Reviewing Ecclesiastes 5
"Guard steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil." Ecclesiastes 5:1
Approach God and His house of worship with humility. Drawing near to listen is key, for presumption blinds us to our own sin.
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be careful with your words.
"For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words." Ecclesiastes 5:3
Again, the need to measure words. Is a dream coming with "much business" saying that an over pressed life causes stress-filled dreams? BKC feels that it is more a comparison of the busyness of dreams and the utility of them with the futility of many words.
"Solomon compared rash vows to futile or meaningless dreams. This is the thought in Ecc_5:7, which may be translated somewhat literally, “Through many dreams there is futility and also through many words.” So Solomon exhorted his readers to fear God (Ecc_5:7), being cautious not to make rash vows (Ecc_5:1-2) and to fulfill the vows they had made (Ecc_5:4)." -BKC
"Weigh thy words, feel deeply, think much, speak little." -Adam Clarke
"Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart." -Ecclesiastes 5:19-20
Approach God and His house of worship with humility. Drawing near to listen is key, for presumption blinds us to our own sin.
"Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be careful with your words.
"For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words." Ecclesiastes 5:3
Again, the need to measure words. Is a dream coming with "much business" saying that an over pressed life causes stress-filled dreams? BKC feels that it is more a comparison of the busyness of dreams and the utility of them with the futility of many words.
"Solomon compared rash vows to futile or meaningless dreams. This is the thought in Ecc_5:7, which may be translated somewhat literally, “Through many dreams there is futility and also through many words.” So Solomon exhorted his readers to fear God (Ecc_5:7), being cautious not to make rash vows (Ecc_5:1-2) and to fulfill the vows they had made (Ecc_5:4)." -BKC
"For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear." Ecclesiastes 5:7
"Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart." -Ecclesiastes 5:19-20
Solomon makes a connection here about not remembering the days of a person's life because they've been "occupied with joy"---this is a comfort to me. Our tendency is to feel that time is always rushing away from us and we are chasing it, losing. This suggests that when we enjoy our lives, time passed without notice, our memory of those moments may not be faithfully secured, but that they were well invested because they were filled with joy.
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