Ecclesiastes 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Whatever obscurity may attach to the interpretation of this verse, in any case it represents the dependence of the inhabitants of earth upon the produce of the soil. I. THE FACT OF THE BOUNTEOUSNESS OF THE FRUITFUL EARTH. 1. Man's body is fashioned out of its dust. Whatever may have been the process by which the animal nature of man was prepared as the lodging and the vehicle of the immortal spirit, there is no question as to the fact that the human body is a part of nature, that it is composed of elements of a nature similar to those existing around, that it is subject to physical law. All this seems implied in the statement that the human frame was formed of the dust of the ground. 2. Man's body is supported by its produce. Directly or indirectly, man's corporeal nature is nourished by the material substances which exist in various forms upon the surface of the earth. The vegetable and animal creation minister to man's needs and growth. 3. Man's body is resolved into its substance. "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The earth provides man with his food, his raiment, his dwelling, and his grave. II. THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE BOUNTEOUSNESS OF THE EARTH. 1. The least is not overlooked, the poorest is cared for, fed, and sheltered. 2. The greatest is not independent. All men share the same nature, and sit at the same table: "The king himself is served by the field." LESSONS. 1. We have to learn our dependence upon what is lower than ourselves. Whilst we are in this earth, whilst we share this corporeal nature, the material ministers to bodily needs, and must not be disdained or despised. 2. We should rise to an apprehension of our real dependence upon Divine providence. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." It is ordered by God's wisdom that the earth should be the instrument of good to all his creatures, even to the highest. And the enlightened and thoughtful will not fail to ascend from the instrument to him that fashioned it, from the abode to him that built it, from the means of well-being to him who appointed and provided them all, and who intended the earth and all that is in it to teach his intelligent creatures something of his glorious character and gracious purposes. - T. Parallel Verses KJV: Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.WEB: Moreover the profit of the earth is for all. The king profits from the field. |
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