ECCLESIASTES "Man and his Works." This
Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location Ecclesiastes 5:1 "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to have the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil." We are told, as children of God, to let wisdom rule the flesh body. This book of Ecclesiastes is written to the flesh man, that walks under the sun, and is directed to our understanding of why we do the things that we do in the flesh nature. The instructions that Solomon gives directs us in the pursuit of peace of mind, enjoyment and happiness, and it tells us how to find happiness, even in this earth age. In the previous chapters, we have covered several emotions that bring us to enjoyment, such as compassion. That when we look on the pain of others, we can understand why the pain is there, and received, that we may learn to sidestep those pitfalls. Maturity of mind, and not of age, is the understanding of where our true pleasure comes from. In this fifth chapter we can refer to it as the need for reality in religion. Even though we may not care for the word religion, when we say the need for serving our heavenly Father, we keep it on a more personal basis. In the word "Keep", as used here it means to hedge around something to protect it. To be on guard against something to protect it. Solomon is saying that watch you foot closely that you do not slip, when you go to the house of God. Why would he give us such a warning? Remember when Christ went to the house of God, He took a whip, a cat of nine tails and cleaned out the place from those evil merchandisers, diseased birds, and overturning the tables of commerce. Playing church was very common in Jesus day, and it is becoming even more so in these last days, and it is a very dangerous thing. In this generation it is even more so a dangerous thing, as the church world is being set up to accept the coming of the Antichrist who will come before the day of the Lord, at the sounding of the seventh trump. Believe it or not, God already knows everything, and He doesn't need your wisdom, as much as you need His. Many people thing that they have a great deal of wisdom to give to the church, and many say, "God sent me", and then give out their personal thoughts which are against God's Word. The point of this verse being, when you go into a house of God, be ready to hear and listen to God's Word, and take it in; rather then giving your words out to others. God has some very important things to say in His Word, and if you are busy talking, you can miss the message that is given for you. God's Words of wisdom are what is written in His Word, and when we listen to those Words, and apply it to our own use, we can live a happier life in this flesh body, because it helps us build that hedge around our footsteps, and have maturity of mind as we take control over our flesh nature. Don't try to teach God, when you go to God's house keep everything in its proper place. The "sacrifice of fools" that is evil, is the going to the house of God for a purpose other then learning the Word of God. If you go there for the social life, to profit in your business, or any other purpose is the evil and called a "sacrifice of fools". Why do you go to church? Are you learning anything of the Word of God, and advancing in your understand of God's overall plan? or the sign of the end times that we are in? or even what you can expect when the one world system comes into being that the Antichrist will reign over? Friend, your are either making a sacrifice to God, and learning His Word, or making a sacrifice of fools, which is everything else when God's Word is left out. Ecclesiastes 5:2 "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." In other words, from God's Word, the holy Scriptures we can all learn a great deal, and what comes out of our mouths doesn't matter much. Man's wisdom in the world is hollow, if it does not come from the Word of God. This is direct to those going to God's house for other purposes, other then hear God from His holy Word. We communicate with God to absorb wisdom from God to apply to our lives, and find peace of mind. Watch your foot when you go to the house of God, and watch your mouth and what you utter within God's house for you will be accountable for intent of what you say in God's house. God is in heaven, and His wisdom far exceed the wisdom that is created on this earth in the minds of men. God offers common sense in His words of understanding, and that is why we should utter few words of our own, and let God's Words have priority in His House. Ecclesiastes 5:3 "For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words." The fool will chatter all day long, and in the end they will have said nothing. The wise person will sit and say nothing, except what is necessary to make common sense. One that has much business and is a workaholic is kept busy all the time, then at night when it is sleep time, their mind is so clouded with the things of business that their mind is mixed up with things that just don't make sense. Rather than getting a restful sleep, the night is broken into many thought patterns that is just non-sense. Then out of these many different fragments of thought, comes the forming of weird ideas or dreams when you are trying to fall into your sleep. Solomon is saying here that when the fool talks, he makes as much sense as those weird dreams that the come when you are trying to fall off into sleep. Solomon uses this so you know exactly what he is talking about. The words of the fool is compared to the thoughts that come for fragments of ideas that never have a conclusion, but ramble into silliness. The fool never makes any sense. Ecclesiastes 5:4 "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." Vowing a vow unto the Lord is a very serious thing. When you do make a vow to God, then keep your promise to Him. The message here to the wise man, is "Don't make hasty vows." Don't make promises that you have no intention to keep, for they are all accountable to Him. This is very foolish, to make vows that you don't expect to keep, for it is a form of lying to God. It is better to never make a vow, then to vow hastily, and not understand the commitment that you have made. Ecclesiastes 5:5 "Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." It is better to never make a vow, then not keep your word. The heavenly Father considers the thoughts of our mind, and actions, as to