Ecc 5:2-6 | KingComments | STEP | James says in his letter in a general sense: “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak” ( ). What generally applies to us men in our dealings with each other, applies in a particular extent to our dealings with God about what we say to Him ( ). Hastiness of spirit is always wrong, but especially in prayer. In this context, this is most probably a hasty, ill-considered making of a vow. Words that are spoken thoughtlessly reflect the inner life, because the mouth speaks from the heart. Just as it is not a matter of outward offering services, so it is not a matter of many words in our prayers. There is nothing against long prayers. The Lord Jesus also prayed all night long once ( ). It is said to us that we ought to pray continually ( ; ). But God is against long prayers that are prayed for the appearance of religiosity as the Pharisees do ( ) and against the use of many words as the Gentiles do ( ). We need to realize Who and where God is and who and where we are. God is in heaven, the place of His glory and His government. The contrasts are: God and man, and heaven and earth. God has an overview and control over everything; compared to that, man does not know anything at all. In that light it is purely arrogant to manipulate God by making great vows and promise to fulfill if He gives us what we desire. Our impatience is in contrast to His greatness. The insignificance of man in contrast to the greatness of God should make a man to be a beggar and warn him not be wanting to be as God. Wanting to be equal to God is the origin of sin. corresponds to the previously mentioned, which we derive from the word “for”. It clarifies that there is cause and effect in our approaching to God. Impatience in prayer is caused by a multitude of activities. Heavy responsibilities in daily life can disturb our concentration in prayer and lead to impatience in prayer. The fool will therefore express a torrent of words, without it having any effect. Prayer demands rest and confidence, even though the reason to pray is still so urgent. The first gathering of the church for praying gives a nice example ( ). We read that the church draws near to God to worship Him. Then the Scripture is cited and then the supplication comes, followed by the answer. The multitude of words that the fool uses in God’s presence, is the talk that can be compared to a dream that comes from a lot of activity. The talk of a fool is just as unreal as a dream. An excess of words must lead to foolishness, just as an excess of activity leads to wild dreams. It is something that any human being can fall into. Just as one can dream at night because of too many activities during the day, so one because he talks too much can start to speak a lot of nonsense. Anyone who is too busy, will have nightmares, anyone who uses too many words is a foolish chatter and chatterbox.

‏ Ecclesiastes 5:2-6

Speak Carefully in the Presence of God

James says in his letter in a general sense: “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak” (Jam 1:19). What generally applies to us men in our dealings with each other, applies in a particular extent to our dealings with God about what we say to Him (Ecc 5:2). Hastiness of spirit is always wrong, but especially in prayer. In this context, this is most probably a hasty, ill-considered making of a vow. Words that are spoken thoughtlessly reflect the inner life, because the mouth speaks from the heart. Just as it is not a matter of outward offering services, so it is not a matter of many words in our prayers.

There is nothing against long prayers. The Lord Jesus also prayed all night long once (Lk 6:12). It is said to us that we ought to pray continually (Lk 18:1; 1Thes 5:17). But God is against long prayers that are prayed for the appearance of religiosity as the Pharisees do (Mk 12:40) and against the use of many words as the Gentiles do (Mt 6:7-8).

We need to realize Who and where God is and who and where we are. God is in heaven, the place of His glory and His government. The contrasts are: God and man, and heaven and earth. God has an overview and control over everything; compared to that, man does not know anything at all. In that light it is purely arrogant to manipulate God by making great vows and promise to fulfill if He gives us what we desire.

Our impatience is in contrast to His greatness. The insignificance of man in contrast to the greatness of God should make a man to be a beggar and warn him not be wanting to be as God. Wanting to be equal to God is the origin of sin.

Ecc 5:3 corresponds to the previously mentioned, which we derive from the word “for”. It clarifies that there is cause and effect in our approaching to God. Impatience in prayer is caused by a multitude of activities. Heavy responsibilities in daily life can disturb our concentration in prayer and lead to impatience in prayer. The fool will therefore express a torrent of words, without it having any effect.

