Understanding the Bible requires understanding figures of speech. It’s like saying don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house. A glass house isn’t always literal but symbolizes the situation’s fragility. Another verse in Ecclesiastes has Solomon mentioning these things about life:
Ecclesiastes 4:4-5
4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. (ESV)
We could understand that “eats his own flesh” isn’t meant to be literal. There are hyperboles in the Bible or in any form of wisdom literature. Buddhism has a proverb about drinking seawater and never getting satisfied. I may disagree with Buddhism’s salvation and theological doctrines but it’s absurd to drink seawater to quench one’s thirst. Now, we think about the problem of envying others but not doing anything to gain it. Also, eating one’s own flesh may be best translated to chewing one’s self. There’s a condition called dermatophagia which a person chews on one’s own skin leaving it damaged. In the symbolic sense, people who engage in destructive are destroying themselves.
Dr. Matthew Henry’s commentary gives this issue on the matter:
Here Solomon returns to the observation and consideration of the vanity and vexation of spirit that attend the business of this world, which he had spoken of before, ch. 2 11.
I. If a man be acute, and dexterous, and successful in his business, he gets the ill-will of his neighbours, v. 4. Though he takes a great deal of pains, and goes through all travail, does not get his estate easily, but it costs him a great deal of hard labour, nor does he get it dishonestly, he wrongs no man, defrauds no man, but by every right work, by applying himself to his own proper business, and managing it by all the rules of equity and fair dealing, yet for this he is envied of his neighbour, and the more for the reputation he has got by his honesty. This shows, 1. What little conscience most men have, that they will bear a grudge to a neighbour, give him an ill word and do him an ill turn, only because he is more ingenious and industrious than themselves, and has more of the blessing of heaven. Cain envied Abel, Esau Jacob, and Saul David, and all for their right works. This is downright diabolism. 2. What little comfort wise and useful men must expect to have in this world. Let them behave themselves ever so cautiously, they cannot escape being envied; and who can stand before envy? Prov 27 4. Those that excel in virtue will always be an eye-sore to those that exceed in vice, which should not discourage us from any right work, but drive us to expect the praise of it, not from men, but from God, and not to count upon satisfaction and happiness in the creature; for, if right works prove vanity and vexation of spirit, no works under the sun can prove otherwise. But for every right work a man shall be accepted of his God, and then he needs not mind though he be envied of his neighbour, only it may make him love the world the less.
II. If a man be stupid, and dull, and blundering in his business, he does ill for himself (v. 5): The fool that goes about his work as if his hands were muffled and folded together, that does every thing awkwardly, the sluggard (for he is a fool) that loves his ease and folds his hands together to keep them warm, because they refuse to labour, he eats his own flesh, is a cannibal to himself, brings himself into such a poor condition that he has nothing to eat but his own flesh, into such a desperate condition that he is ready to eat his own flesh for vexation. He has a dog’s life—hunger and ease. Because he sees active men that thrive in the world envied, he runs into the other extreme; and, lest he should be envied for his right works, he does every thing wrong, and does not deserve to be pitied. Note, Idleness is a sin that is its own punishment. The following words (v. 6), Better is a handful with quietness than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit, may be taken either, 1. As the sluggard’s argument for the excuse of himself in his idleness. He folds his hands together, and abuses and misapplies a good truth for his justification, as if, because a little with quietness is better than abundance with strife, therefore a little with idleness is better than abundance with honest labour: thus wise in his own conceit is he, Prov 26 16. But, 2. I rather take it as Solomon’s advice to keep the mean between that travail which will make a man envied and that slothfulness which will make a man eat his own flesh. Let us by honest industry lay hold on the handful, that we may not want necessaries, but not grasp at both the hands full, which will but create us vexation of spirit. Moderate pains and moderate gains will do best. A man may have but a handful of the world, and yet may enjoy it and himself with a great deal of quietness, with content of mind, peace of conscience, and the love and good-will of his neighbours, while many that have both their hands full, have more than heart could wish, have a great deal of travail and vexation with it. Those that cannot live on a little, it is to be feared, would not live as they should if they had ever so much.
A citation from J. Vernon McGee also talks about it with verse 5 by saying the following:
Does this mean a foolish man is a cannibal? No, it means that he is not willing to do anything to protect himself. He will not work for himself. We have developed quite a society like that today. People want everything given to them.
The very words of McGee can explain (in part) why is socialism on the rise. Why do some youths join socialist and communist groups? They have their envy complex such as hating the rich. They think the rich must be punished simply for being rich and the poor must be liberated because they are automatically oppressed. The idea is absurd for these reasons. Some rich people are involved with charitable work, pay their employees well, and are good people. Some of the poor are poor because they waste their resources, they’re engaged in criminal activities and the like. Being poor or rich isn’t the issue but how one lives life. One can see how some rich people used to be poor. Some rich people become poor because of foolishness. Some people remain poor because of foolishness. It’s one thing to be poor because you’re an outcast due to leprosy. It’s another thing to be healthy and poor and never work.
One of the biggest reasons communism succeeds is because of lazy people, especially among the youth. I can admire the shrewdness of the communist leaders but not their recruits. The communist organizers know they can achieve power by recruiting lazy people who are bitter about the success of others. I could see how communist recruits cause trouble. Meanwhile, communist organizers only want power while pretending to care for the indigent. The recruits believe that their recruiters care about them. In contrast, think about how wicked communist leaders (such as Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin) exploited their gullible followers. These people believe in nonsense like the workers, not the business owners, own the means of production. However, workers are owners of their salaries and are entitled to just compensation. Business owners own the means of production. Workers are entrusted with the means of production. In turn, workers own the just compensations given to them in exchange for their labor. Yet, we have people who still demonize businesses (even the legitimate ones).
It may also be noteworthy that Nazism is short for National Socialism. Adolf Hitler also led a protectionist regime. Hitler was a bitter man who hated European Jews because of their success. Hitler’s own agenda ended up worsening Germany after he supposedly helped improve its conditions. Seizing the capital of the European Jews wasn’t a sustainable economic plan either. What happened was that Hitler ended up causing economic woes for Germany. Later, Communist leaders ended up causing people to starve. Neither Nazism nor Communism ever built a utopia. It’s because they’re trying to build their utopia based on sinful ideologies.
The issue is there will always be haters. People who work hard and succeed are destined to be hated by the lazy. Yet, no one should care about what the lazy people who are envious do. Though, lazy and envious people have the choice to either stop what they’re doing and be diligent or stay in the same area. In Christianity, there’s no room for laziness. Ephesians 2:10 and Titus 2:11-14 says God’s grace produces good works. James 2:12-26 also warns that faith without works is dead. If you’re saved then diligence isn’t a burden. Lazy people can be saved from their laziness to become diligent to serve the living God. Christians may fall into laziness but God is faithful and just to chastise (Hebrews 12:5-7). God ordained work before the ball. Now, we’ve got the thorns and thistles to work with. Yet, God is faithful and just to reward the Christian’s hard work since He makes sure that what He begun–He will finish it (Philippians 1:7-9).
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