THE EVIL DISEASE OF POVERTY IN PLENTY

“A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof… this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.” — Ecclesiastes 6:2
📖 Scripture (KJV)
“All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.” — Ecclesiastes 6:7
📖 Scripture (KJV)
“But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me…” — Jeremiah 9:24
There is a form of poverty that does not come from lack.
It comes from plenty.
Ecclesiastes describes a man surrounded by what many people spend their lives chasing—riches, honor, and the fulfillment of desire. Outwardly, nothing is missing. Yet something deeper is absent: the power to enjoy it.
Solomon calls this condition an evil disease.
It is the strange experience of possessing much while inwardly remaining unsatisfied. The hands hold abundance, yet the heart feels empty. Life continues with constant labour, yet the appetite remains restless.
“All the labour of man is for his mouth,” the Preacher observes. Life becomes an endless cycle of striving to satisfy desire, only to discover that desire grows again tomorrow.
This is the quiet poverty that can live inside prosperity.
Ecclesiastes exposes the problem gently but honestly: human effort can gather things, but it cannot produce contentment. The ability to enjoy life is not manufactured by success; it is granted by God.
That is why Jeremiah redirects the heart away from what people normally celebrate. The greatest thing a person can glory in is not wisdom, strength, or riches, but this:
to understand and know the Lord.
When the heart knows God, abundance no longer becomes a burden and lack no longer defines the soul. Satisfaction is no longer tied to what a person possesses, but to the One who gives meaning to life itself.
The cure for the evil disease is not more wealth.
It is a heart that has discovered its true treasure.
🙏 Prayer
Lord, keep my heart from the subtle poverty that can hide within success and abundance. Deliver me from the restless appetite that labour cannot satisfy. Teach me to rejoice in the greater gift—that I may understand and know You. Amen.