Prayer demands rest and confidence, even though the reason to pray is still so urgent. The first gathering of the church for praying gives a nice example (Acts 4:24-31). We read that the church draws near to God to worship Him. Then the Scripture is cited and then the supplication comes, followed by the answer.

The multitude of words that the fool uses in God’s presence, is the talk that can be compared to a dream that comes from a lot of activity. The talk of a fool is just as unreal as a dream. An excess of words must lead to foolishness, just as an excess of activity leads to wild dreams.

It is something that any human being can fall into. Just as one can dream at night because of too many activities during the day, so one because he talks too much can start to speak a lot of nonsense. Anyone who is too busy, will have nightmares, anyone who uses too many words is a foolish chatter and chatterbox.

Pay What You Vow and Fear God

In the previous verses it is about the general service to God. In this section it is about a special exercise: making a vow. It is not a warning against making a vow, but against making a vow and not paying it (Ecc 5:4; Num 30:2). Only a fool does such a thing. Hannah made a vow and did pay it (1Sam 1:11 ; 26-28; Psa 76:11). It is also important to pay the vow directly and not to postpone the paying of it. Paying the vow directly is the best evidence of the sincerity of the vow made.

People often make vows to God if He rescues them from problems (Gen 28:20-22). They say that they will serve God if He helps them. But if there is no living relationship with Him, they forget their vow as soon as they get the answer to their prayer.

Making a vow was not obligatory, but voluntarily (Ecc 5:5; Deu 23:21-23). You’d better be reluctant to make a vow than to pay it. Those who fear God, will:

1. not make a vow to God quickly;

2. be serious about paying the vow when they have made it;

3. confess broken vows as sins and repent of it.

It is always about vows that are in agreement with God’s Word. Herod should have gone back on his vow and should have broken it (Mt 14:6-9). He should have confessed that he had grossly overestimated himself in making such a promise with an oath, and had to go back on it before God. However, since he lived before people, he did not want to lose his face in front of them and carried out his ungodly vow.

No one should hold on to a vow that is connected to sin. Someone cannot be obliged by others to keep it, whether it are people or the devil himself. Such a vow must be broken under confession and in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

The Preacher commands us not to allow our mouth to say anything that would lead us to sin (Ecc 5:6). Our words touch our whole being, they pull our whole being in the direction of our speech. Whatever comes out of our mouth brings us closer to God or takes us further away from Him.

“The messenger” is the representative of God. This may be the priest in whose presence the vow was made (Lev 5:4-5; Mal 2:7). It may be the messenger who is sent by the priest to someone to remind him of his vow.

God takes the failing of paying a vow very seriously. He becomes “angry” when we promise something with our mouths, when we say we will do something, and we do not do it. To despise a vow means to despise Him, before Whose face the vow is made. In this context one of the proverbs previously spoken by the Preacher can be applied: “It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!” and after the vows to make inquiry” (Pro 20:25).

If we do not pay a vow, God cannot ignore it with impunity. We will experience His judgment because He will destroy the work of our hands. We should have paid our vow first, but we started to work for ourselves. That work is done in disobedience. That is why He is destroying it.

Vows were often made with a view to success in the work. An example of this is the field of which, by making a vow, one hopes to make much profit. If the vow is not kept, the offenders will be punished in that very place, and the blessing they wanted will be turned into a curse, with the result that there will be no profit at all.

The lightly spoken vows of Ecc 5:6 are no more than a word game, a daydream (Ecc 5:7). Man tends to carry his illusion when he promises or worships, without being aware that he is in the presence of the Most Holy. It is as if he lives in the land of dreams, without a sense of reality. Man can only escape such a situation by fearing God. This means that he is aware of living in the presence of God, and shows this by acknowledging and honoring Him. Then he will pay attention to his words and will not make lighthearted vows that he does not intend to pay anyway.

He who fears God has nothing and no one else to fear. He can say to satan: ’Because I fear God, I do not need to fear you.’ Such a man will keep his promise: “He swears to his own hurt and does not change” (Psa 15:4b).