Ecclesiastes 5

Ecclesiastes 5: 1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

This chapter of Ecclesiastes presents two themes: first, how we approach God in worship, and, second, the topic of wealth. It is interesting that Solomon follows the first of these immediately with the second.

Ecclesiastes 5: 2 Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.

This is a reminder to me of my approach to God in prayer. I treat it so casually – the privilege, the gift, of being afforded the grace to speak to the Creator. I recall some counsel: before praying, take five minutes to really contemplate to Whom it is I am speaking.

Consider my posture toward God. Am I flippant, casual, speaking as if to an equal – or a servant? If so, I not only dishonor Him, but I will likely run my mouth without fear.

God is awesome; this should inform my approach to Him in worship and in prayer.

Ecclesiastes 5: 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Jesus put this a different way:

Matthew 15: 10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

The tongue can cause trouble – for us and for others – in countless ways. Listen more than speak, and when in God’s presence, be reverent.

From here, the topic is wealth; it seems a wrong approach to worship drives a wrong understanding of and approach to wealth. Solomon begins with a statement that seems out of place:

Ecclesiastes 5: 8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

I think he is offering us a reminder: in every hierarchy, and at every level of the hierarchy, there is corruption. Those in the hierarchy oppress the poor and pervert justice, and they have bosses who do the same. It seems a necessary skill if one wants to advance in the hierarchy.

Do not marvel at this; do not spend energy complaining about this. It always has been, and always will be (well, at least until Christ fully establishes His kingdom).

Those who wish to chase wealth and material goods as their highest good will have to play by the rules of this corrupt hierarchy. But this never satisfies:

Ecclesiastes 5: 10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.

“More” is never satisfied. When one’s objective is more, there is always more “more” to chase – infinitely. But when one looks for the infinite “more” in the finite material world “under the sun,” as Solomon puts it, one will never be satisfied.

There is only one way to find satisfaction in “more.” From St. Augustine: “Our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” There is only one thing that can fill the Christ-shaped hole in our heart, and that is Christ. By attempting to fill it with something other than Christ, we are inherently leaving no room for Christ.

Ecclesiastes 5: 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

This is really quite insightful – both parts. A full, honest day’s work – where one has not sold out to the corrupt hierarchy – brings rest and sleep. But the wealthy? Always concerned about protecting what they have accumulated, always watching out for which one of the corrupt above them is plotting to cut them down to size, always thinking about who below them to cut down to size. In other words, no sleep.

Conclusion

Yet, is Solomon arguing against wealth? Not at all:

Ecclesiastes 5: 18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

For those who toil honestly, enjoy your produce – it is a gift from God.