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In 1973, the O’Jays released their hit song For the Love of Money. The lyrics still sting today:

“For the love of money, people will steal from their mother… rob their own brother… lie, cheat, hurt, beat… all for a small piece of paper.”

The O’Jays were right. The love of money drives people to all kinds of evil. The Apostle Paul put it plainly: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10).

We don’t like talking about money, especially in church, but Scripture won’t let us avoid it. In fact, the Bible has over 2,000 verses about money—more than on prayer and faith combined. Jesus Himself spoke more about money than about heaven and hell put together—not because money is more important, but because your attitude toward money could keep you from heaven.

Maybe you think, “That’s not me. I don’t love money.” But loving money isn’t about swimming in gold like Scrooge McDuck or making it rain in a music video. We don’t love money for money’s sake—we love it for what it can get us. John Piper puts it this way: “The heart that loves money is a heart that pins its hopes, pursues its pleasures, and puts its trust in what human resources can offer.”

If your heart is tempted to pin its hopes on what money can buy, Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:9 has a sobering word for you. The Preacher teaches us this: Money can buy many things, but it cannot buy an enjoyable life. If you want to truly enjoy your life, don’t love money—learn contentment.

Why We Shouldn’t Love Money

The passage is structured like a sandwich, with warnings about money on the outside and a surprising lesson about contentment in the middle. Let’s start with the “bread”—why not to love money.

1. The Love of Money Hurts People (5:8–9)

The Preacher points to corrupt officials who oppress the poor. Why? Because everyone wants a cut. Love of money often leads to exploitation and injustice. And it’s not just “them out there.” If we’re not careful, love of money can make us hurt people close to us.

2. The Love of Money Creates More Problems (5:10–12)

Biggie Smalls was right: “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” More wealth brings more expenses, more people to support, and more things to worry about. The rich man often loses sleep over his abundance while the poor man rests peacefully. Wealth complicates life—it doesn’t simplify it.

3. Money Doesn’t Last Forever (5:13–17)

Fortunes can vanish overnight. Even if you manage to hold onto your wealth, you can’t take it with you. John D. Rockefeller’s accountant was asked how much he left behind. The answer? “All of it.” Wealth is fleeting, and death strips us of everything.

4. Money Can’t Buy Enjoyment (6:1–6)

Solomon describes a man who has everything—wealth, possessions, even a long life—but no ability to enjoy it. That’s a tragedy worse than death. History is filled with wealthy people who admitted they were miserable. As Andrew Carnegie once said, “Millionaires seldom smile.”

5. Money Can’t Buy Satisfaction (6:7–9)

Even if you enjoy your wealth for a time, it never satisfies. Desire is endless, like chasing the wind. C.S. Lewis explained it well: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

So why not love money? Because it hurts people, multiplies problems, fades away, can’t guarantee enjoyment, and never satisfies.

How We Can Learn Contentment

At the center of this passage, the “meat” of the sandwich, we find the real solution—not in having more, but in learning contentment.

Ecclesiastes 5:18–20 paints a surprising picture of joy: “It is good and fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil… this is the gift of God.”

Contentment doesn’t come from wealth—it comes from God. So how do we learn it?

1. Look for the Good in What You Have

The Preacher points to the simple gifts of life—food, drink, work, possessions. Enjoy them! Don’t despise the little things, and don’t live in constant comparison. Gratitude is directed upward to God, not outward by comparing ourselves to others.

As William A. Ward said, “The more we count the blessings we have, the less we crave the luxuries we haven’t.”

Take stock of what you already have and rejoice in it. That’s the first step to contentment.

2. Look to the God Who Gave It

Three times in these verses the Preacher reminds us: wealth and enjoyment are gifts from God. Every good thing you have comes from Him.

J.I. Packer once said, “The only person in this world who enjoys complete contentment is the person who knows that the only worthwhile and satisfying life is to be a means, however humble, to God’s chief end—His own glory and praise.”

But here’s the problem: instead of worshiping the Giver, we’ve often worshiped His gifts. That’s sin. And the penalty for sin is separation from God.

The good news is that God sent Jesus to restore us. He lived without sin, died in our place, and rose again to give us eternal life. In Him, we find the true contentment our restless hearts crave.

Fighting for Contentment

Even as Christians, we still wrestle with discontent. We see someone else’s house, car, or lifestyle and start to crave it. But the answer isn’t more stuff—it’s gratitude for what God has already given.

One practical way to fight for contentment is to give generously. When you give faithfully and sacrificially, it loosens the grip money has on your heart and reminds you that your hope isn’t in wealth but in God.

Paul sums it up beautifully in 1 Timothy 6:17–19: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy… to be generous and ready to share… so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Take the Next Step

If you want to enjoy your life, don’t love money. It will overpromise and underdeliver every time. Instead, learn the secret of contentment: look for the good in what you have, look to the God who gave it, and look to Jesus Christ, the only One who can satisfy your soul forever.

The path to joy isn’t lined with dollar bills—it’s paved by the grace of God.