Poor analogy: a $20,000 car, or even a $10,000 second hand car versus a $500 junker that barely runs is simply not the same thing as a $300 video card vs. perhaps AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-Core 12-Thread Unlocked (3.9 GHz base clock and 4.4 GHz boost clock) Desktop Processor with Radeon Graphics 7 for about a third of the price of a $300 dedicated graphics card. Which should more than suffice, or the Ryzen 7 5700G for about 1/2 the price. Unless one insists on engaging in even higher resolution as in gaming. Which itself I consider to be a waste of time. Graphic editing can be a different story, relative to its use.
Meaning living beyond what we need or helps to do the work of God is wasteful. I waste too much time.
As for the thelogy behind it: Solomon correctly states that enjoyment is a gift from God who gives us strength to work and earn money to enjoy the fruits of our labor.... “So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a person under the sun except to eat, drink, and be joyful, and this will stand by him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15).
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) That that, in context, is as the natural man reasons, andin the context of the unfairness of life:
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:14-15)But which is only contradicted in consideration of the spiritual dimension and its requirements of self-denial in service to God and others:
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-27)
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:31-33)
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. (2 Corinthians 12:15)Likewise, Solomon wrote:
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 2:15-17)
This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (Ecclesiastes 9:3-5)
Which is in clear contradiction in the light of the spiritual aspect, which is progressively revealed.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10)
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)
Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:12)
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42)
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (Luke 16:23-24)
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:47-48)
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)
whole lot of verses that don’t really have anything to do with the biblical liberty of enjoying life-
Kings in the old testament, and even people like moses, paul etc, all had wealth and enjoyed life- Paul havign known both poverty and wealth- having far far more than they ‘Needed”- They ate the best foods money could buy (More-so the kings, and moses and lot)- when they obviously ‘could have’ scoured the markets for the budget meat- but didn’t-
Jacob too worked and amassed great wealth with the sheep he accrued working for corrupt relative- God saw to it that he became very wealthy and very powerful-
[[Which itself I consider to be a waste of time.]]
Because you personally don’t enjoy hanging out with others who enjoy gaming obviously- which is fine- but a ‘waste of time’? God doesn’t call fellowship a waste of time- and not all fellowship is in a church or religious group and 24/7
[[For God shall bring every work into judgment,]]
Yes he will, and he will not be condemning those who lived lavishly UNLESS they did so in an evil manner, making idols of their ‘things’ their ‘wealth’ etc-
You are too hard on yourself needlessly- God made the vine to cheer the hearts of man, and no, it wasn’t grape juice they were drinking- Was drinking a ‘waste of time’ during Christ’s day, or even today at celebrations? God also allows man to enjoy wealth IF he works it so they can accumulate it via good health, good breaks in life etc- They can afford luxury items such as say a lexus instead of a VW, proper boat instead of a dinghy, expansive houses instead of shacks- etc- All of which are not sins- nor wastes of time and money- The legalist though can’t allow themselves to enjoy any of it because always in the back of their mind is the idea that “The $30,000 i could save by buying a VW instead of a Lexus ‘could go to’ the needy, and therefore it would be a sin for me to indulge in a Lexus model”
David certainly didn’t walk like the others when he could ride in his chariots-
I didn’t really want to get into this sidetrack issue-