It seems that wealth and happiness have always been connected. Qohelet concentrates on this subject and discusses its benefits and drawbacks. The message is easy to understand, and it’s not surprising that people agree with his points. Traditional wisdom itself shows similar expressions and sentiments: fortune does not satisfy its owner (Prov 19:4, 6); the rich man suffers from insomnia (Sir 31:1a) and cannot enjoy his possessions (Sir 30:19); there is a parallel between the poor wise man and the rich fool (Prov 11:28a; 14:21b; 17:5), etc. But Ecclesiastes, as we said at the beginning, maintains his particular confrontation with this wisdom by presenting his own experience as proof.
5:9 is a satire, not of the evil rich man, but of how money is either well or poorly acquired and well or badly spent. 5:12-16 aligns with Job—a work that we also need to include among those that criticize the classical wisdom tradition of the Old Testament—in the “tragic fate of human beings”: they depart like wine, for they will take nothing from the work of their hands (Job 1:21). Parallel to verse 16 is Job 14:1; 6:4f also aligns with Job when it states that abortion is better than the living (Job 3:13).
The futility of human effort runs parallel to the dissatisfaction that comes with riches (6:7-9; cf. 5:9-11). Once again, he states his belief that one should not be overly eager to understand the incomprehensible—expressed with a popular proverb in 6:9. 6:12 presents another challenge to traditional proverbs, similar to Hos 13:3; Job 7:9; Ps 39:7.
The conclusion is found in 5:17-19; it is not a renunciation of the possibility of happiness, but a call to realism: eat, drink, and enjoy (2:24f; 3:12f).
Once again, we must face the reality of the link between wealth and happiness from the perspective of Ecclesiastes, not in a moral sense, but simply as an observer and experiencer. This is the starting point for his reflection, based on what traditional wisdom has taught him. He is convinced that happiness does not lie in accumulating goods (cf. Mt 6:19-21, 24, 25-34), but in God’s gift of enjoying everyday activities.