Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
As always, before we look into the above verse we have to recall the meaning and purpose of the book of Ecclesiastes. The writer (Solomon) is contemplating life. He is pursuing all areas of life to find meaning in them for his own life. This is a pursuit by the richest man on the earth, who is seeing if anything in life can bring him happiness, fulfillment and meaning. In his own words he said it this way:
Ecclesiastes 2:9-10 (ESV)
So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.
Most of mankind could only dream of such a venture. Solomon pursued everything. His conclusion at the end:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
This gives us context for the above verse about the laborer and the rich regarding their sleep. It is an easy lesson to hear in this verse. The laborer, who has worked all day, for little, has no problem sleeping. It is not just his all day effort which created fatigue, that enhances his sleep, however. The above proverb is put in contrast to the rich man. The rich man can’t sleep because of his riches, therefore the poor laborer can because he doesn’t have to worry about his riches. This is a contrasting proverb. Solomon talks about the rich man’s stomach will not let him sleep, while the exhaustion of the laborer can! Solomon could be saying that there very well could be some physical issues caused by all the bad meal choices the rich might indulged in all day. But there is more than that. The context of this verse is found in a paragraph about riches. Solomon has just written:
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 (ESV)
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
So Solomon’s point in this verse that follows is that it is the concern and the care of his riches that keeps the rich awake at night. The common laborer (the poor man?) has no such care to keep him awake. The take away for us is that in our striving for wealth we might gain better food to eat but we also may lose the ability to relax and enjoy our rest and sleep. Worrying about money is a concern for both those who don’t have enough and those who have too much. It can destroy each of their sleep. But it is implied in this proverb that the laborer does not have the issue of poverty, since he is working each day. The rich is left to worry all day and all night about his riches. There are certainly exceptions to Solomon’s observation and some common laborers who may still wish to trade places in this story. Yet, the principle is true. Money can buy a lot of things. Even a great big-heat monitored-tilt-adjusted-ultra comfort-mattress. But that same money can’t buy you a good night sleep for your body if your mind is fixated on your riches. Solomon’s father said it this way in this psalm:
Psalms 127:2 (ESV)
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Sleep is a gift that is destroyed by toiling over financial investments.
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