DAWN

     Explanation: Ecclesiastes 5 has two main themes: how we act before God, and how we act toward one another. The painting above depicts a vow being taken. This is the theme of the first section of today's chapter.

1. Narrator's Introduction - The Vanity of Everything                (   1:1   -  1:11  ) - 946 B.C. Israel
2. Teacher's Introduction  - The Vanity of Everything                (   1:12 -  2:11  ) - 946 B.C. Israel
3. Teacher's Word's           - Coping With Vanity                         (  2:12 - 11:9   ) - 946 B.C. Israel
4. Teacher's Conclusion    - Overcome Vanity by Serving God  ( 11:10 - 12:7   ) - 946 B.C. Israel
5. Narrator's Conclusion   - Overcome Vanity by Serving God  ( 12:8   - 12:14 ) - 946 B.C. Israel

          [ THEMATICALLY AND CHRONOLOGICALLY RELATED SCRIPTURES: Ecclesiastes 4. ]

          [ CHRONOLOGY: GENERAL. Patriarchs (Traditional). Judges # 1. Judges # 2. Kings # 1. Kings # 2. Prophets # 1. Prophets # 2. NT # 1. NT # 2. NT # 3. ]

          [ MAPS: Maps # 1. Maps # 2. Maps # 3. Maps # 4. Maps # 5. ]

          [ COMMENTARIES, ETC: GENERAL: Bible Study Tools; Bible Hub: Study Light; Blue Letter Bible // PSALMS: Monergism: Precept Austin: The Treasury of David; John Gill; John Calvin - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

          [ MUSIC: GENERAL: The Cyber Hymnal // PSALMS: Genevan Psalter (Instrumental). VARIOUS ARTISTS: Book of Ecclesiastes Dramatized. ]

     Solomon advises his readers to be careful about how they approach God. They should be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools, which is evil (1). They should not make rash, hasty vows, because God is in heaven and they are on earth, so their words should be few (2). For, just as a multitude of business produces a dream, so a multitude of words produces a fool's voice (3). So when vows are made you should not defer to pay them, because God has no pleasure in fools; so pay what you vow (4). It is better not to vow, than to vow and not pay (5). Do not allow your mouth to make you sin; and do not say to the angel, it was an error. Why should God be angry with your voice and destroy the work of your hands (6). For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are diverse kinds of vanities. But fear God (7). If you see oppression, and violent perversion of justice, do not be surprised; for he who is higher than the highest regards it; and he is higher than they are (8). Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all; and the king himself is served by the field (9). He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase; this is also vanity (10). When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and it is no good to those who own it, except to behold it with their eyes (11). The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not allow him to sleep (12). It is an evil thing for the owners of riches to keep them to their own hurt (13). Those riches perish by evil travail; and he begets a son, but has nothing to give him (14). He came naked from his mother's womb, and he shall return naked; he will take nothing of his labor with him (15). This is a sore evil. In all points as he came, so shall he go; and he will have labored for the wind, without profit (16). All his days he eats in darkness, and has much sorrow and wrath, with sickness (17). It is good for one to eat and drink and enjoy the good of his labor; that is his portion (18). Every man to whom God gives riches and wealth, and the power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God (19). For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answers him in the joy of his heart (20).

Vows

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 toutter any thing before God
for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth:
therefore [rightly] 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.
⁴When thou vowest a vow unto God,
defer not to pay it;
for he hath no pleasure in fools:
pay [this] 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 [this] 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 [this] the work of thine hands?
⁷ For in the multitude of dreams
and many words

there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Hurting and Helping One Another

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 [also] the highest regardeth;
and there be higher than they.
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 [only] 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 [naught at all] 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 [at all] 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 [this] his portion,
and to rejoice in his labour;
this is the gift of God.
²⁰ For he shall not much remember this]
the days of his life;
because God answereth him
in the joy of his heart.