Ecclesiastes 5

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: Approaching God and Finding Contentment

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5

I. Approaching God Rightly — The Danger of Words and Vows (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

A. Guard your steps when drawing near to God (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

1. Listening is better than the sacrifice of fools
2. God is in heaven; we are on earth — a fundamental difference in standing
3. We must not approach God casually or treat him as an equal

B. Let your words be few before God (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

1. Many words reveal a fool, just as restless dreams reveal anxiety and busyness
2. The word for "busyness" echoes Ecclesiastes 2:23, where the toiling man finds no rest even at night
3. Jesus models this wisdom — careful with words, silent before accusers, unimpressed by attempts to trap him in debate

C. Be faithful to vows made before God (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)

1. God has no pleasure in fools; pay what you vow without delay
2. It is better not to vow than to vow and not fulfill it
3. Insincere vows — made to impress others or God — invite his anger and the destruction of your work
4. Whether excuses are made to earthly ministers or to God himself, God is not deceived

D. Conclusion: Fear God (Ecclesiastes 5:7)

1. Dreams, many words, and rash vows all point to vanity and folly
2. The fear of God here emphasizes reverence and awe — he is in heaven; we are not
3. Note: a warm personal relationship with God is largely absent in this section; the Preacher is reasoning from wisdom "under the sun"

II. Injustice, Wealth, and the Futility of Riches — (Ecclesiastes 5:8-17)

A. Do not be alarmed by oppression and injustice (Ecclesiastes 5:8-9)

1. High officials are watched by higher ones still — a chain of accountability exists
2. God uses even the selfish ambitions of rulers to restrain evil and accomplish his purposes
3. This is an "under the sun" perspective — not a promise of utopia, but a pragmatic comfort
4. A king committed to the workers and the poor benefits society broadly; the poor suffer most when he is not

B. Wealth does not satisfy (Ecclesiastes 5:10-12)

1. He who loves money will never be satisfied with money
2. As wealth increases, so do those who consume it — servants, dependents, opportunistic friends
3. The laborer sleeps sweetly whether he eats little or much; the rich man's full stomach keeps him awake with cares
4. Increasing wealth brings increasing burdens — the opposite of what we expect

C. An illustration: riches lost through misfortune (Ecclesiastes 5:13-17)

1. Riches stored up to pass to the next generation are lost in a bad venture
2. The man leaves the world as he entered it — with nothing; echoes Job 1:21 and Genesis — humanity entered the world naked
3. Death is the great equalizer between wise and fool, rich and poor — there is no gain
4. The "blessing of the Lord" present in Job's identical statement is conspicuously absent here, consistent with the Preacher's pessimistic tone
5. The Preacher is sympathetic toward both the oppressed poor and the ruined wealthy — frustration is universal

III. A Positive Conclusion: Enjoy What God Gives (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)

A. It is good to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in one's toil (Ecclesiastes 5:18)

1. These "carpe diem" passages are not about seizing and holding things — you cannot gain them
2. Rather, enjoy good things as they come, recognizing that both joy and sorrow are natural parts of life

B. Enjoyment is a gift from God, not an achievement (Ecclesiastes 5:19)

1. God gives wealth, possessions, and the power to enjoy them
2. The blessed person is almost "distracted" by the joy God brings along the way

C. The one occupied with God-given joy does not dwell on the brevity of life (Ecclesiastes 5:20)

1. God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart
2. Application: our identity must be rooted in Christ, not in wealth, work, or accomplishments — then we are free to enjoy these things without being defined by them
3. The Preacher works by elimination — knocking down every false source of identity — pointing forward to what Scripture as a whole reveals