5:1 Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
Solomon warned against being “religious.” Religions have damned more people in the world than secular humanism. Pagan religions keep people down economically and intellectually. India’s Hinduism has produced a society which possesses the lowest mentality in the world. China was just as down as India, until they rid themselves of their religions. China is now under a terrible communistic dictatorship at this time, but they have at least become a world power to be reckoned with. Islam has weakened the Arab nations by making them a violent war zone who sends their children to attack Jews with plastic bombs on their jackets. South America has even more natural resources than North America, but paganism keeps their people in a miserable condition. Catholicism kept Europe in the Dark Ages for centuries. Liberal Protestantism is destroying America. Satan loves religion, but he hates Christianity. Religion is man seeking God. Christianity is God seeking man.
Christians need to be careful and make sure that they are attending the right church. The only way to know which church to attend is for each individual Christian to master Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. After Bible doctrine is mastered, then believers are responsible to attend and support a church that teaches sound Bible doctrine. If the believers supports a church that does not teach sound doctrine, then that believer is actually supporting the devil. The devil is real and he is involved in the curriculum of most churches. There are few seminaries and churches today who are really teach sound biblical doctrine. It is the believer’s responsibility to find these churches and support them. Otherwise, the believer is living in sin and promoting a church that does not feed the flock the true Word of God.
5:2 Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth! Therefore, let your words be few.
Solomon warned about making rash vows. When men make vows to God, then they usually cannot keep them. However, God demands that they keep their word to Him. The believer has the freedom to make the vow, but he better keep it. Otherwise, he will be judged by God.
There are many churches and mission groups who ask their congregation to make a vow to God as far as their annual offerings. This is unbiblical. The Bible warns about making vows, but the church encourages it. These types of churches are placing their congregation in a dangerous position with God. Their main goal is to keep their coffers full so that theirsalaries can be paid. All giving is to be by grace, not pulpit pressure.
5:3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.
Solomon gives some very interesting insights into the purpose of dreams. Charismatics like to claim that their dreams and visions are from God. They use Old Testament dreams from a different dispensation to falsely show that these dreams still take place today. They claim that God still speaks to modern charismatics through dreams. Then, they interpret their dream and claim that it is equal to the written Word of God.
According to Solomon, dreams come to those who have many cares in the world. Those who are troubled with life have dreams. If one is troubled in life, it is because he is not sound in Bible doctrine. Those who are sound in Bible doctrine will have troubles in life provided to them by the enemy, but they will be secure in their faith in God to get them through their troubles. Basically, dreams are a false replacement for those who are weak in Bible doctrine. If one is having troubling dreams, then his remedy is to study the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level.
Fools make rash vows to God that they cannot keep. Vows are permissible, but they must be kept. Therefore, one grounded in Bible doctrine will not make vows to God. He knows that he cannot keep it and God will judge him for it.
5:5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow!
If one is foolish enough to make a vow to God, then he must keep it. Pastors who entice their congregation to make monetary pledges to God are placing their flock at risk.
5:5 It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it.
It is foolish to make a vow to God and not fulfill it. God is alive and He expects you to keep your word to Him.
5:6 Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, “It was a mistake!” Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?”
Some Israelites made a vow that they could not keep. Then, they went to the Levitical priest and admitted that the vow was a mistake. They wanted the priests to offer a sacrifice for them to cover their sin. When a person makes a foolish vow and does not keep it, then God will become angry at them. He will destroy the work of their hands.
5:7 Just as there is futility in many dreams, so also in many words. Therefore, fear God!
Many charismatics place their faith in dreams rather than in the written Word of God. There is emptiness in dreams. The written Word of God is living and active. One needs to forget about a person’s dream, and instead, concentrate on mastering Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God.
5:8 If you see the extortion of the poor, or the perversion of justice and fairness in the government, do not be astonished by the matter. For the high official is watched by a higher official, and there are higher ones over them!
Many governments exploit the poor so that they can gain more wealth. God is the highest official. He is the head of the universe. He will judge these people. In the Millennial Kingdom, there will be no poor. The Messianic King will be the only leader in history who actually takes care of the poor.
5:9 The produce of the land is seized by all of them, even the king is served by the fields.
King Solomon learned that the peasants do all of the work, but the kings take all of the crops. God will judge these greedy kings. Modern day politicians are no different.
5:10 The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.
Communism teaches that capitalism is evil and should be eliminated by violence. Money is not evil, but the love of money is evil. Money can be used for God’s program or for Satan’s program. Those who master and apply Bible doctrine will become better stewards of God’s money.
God’s sovereignty dictates who receives money and how much. It is evil for one man to amass great amounts of wealth and then ignore the poor.
5:11 When someone’s prosperity increases, those who consume it also increase; so what does its owner gain, except that he gets to see it with his eyes?
Many churches and industries want to grow for the simple reason of pride. Churches who teach sound Bible doctrine will be small, because the majority of believers are carnal Christians who want to be entertained in large and hip-jiving churches. Larger churches will water down the Word of God and replace it with entertainment, because this keeps the attendance high and the coffers full. Carnal Christians do not have enough Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God to realize that they are in the wrong church.
5:12 The sleep of the laborer is pleasant—whether he eats little or much— but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
The laboring man has no trouble sleeping, because he is not a glutton. He has little to eat and little to worry about. However, the wealthy overeats. Gourmet food becomes bland to him. He is so worried about his riches, that he cannot sleep at night. Wealth brings him too many anxieties.
5:13 Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
Wealthy people are miserable. This is why their suicide rate is so high. One cannot find satisfaction in life, unless he masters Bible doctrine.
5:14 Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.
Many times, fathers leave money to their children, but their children blow the family fortune in a few months. Many fathers are now making wills to a trustee who gives out the money in increments. This has to be done to protect the family fortune from being wasted by biblically-ignorant children.
5:15 Just as he came forth from his mother’s womb, naked will he return as he came, and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.
When man dies, he cannot take his money with him.
5:16 This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
When a man dies, all of his hard labor is wasted. None of the money will go with him to heaven or hell. Therefore, spending one’s life to accumulate wealth is like chasing the wind. It is useless and emptiness.
5:17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.
Those who attempt to satisfy their life by accumulating wealth are like a man who eats in darkness every day of his life. He becomes psychologically sick and angry. He becomes depressed.
Millionaires travel all over the world seeking happiness, but they never find it. They will pay comedians millions of dollars a year, just to make them laugh. No one can be satisfied, unless they master and apply Bible doctrine.
5:18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.
King Solomon saw many things with the human wisdom which God had given him. People must enjoy the work, food, and drink in which God has given them
5:19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions, he has also given him the ability to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil; these things are the gift of God.
All wealth, food, and drink comes from God, so people should enjoy what God has given them. Many go through life without even thanking God for the wealth that has been graciously given to them. Most people with weak Bible doctrine think that they have earned all that they have. They do not have enough Bible doctrine to recognize that God has gifted them in many things, including their place of birth, their job, their wealth, their health, and even their amount of Bible doctrine.
5:20 For he does not think much about the fleeting days of his life because God keeps him preoccupied with the joy he derives from his activity.
Some people live as though God does not exist. They are too preoccupied with material possessions, so they have no time for God.