how far He can trust us. If God gives you a gift, He watches how well you take care of it. God judges us by our actions in all things. This is reality, and God expects us to be mature in all things that He gives us. Many times religious types of people use the Scripture to make money for their own purposes, or so called ministries. They present their case to you, as if God spoke to them personally, and told them to ask you personally. From the start their purpose is not the promotion of the Gospel, but the separation of your money from you, and they use starving children, and all sorts of stories to get you to make a commitment to them, in the name of God. This is fraud and deceit on their part, and in your heart you made the commitment to God. Friend, when you find out about these people, you owe them nothing, but if you keep your commitment, it can be given to another service to the Lord. If you make a vow to God, then you pay the vow to where you are fed from God's Word, and that teaches the whole Word of God. Ecclesiastes 5:6 "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?" Never let the words of your mouth commit you to sin against God. Before you shoot your mouth off, and say things that you have not thought through, stop and think. If pressure is placed on you to make the commitment, it is not of God, but of man. God can make you prosper, or He can make you fail. God will always pay you your just reward for the words and actions that you commit to. Angel in the Hebrew tongue means messenger, and when we are told not to tell the angel or Holy Spirit of God that what we had done was an error, and we did not intend to do it, when in fact we did. God can read our minds, and He doesn't like to be lied to. What God is looking for is repentance, not alibis. He seeks a repentive heart, not a lying tongue. God won't tolerate it, and that is the sure way of making all things go against you. Don't let your mouth overload your ability, and get you into trouble. Don't tell God you are going to so this, work or that, but ask God for the gift to be able to serve Him, and to allow you to use that gift when it becomes yours. Ask Him to make you worthy to do the work that He would have you do. You don't tell God, He leads you into His service. After all, all the time it is not you that does the work, but God's gift that is working through you. God causes people to prosper, and allows people to despair when they bring it on themselves. This is not a game, and you are not playing church, learn to control what you say, before the words come forth. This is reality, and God is part of everything we do, and that is why you pray for His blessings, and keep control over your mouth. Ecclesiastes 5:7 "For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God." For in your dreams, and the way that your mind gets all mixed up and don't make sense, and from this comes divers vanities, or empty words out of your mouth. In your many empty words, and much clamoring there is nothing there but a large empty hole of non-sense. It is say that we should stay away from those empty mutterings, and think on God, revere God, love God for He is reality. God hears you, and sees you, and evaluates what you think and say and the actions that come from those thoughts. That is what you will be judged upon, and what determines whether you will be blessed or not. 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." This is getting to the fact that God is in control, and He can pull the carpet out from under you any time He wants to. The "Highest regardeth" here is God Himself. God has given us the standard that these flesh bodies must be kept under control, and that standard is the Word of God. What this is saying is that when we see the oppression of the poor, or the perversion that is going on around us, and we see the judgment and justice that is the land to those evil acts, don't worry. God say what has happened, and all those acts will be judged by Him. When a murderer appears to be getting off free, and the rapist gets off on a technicality, they have gotten away with nothing. There is a time coming when even the evil judge will answer to an higher authority for his oppression to the poor and his perverting of justice in the land. Any time judgment and justice is put off in the flesh and left to the Father above, it is always increased when the appear before the heavenly Father. Friend, nobody gets away with anything in this life. Keep in mind that this is addressed to the flesh man, and not to the soul and spiritual side of man. We know that when man comes to the saving knowledge of Christ and repents in Jesus name and turns from his evil acts, there is forgiveness. However, this is not addressing the soul but those that reject God the father, and the finished work of Jesus Christ, His Son on the cross. Ecclesiastes 5:9 "Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field." This falls back to when you try to con the messenger, the Holy Spirit of God, He can destroy the work of your hands. This is looking to the earth, and the food that comes from it, to feed both the plow man, and the king. When it comes to the growing of the food, the plowman is more important to the king, then the king is to the plowman. The king depends on the field to make himself a profit, and receive his taxes. That is how the kingdom is sustained, and the kingdom even exists. So when you see bad judgment, you see that there is always one higher. The king controls the plowman, and God controls the king. God controls the growth of the seed, the condition of the soil, and the rain necessary to make the profit come from the field. Solomon is calling our attention to the fact that when the king turns against God, and puts the pressure on the plowman, God is still in control, and can still limit the profit from the field. The king as well as the plowman both need the blessings of God, and must keep their minds on just where the true blessings of God come from. Ecclesiastes 5:10 "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." Whatever mankind puts before God, he will not be satisfied with, it that is what the love of his life is. If silver is the main goal in your life, it will not satisfy you, even with abundance, for the more you get the more you will want. In the end it is all vanity or leaves you with an empty life. The only thing that fills a life is the love of God, and with out God there is only emptiness becoming