# Ecclesiastes 05 đź“–: Vows, Wealth, and Contentment
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Rash Vows
[[#Verse 01.]] (4:17) 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.
[[#Verse 02.]]Â (5:1) 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.
[[#Verse 03.]]Â Just as dreams come when there are many cares,
so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words.
[[#Verse 04.]] When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it.
For God takes no pleasure in fools:
Pay what you vow!
[[#Verse 05.]]Â It is better for you not to vow
than to vow and not pay it.
[[#Verse 06.]] 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?
[[#Verse 07.]]Â Just as there is futility in many dreams,
so also in many words.
Therefore, fear God.
### Government Corruption
[[#Verse 08.]] 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!
[[#Verse 09.]] The produce of the land is seized by all of them,
even the king is served by the fields.
### Covetousness
[[#Verse 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.
[[#Verse 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?
[[#Verse 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.
### Materialism Thwarts Enjoyment of Life
[[#Verse 13.]] Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen:
Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
[[#Verse 14.]] Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.
[[#Verse 14.]]Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;
although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.
[[#Verse 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.
[[#Verse 16.]]Â This is another misfortune:
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
[[#Verse 17.]]Â Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life,
and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.
### Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor
[[#Verse 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 that God has given them,
for this is their reward.
[[#Verse 19.]]Â 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.
[[#Verse 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.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. In the Hebrew Bible, English 5:1 is numbered 4:17, so Hebrew chapter 5 begins one verse later.
2. Verses 4-5 echo the Law's warning about keeping vows to the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).
3. The "messenger" in 5:6 may refer to a priest or temple official before whom a vow was made.
4. Verse 8 notes layers of officials watching over one another, a picture of bureaucracy and corruption.
5. Verse 12 says the sleep of a laborer is sweet, while the wealth of the rich keeps him awake.
6. Verse 15 says we leave this world as naked as we came, echoing Job 1:21.
7. Paul makes the same point in 1 Timothy 6:7: we brought nothing into the world and can take nothing out.
8. Verse 13 calls hoarding wealth to one's own harm a "grievous evil."
9. Jesus also warned against heaping up empty words in prayer (Matthew 6:7), similar to 5:2.
10. Verses 18-20 describe enjoyment as a gift that keeps a person from dwelling on the shortness of life.
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the true riches that never disappear (5:13-15). Though He was rich, He became poor so we could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He teaches us to pray without empty, many words (5:2; Matthew 6:7-8) and gives the contentment money cannot buy.
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Guard your steps when you go to the house of God, and let your words be few (5:1-2). How do you prepare your heart for worship?
2. Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money (5:10). Why does more rarely feel like enough?
3. God gives the ability to enjoy what He provides (5:19-20). What gifts from God do you need to stop and enjoy today?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 2: God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
- đź“– verse 10: The one who loves money will never be satisfied with it.
- đź“– verses 19-20: The ability to enjoy wealth and work is a gift from God.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[Matthew 06#Verse 07.|Matthew 6:7-8]] - Do not babble in prayer like the pagans.
- đź”— [[Deuteronomy 23#Verse 21.|Deuteronomy 23:21]] - Do not delay in paying a vow to the Lord.
- đź”— [[1 Timothy 06#Verse 06.|1 Timothy 6:6-10]] - Godliness with contentment is great gain.
- đź”— [[Hebrews 13#Verse 05.|Hebrews 13:5]] - Keep your life free from the love of money.
- đź”— [[2 Corinthians 08#Verse 09.|2 Corinthians 8:9]] - Jesus became poor so we could become rich.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
đź“ť SOAP: [[Ecclesiastes 05 - SOAP|Learn Contentment]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes