scrooge.  Who would want any part of that?  Yet many business moguls are often unhappy.  Coming into lots of wealth almost becomes the kiss of death.  Bill Gates the world’s richest man, just divorced the mother of his children after being married for almost 30 years.  Howard Hughes who was once the titan of the airline industry spent the last 20 years of his life locked in a hotel room…the man who constantly frets over their earthly assets is denied happiness, or as the Word tells us, lives a life of darkness, sickness and anger.  

So the long and the short of today’s devotional is not to get too wrapped up in the material things of the world, because they aren’t going to make us happy.