Ecclesiastes 5 Commentary
Please choose a passage:
Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
When we approach God, we ought to do so with a pure desire to listen and obey rather than seeking ways to get God to do our bidding.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7
It is foolish to make careless oaths to God. Keep your word.
Ecclesiastes 5:8
Bureaucracy contributes to injustice.
Ecclesiastes 5:9-12
A love of money and dependence on wealth robs the rich of contentment. Rather, work leads to contentment.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-17
Hoarders refuse to face the reality of death. This evil harms not only the hoarder, but also succeeding generations.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Life is not meaningless or joyless. Joy is something we can choose.
Additional Resources
One of the most fascinating books of Scripture, Ecclesiastes sets out on a difficult but foundational task—reconciling the human longing to discover and understand, to find meaning and purpose, with the practical realities of being a finite creature in a world created by an infinite being. What is discovered is that human reason and experience is inadequate to find purpose. If we rely solely on human reason and experience, we only find futility and madness. However, if we begin with faith, we can effectively use our human faculties to realize wisdom and fulfillment.
Ecclesiastes predicts the failure of human philosophy to discover purpose apart from faith, while offering a viable philosophical solution: to begin with faith.
The author, Qoholeth in Hebrew, or “Assembler,” is trying to make sense of life “under the sun.” It is widely believed “Qoholeth” is King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom. His goal is to synthesize philosophy with the practical world around him.
Solomon invites us on a great journey of discovery. If anyone could use reason to discover meaning through life experiences, it would be Solomon. Solomon’s great wealth meant he could use all his time toward his investigations. His unsurpassed wisdom allowed him the faculties to design a vast array of activities, as well as assess their results, and determine their meaning.
Solomon’s conclusion is dark but real: neither meaning nor purpose can be discerned through human reason and experience. As the rivers flow endlessly to the sea, so one life flows to the next. Without a foundation of faith, life has no meaning.
Solomon shares with us his experiments to find meaning through reason and experience. He tries achievement and engages in vast building projects. He tries every sort of pleasure and entertainment, spanning the full spectrum of wine, women, and song. He leaves no stone unturned, but finds nothing but futility. Solomon’s experience is summarized in one word: “hebel.” Hebel is Hebrew for “vaporous.” A fog, a mist. Something that is there but can’t be grasped. You see it for a moment, then it is gone. Such is a philosophy of life founded upon human reason and experience.
Ecclesiastes tackles the kinds of things we think about but do not often say. And likely do not wrestle with to the extent Solomon does. Utilizing a mix of imagery and direct description, the Book of Ecclesiastes is an honest attempt to reconcile life on this Earth with the mysteries of Heaven.
Ecclesiastes’s refusal to pull any punches has caused many to describe it as negative and depressing. But the truths discovered in this book are real. Reality might be an acquired taste, but Solomon urges us to see reality for what it is.
When Solomon sees reality firsthand, it causes him to turn to God, and find fulfillment. Life can be confusing and complicated. It can seem like we are living in a fog. We cannot gain clarity through our own efforts and experiences. But clarity can come if our starting place is faith in God. Solomon concludes with an exhortation that life’s fulfillment is found in following God’s ways, for it is He who will determine the meaning of all deeds in His final judgement.
The patient, teachable reader will discover truth, hope, and challenge within these chapters. In the end, it is a strange joy only found through full consideration of the mysteries of God.
At the heart of the message of Chapter 5 is a calling to listen to God. To fear and obey Him. To find our gladness in the good stewardship of what He has given. Work can be a distraction or a blessing. Wealth can be a distraction or a blessing. The same for sacrifice. Actions and attitudes are meaningless in and of themselves. They are vanity. But in obedience to God and in response to the gifts He has given, the very same actions and attitudes are transformed into something good. Something meaningful.
This chapter begins with a set of warnings about the kind of vows and sacrifices we present to God. It goes on to warn about wealth and our obsession with money. When we try to repurpose the tools, opportunities, and resources that are supposed to spur us toward faith, we pervert their designed intention and undermine their effectiveness.
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