a larger hole of space. An abundance of anything will not make you happy, if God is not part of your life. God can take your silver faster than you can accumulate it. Ecclesiastes 5:11 "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?" You can have all the food in the world, or silver in the world, but after you consume what food is necessary of your consumption, or silver to supply your needs, what good is the rest? All you can do is stand and look at it, and let it go to others when you are gone. Ecclesiastes 5:12 "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." The sleep to a working man is restful, regardless what he eats. If he has worked all day, and is tired, the only thing that matters is sleep. However the man that did not work, but has much earthly wealth, simply cannot sleep, for the wealth will keep him awake. All he can do is worry about his investments, his property, and that others don't take it from him. Under the fatigue of the worry, there is no sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:13 "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt." The sore evil that is bothering the rich, are their keeping of the riches that they have acquired. Solomon is say that those same riches that the flesh man accumulates, and stores up, will be what brings hurt to him. He is not talking about a miser here, but he is saying that if you love silver so much that it is keeping you from sleeping, what is it doing with your relationship to the rest of your life, and to God. Ecclesiastes 5:14 "But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand." "Evil travail" is evil work. Those riches of silver are taken, or perish by the evil work of theft, sharp lawyers, taxes, bad habits, and any other evil work that you can imagine. What is left to a son, if he is not able to care for it, it will vanish from him. Ecclesiastes 5:15 "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." When a baby is born into the world, he comes naked, and without anything but the good thought of his parents. When that child lives his life and gathers much wealth, upon death, his soul leaves this world just as it came into the world. The soul departs for the heavenly Father in the same manner that it left the heavenly Father to be conceived by his mother, with no earthly goods. Wealth comes and wealth goes, but God is forever. This is the parable of the treasurer. Where are your treasures stored up? The only thing that you can take from this world, when you die and go back to be with the Father, is your works done for God. Revelation 14:13; "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, "write, `Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence forth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' " Ecclesiastes 5:16 "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?" Do you know what the wind is? Reach out and take a hand full of it, and open your hand. What do you have? That's right, nothing. That is what you are working for eternally, if you are not working to place your treasurer in heavenly places. That is what stays with your soul when you go to meet the Lord, and that is what wealth you will have to clothe yourself in the eternity. Ecclesiastes 5:17 "All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness." This word "sickness" is like the word "vexation", or eating on yourself. When you eat in darkness, your are listening to Satan and his evil spirits, and the their non-sense and foolishness. Without taking the Word of God, and loving our Lord and trying to please Him, what ever you do is like grabbing at that wind, and listening to the foolishness of the world. Ecclesiastes 5:18 "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." You have nothing in this world that you have honestly, that God did not give you. What you have in wealth from God, God expects you to be a good steward of that wealth, and enjoy it to the fullest. When you work for what you have, and you have done it God's way to get that wealth, God expects you to enjoy the good of all your labor that you have earned. That is also part of being a good steward of God's wealth. With all the foolishness that is going on in the world, there is nothing wrong with a person taking what he has and enjoying it to the fullest. What gives you pleasure, music, travel, eating, and so on? What ever it is, when you use what the fruits of your labor has provided, it is for you to use and give pleasure to you. When you do, remember where the wealth and pleasure came from, and don't feed off yourself, for all good things have come from the Father, and give Him the thanks for them. Your wealth of your own labor, is God's gift to you, if you love Him. Ecclesiastes 5:19 "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." God's blessings have made you rich, and in your riches you have obtained power. There is nothing to feel sorry for, for what ever those riches and power give you the right to do, we are told to do a good job using those things. God is telling you that when you do your work and do it well, God expects you to be paid for that labor fairly, and that is a gift from God. When someone cheats you in your wage, or you cheat someone else out of their fair wage, you are cheating God in such actions. Ecclesiastes 5:20 "For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart." God gives you the gifts, but you are the one that must find the enjoyment that you receive from those gifts. God will give you reason to rejoice, but you must be wise enough to receive those gifts and use them before you can rejoice about it. You can be told that you have won the lottery with the ticket you hold, but until you take that ticket down and cash it in, and take the money and spend it, you will see no enjoyment from those gifts that the money brings. When you receive gifts from God, in not just wealth, but in special talents such as singing, teaching, caring for the sick, praying, or what ever that gift is, God expects you to use is, just as you would use the wealth He may give you, not only for your enjoyment but in the service of His work. God expects His portion, and that is one tenth, the tithe, and the rest is for your enjoyment. However you will never out give the Lord. God expects to give back for what He has received, whether in this life, or in store for eternity. God loves a cheerful giver, and He blesses them in many ways.
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