A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. (Ecclesiastes 10:19)

Based on this verse, some false teachers have declared that God himself admits that money is the solution to every problem and the way to achieve any goal. If this is true, then to them it follows that the Bible encourages us to devote an extraordinary amount of effort to attain wealth. This soon turns into the claim that to “seek first the kingdom of God” is to seek first the wealth of the world, and to place money before every else.

This is not a hypothetical distortion or slippery slope – there are people who believe this. They make it their lifestyle to seek wealth on this basis, and assure themselves that they are in agreement with biblical teaching. In fact, from their perspective, they are the responsible and obedient ones, because while the other Christians work hard to spread the gospel through preaching, these people have a larger vision and a smarter approach.

They think that, if they become rich, then they will not have to reason with the non-Christians – they can buy them. The non-Christians do not respect the gospel, but they respect money, so if we have more of it than they do, then they will listen to us. Money is the key to capturing people’s attention and making an impact in the world. After all, the Bible itself teaches that “money is the answer for everything.”

This is a close paraphrase to the statements that some of these people have made. One of them said that Paul failed in his ministry because he was never as rich as Solomon, and so he never wielded the resources and blessings that God has given to every Christian. Once we have attained the level of prosperity that Solomon enjoyed, then the non-Christians will come and bow down to us. According to him, this is the true gospel ministry.

However, this verse in Ecclesiastes is teaching something different. It offers a contrast between “money” and “a feast…and wine.” A feast and wine have some uses and effects, but in contrast, money has many uses and effects. This is a statement about the reality of things, but the verse does not say what to do with this information. It would be wrong to immediately infer, “Therefore, you should regard money as the most important thing in your life, and you must seek it with all your might.”

To ensure the correct interpretation, one must take into account the immediate context of the surrounding verses, and also the broader context of the book. For our purpose, it is enough to direct our attention to the end where the author explains what he wants us to get out of Ecclesiastes: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (12:13–14).

Fear God and keep his commandments, for there will be a judgment. This is “man’s all” (NKJV), and this should be our whole concern. From the beginning, the author has been showing that all the things and the ways of this world are “meaningless.” Then, after an extended discourse on the things and the ways of this world, the conclusion is that our whole duty is to fear God and keep his commandments, for there will be a judgment.

Therefore, he is not urging his readers to pursue the things and follow the ways of this world, or to be enamored with all that he has described in Ecclesiastes. His point is precisely the opposite – these things are vain, futile, and meaningless. The meaning of life is stated in the conclusion, that is, we are to fear God and keep his commandments, knowing that he will judge all men. Since this is the point, any inference from Ecclesiastes that is inconsistent with this must be a false inference.

We must seek God, not Mammon (Matthew 6:33). According to the false teachers, it is as if God himself has commanded us to seek Mammon, so that we are to seek God by seeking Mammon. This is condemned by verse 24, where Jesus declares that the seeking of the two are mutually exclusive, not mutually supportive.

Nevertheless, Jesus adds that the seeking of God would be followed by the gaining of Mammon (v. 33). This is contradicted by an even more sinister group of false teachers and heretics. Driven by demons, they often exploit the errors of others to advance their far more destructive program of unbelief, tradition, and phony piety.