Ecclesiastes 5

Reverence in the sanctuary 1
Pledges are serious; words lead to sin 4
Greed and sweet sleep 9
Wealth is a blessing 18
Text
Explanation
.1 ¶ Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
.2  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. .... (NASB)
   1 - Keep thy foot Or "guard your steps." What good advice! Solomon also says, avoid empty words, joking; speak advisedly; sense the holiness of God in heaven or preserve a heavenly atmosphere. This is far different from the modern ways to "do church." ge1601, ps119101.
  1 - Sacrifice of fools Description of those who do those things that should be avoided.
  1 - House of God The wilderness tabernacle as well as the temples that replaced it are houses of God. 1sa0107, 2sa1220, 1ki0301. People went into the temple as we do by the agency of Christ who stands before God in our place he0416, he0924, ps10004. They did go into the courtyard and the blood of the sacrifice was taken into the temple for them le0630.
  2 - Rash with thy mouth Reminding us of ps01914, mt1237.
  2 - Words be few A saying I've heard says, "It's better to be silent and and be considered a fool than to open the mouth and remove all doubt." Of course there is a time to speak ec0307. In fact to ignore bad treatment witnessed is to be guilty of it. 
 3  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.   3 - Dream From chalom, a term used as it is in English. This might include serious ideas.
  3 - Is known The words are not in the original. Consider the contrast between mental strain and too many words. Either may be excessive. 
  4 ¶ When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
 5  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
.6  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
  6  Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? (NKJV)
  4 - Pay what you have vowed Consider pledges to God as serious obligations.
  4 - Defer not to pay  It is well to promise good behavior or a gift to God. When we have considered our gift carefully, claiming divine wisdom and make our promise, we may ask God to provide for us so we can keep our promise. This principle applies to paying our material debts as well.
  6 - Mouth cause flesh to sin What we say, good or bad, makes it easier for us to follow through.
  6 - Say before the angel The word for angel also means messenger. Apparently the advice is not to make excuses for evil words. Consider the priest or minister to be God's messenger. Vows including those for marriage and baptism are to be serious and kept. mal0207, le0504,5.
 7  For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
 8  If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
  7 - Multitude of dreams, words, vanities In spite of foolish ideas, we must fear God ec1213. Also see ps03313-15, ps05021, zp0112.
  8 - Oppression Those in power, including Solomon, tend to make slaves of their people to gratify themselves.
  8 - Marvel not at the oppression 1ki1204, the Lord of the universe sees.
.9 ¶ Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
 10  He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
 11  When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
  9 - Earth is for all The Hebrew of this verse is obscure. Consider "'The profit (produce) of the earth is (ordained) for (the common good of) all: even the king himself is served by (the fruits of) the field' (2Ch 26:10). Therefore the common Lord of all, high and low, will punish at last those who rob the 'poor' of their share in it (Pr 22:22,23; Am 8:4-7)." (JFB).
  10 - Love silver The greedy person is never satisfied.
  11 - They are increased According to the Hebrew, the eaters are increased. 
12  The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
 13  There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
 14  But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
.15  As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
 16  And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
 17  All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
= = = = = = = = = =
   12 - Sleep The working person who gets exercise may sleep better than the rich.
   13 - Riches kept Wealth is a gift from heaven although worldly owners may not recognize it (ps02401; mt1920,21, 1ti0609,10).
   15 - Return to go as he came ... take nothing Ultimate futility of wealth. See another form of the same verb used in reference to the translation of Enoch ge0524.
.18 ¶ Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.
 19  Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
 20  For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.
  19 - His portion Leaving ample to help others.

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