Ecclesiastes 5: Fulfill Your Vow to God
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
“A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.”
Make no mistake-God takes our vows very seriously, much more seriously than many of us do. It’s easy to make promises to God when we are in a pinch, only to conveniently forget about those vows later. Meanwhile, God continues to wait for us to fulfill our promises. Make rash vows and you might find yourself struggling with nightmares. Far better not to make ridiculous vows in the first place. In Solomon’s day, vows made to the temple would be enforced by temple messengers, who would come to collect, hence the statement “And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.”
God takes vows so seriously that He has given strict laws concerning them. Numbers 30:1-16 outlines several different kinds of vows and the divine regulations governing them. V. 2 says, “When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” The remainder of that passage outlines regulations for women who make vows, depending on their marital status and whether their fathers or husbands agree or choose to invalidate the vow. Even in Moses’ day, ladies couldn’t beg off if a father or husband allowed their vow to stand.
Deuteronomy 23:21-23 tells us, “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.”
Riches Are Meaningless
“If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.”
If you think corrupt politics is a recent phenomenon, you’re wrong! Even in Solomon’s day, the corruption might extend all the way up to the king. But such practices exactly contravene God’s Word, for God orders us to care for the poor.
“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.”
One of the challenges of wealth is caring for it without becoming greedy, obsessed, or selfish. And it’s true that the more wealth, the more people appear to demand part of that wealth. Are rich people happier than poor people? Here are the results of an internet search:
Research indicates that happiness does not strictly correlate with wealth. Various studies suggest that:
Key Findings:
- Basic Needs Matter: People with sufficient resources to meet their basic needs tend to report higher levels of happiness.
- Social Connections: Strong relationships and community ties often contribute more to happiness than financial status.
- Life Satisfaction: Some studies show that individuals in lower-income brackets can experience high life satisfaction, particularly if they have supportive social networks.
Cultural Factors:
- Happiness can vary significantly across cultures. In some societies, communal values and relationships may outweigh material wealth in contributing to overall happiness.
“I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction, and anger.”
What if your family was previously wealthy but lost their wealth? Shortly before the Great Depression, my mother’s family was considered one of the wealthiest families in their small town. The family owned a car agency, the local movie theater, and the local bank. But a series of business reverses forced the family to liquidate their assets, paying off bank customers, and moving to a large farm inherited by my great-grandmother. That farm was half tillable ground and half forest, with a stream running through the property. As a place to sit out the Depression, it was actually an excellent location. Although the family suffered a loss of status, they actually lived comfortably. My grandfather hunted and fished in addition to farming, the family maintained a large garden, and my mother even ran a trap line, selling the pelts of the animals she caught.
What about “eating in darkness, with great frustration, affliction, and anger?” Someone once said that people are just about as happy as they want to be. Part of the family felt the loss of status keenly while the rest of the family coped with the challenges and enjoyed life as much as possible.
“This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.”
Wealth can be a gift from God to be enjoyed; however, it will be more enjoyable if shared. It begs the question to blame God for keeping the wealthy “occupied with gladness of heart.” Why does God give us wealth? Each of us lives in a different situation; however, the poor area always there, although not always visible. If we will only look around us, we will realize that there are plenty of opportunities to help others-students who lack proper clothes or who go hungry for lack of money to pay for school lunches, workers depending on public transportation who need bus passes. The possibilities are endless.
May God help us so that we will use the resources He gives us to help rather than spending them on ourselves!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to fulfill our vows and to be generous with the resources You have given us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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