Muckworm

[Ecc. 4:7] Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.
Qoheleth fastens upon another instance of the vanity of this world, that frequently the more men have of it the more they would have; and on this they are so intent that they have no enjoyment of what they have. As it stands this verse seems incomplete: it serves only as a heading for verse 8 in which Qohelet gives an example of what he means by the hebel quality of working to pile up riches.
[8] There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
This ancient description of an individual who has no living heir but who works hard and lives frugally in order to amass wealth resonates with reality in the contemporary world. Qohelet’s opinion, the accumulation of wealth is not a sufficient reason for depriving oneself of the simpler pleasures in life.
There is one alone, that minds none but himself, cares for nobody, but would, if he could, be placed alone in the midst of the earth; there is not a second, nor does he desire there should be: one mouth he thinks enough in a house, and grudges every thing that goes beside him. See how this covetous muckworm is here described:
1. He makes himself a mere slave to his business. Though he has no charge, neither child nor brother, none to take care of but himself, none to hang upon him, or draw from him, no poor relations, nor dares he marry, for fear of the expense of a family, yet is there no end of his labour; he is at it night and day, early and late, and will scarcely allow necessary rest to himself and those he employs. He does not confine himself within the bounds of his own calling, but is for having a hand in any thing that he can get by.
2. He never thinks he has enough: His eye is not satisfied with riches. Covetousness is called the lust of the eye (1 John 2:16) because the beholding of it with his eyes is all that the worldling seems to covet. He has enough for his back, for his belly, for his calling, for his family, for his living decently in the world, but he has not enough for his eyes. Though he can but see it, can but count his money, and not find in his heart to use it, yet he is not easy because he has not more to regale his eyes with.
3. He denies himself the comfort of what he has: he bereaves his soul of good. If our souls are bereaved of good, it is we ourselves that do bereave them. Others may bereave us of outward good, but cannot rob us of our graces and comforts, our spiritual good things. It is our own fault if we do not enjoy ourselves. Yet many are so set upon the world that, in pursuit of it, they bereave their souls of good here and for ever, make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience, bereave themselves not only of the favour of G-d and eternal life, but of the pleasures of this world too and this present life. Worldly people, pretending to be wise for themselves, are really enemies to themselves.
4. He has no excuse for doing this: He has neither child nor brother, none that he is bound to, on whom he may lay out what he has to his satisfaction while he lives, none that he has a kindness for, for whom he may lay it up to his satisfaction and to whom he may leave it when he dies, none that are poor or dear to him.
5. He has not consideration enough to show himself the folly of this. He never puts this question to himself, "For whom do I labour thus? Do I labour, as I should, for the glory of G-d, and that I may have to give to those that need? Do I consider that it is but for the body that I am laboring, a dying body; it is for others, and I know not for whom--perhaps for a fool, that will scatter it as fast as I have gathered it--perhaps for a foe, that will be ungrateful to my memory?"
It is wisdom for those that take pains about this world to consider whom they take all this pains for, and whether it is really worth while to bereave themselves of good that they may bestow it on a stranger. If men do not consider this, it is vanity, and a sore travail; they shame and vex themselves to no purpose.
Working to achieve community seems to promise more lasting rewards than simply working to become rich.