The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:1-3,
“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 anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth:
therefore let thy words be few.[3] For a dream cometh through the
multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.”
The “house of God” in the Old Testament was the temple. Solomon knew something
about the temple since he designed it and was responsible for having it built.
After he built the temple, Solomon noticed that some people would come there
but would not be “ready to hear.” There is a time for everything. There is a
time to listen and a time to speak. Some Christians have the gift to teach
God’s Word. It says about Jesus in Ephesians 4:10-11, “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far
above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)[11] And he gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers;” There are not many teachers
from God, but if the Lord has given one to you, make sure that you listen to
him or her. That was the issue in First Corinthians 14:34, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is
not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience,
as also saith the law.” This does not mean
that women should not preach. It means that when someone else is preaching,
women should listen. That is good advice for women, that is good advice for
men, and that is good advice for children. When it is time to listen to the
Word of God, then listen. It says in James 1:19, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
Did you notice at the end of
Ecclesiastes 5:3 the way that Solomon described how to recognize a fool? One
would think that it would be by the content of what a fool says. But he can
also be recognized by how many words that he says, “a fool's
voice is known by multitude of words.”
Solomon has more to say about the
mis-use of the tongue. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:4-7, “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?[7] For in the multitude of dreams and
many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.”
In verse 4 Solomon wrote about making a vow to God, which is similar in our age
to making a promise. No man is any better than his word. If you are a
Christian, you want to be known as someone who keeps his word. In verse six we
are told that to do such a thing is a sin. It is a sin to promise God that you
will do something, and then not do it. When you say that you will do something,
you just gave an assignment for yourself. Now, finish the job. It is easy to
raise your hand and say you will do something just when emotions have run high.
But as the days and weeks go by, what will distinguish you as a person of your
word, is that you fulfill what you promised. There might be one exception to
keeping your word, such as when a young person promises a group of peers that
he or she will perform some crazy stunt. On further reflection they should say,
“I promised something that I should not have promised, and therefore I am not
doing that crazy stunt.”
Solomon has one more thing to say
about the possibility of using too many words. He said in Ecclesiastes 5:7, “For in the
multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities.” What is it
about a “multitude of dreams” and “many words” that makes them similar in
“vanity?” We know about many words: that is how to recognize a fool. The more
you speak, the more you will sin. Dreams have nothing to do with reality.
Dreams are the thoughts that you have when you do not have control of your
mind, and those thoughts can wander anywhere, and so they are meaningless. What
you actually do is what matters, not what you dream
about doing.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:8, “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.”
Solomon turns to the subject of
material possessions, probably flowing from the previous statement about the
poor being oppressed. It says in Ecclesiastes 5:9-20, “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?[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.[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.”
In thinking about the rich and the
poor, it is good to start with the principle that is mentioned in the first
part of Ecclesiastes 5:9, “Moreover the profit of the earth is for all.” In other words there should be plenty on this earth for everyone.
There is something terribly wrong when you have a few super rich individuals
and many extremely poor individuals. How does this happen? It happens through
greed. It happens no matter what is the prevailing politics in place. It
happens with communism and capitalism and everything in between. More people
need to get saved through faith in Christ so that their hearts of stone get
changed to hearts of compassion and fairness. It is not fair when the bankers
and CIOs and heads of the communist party get paid effectively hundreds of
millions of dollars and everyone else can barely survive.
Solomon noticed that even though these
rich people are massively motivated by their lust for wealth, all of their money will never bring them satisfaction.
Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “He that loveth silver shall not be
satisfied with silver.” The government should be taking from the rich. That is not what
the Bible advocates, although everyone should pay their taxes. But the rich
have too much. They have more than their fair share. They have so much that
they cannot use what they have anyway. What practical use is an unlimited
number of properties, and homes, and automobiles? It says in verse 11, “what good is
there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?” One human
being does not have time to use all those possessions. By the
way, this is a hint at how to enjoy life: enjoy the beauty and wonder of
what you see. You do not need to own it to enjoy it. Look at the beauty of what
the rich have, and enjoy it for its beauty. You might be enjoying it more than
they do. You do not have to possess it to enjoy it, and those who do possess it
may not enjoy it at all.
The most important things in life
money cannot buy. In verse 12 we are told just one of the things that riches
cannot buy. It says, “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.” Money cannot buy rest or sleep. A hard-working poor man just
might sleep much better than a rich man. Who has the better life? Money cannot
buy sleep, money cannot buy love, money cannot buy happiness, money cannot buy
joy, and money cannot buy entrance into the
Notice carefully the last part of
verse 13. It says, “riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” There is
nothing wrong with acquiring riches, but there is something wrong with saving
the riches and doing nothing with them. The more that God has put into your
hand, the more that is required of you to use what He has put into your hand to
help others. This same theme is found in James 5:1-6, “Go to now,
ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.[2]
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.[3] Your gold
and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you,
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for
the last days.[4] Behold, the hire of the labourers
who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered
into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.[5] Ye
have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your
hearts, as in a day of slaughter.[6] Ye have condemned and killed the
just; and he doth not resist you.”
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5:15, “As he came
forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came.” This is true
of the rich man and the poor man. Both came naked into the world, and both will
take nothing out of it. Therefore, what profit is there in the acquiring of
riches? There is no profit whatsoever unless they were used for good. Both the
rich man and the poor man will be judged for how they used the resources that
God put into their hands.
Notice that Ecclesiastes 5:17 calls
the greed for riches a “sickness.” It says, “All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his
sickness.” Why would greed be called a sickness? Greed is called a sickness
because of the effect that it has on a human being. A sickness brings you down.
A sickness causes you suffering. A sickness keeps you from doing what you
otherwise would have done. Those who would be rich just might be piercing
themselves through with many sorrows. Strange is it not that the very thing
that some people seek after so resolutely is what destroys them.
But we must always remember that it is
not a sin to be rich. Riches are not evil, only the misuse of riches is evil.
The love of money is the root of all evil, but money itself is not evil. You
can be rich and still love God as long as you do not
love money. The way that you prove that you do not love money is that you are
not hoarding it. You are seeking God’s leading on how to use your money for the
glory of Christ the Savior. He gave it to you, so you should use it for Him.
That is why it says about riches in Ecclesiastes 5:19, “This is the
gift of God.” Everything that you have comes from God. Just make sure that
you recognize that fact and are thankful to God. It says in James 1:17, “Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.” Also, it says about Jesus in Ephesians 4:8, “Wherefore he saith, When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
Notice that it says at the end of
Ecclesiastes 5:19, “and to rejoice in his labour; this is
the gift of God.” One of the sources of true joy on this earth is to accomplish
something. Walk with Christ and you will reach your highest level of
accomplishment whether you are rich or poor.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2015 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved