Month: September 2014

40. How do you deal with the likelihood of your own death? The answer is, prepare now for it. Should you put yourself forward as a leader? The answer is if you do, make sure you do it right. If we do all well are we assured of success? The answer is, no you are not, but those who do what they do with the things of God in mind, will survive. But even then there is no guarantee it will work out exactly as you want, because sometimes just men are dealt with as if they are wicked.

If a just man sins, he gets dealt with as a sinner, because that is what he is. It is important to Solomon that we do not run away with the idea that because we do “just” things we are no longer guilty of sin. It is not true. No doubt we will talk about that as we continue.

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise
More than ten rulers of the city.
Power is good but wisdom is better. In a besieged city it is comforting to know there are ten men who will not yield to fear. Better than that, and far more useful, is one who can negotiate with the enemy, and find an arrangement that will turn the enemy away. When they set up the siege they thought they could take it.

20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good
And does not sin.
Rightness is rarely the issue. Right is put forward as the reason, but the dispute flares, because there is right and wrong on both sides. So it becomes a question then of who is more right. To cut through the nonsense, and declare the real point of dispute, and highlight right things, needs above average wisdom.

Many people imagine they are the only ones who do it right all the time. Most of them infer to others that they get it right, and never get it wrong. But wisdom will tell you, they all get it wrong. We have a tendency to think highly of ourselves, only because we fail to criticize the things we do wrong. You must admit your faults, and not hide them. There is nobody on earth that can boast above another. So when one implies he is a pillar of virtue, then wisdom insists you treat him with suspicion. It goes to the heart of how you deal. How you assess a situation.

21 So do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others.
We need to be true to ourselves. Do not judge harshly when you do the same yourself. Proof of your guilt is in the way you react when you are wronged. Men think that because they are right they are entitled to redress. Just consider. Are you right all the time? Have you ever wronged another in much the same way you complain about? If you want to be right, then do not be too sensitive about what you hear others say about you. You criticize others freely yourself. It is not always meant to be malicious. So do not be too harsh on those who criticize you. Put it aside and forget about it. Do not raise it again. Do not look for vindication. Someone is at fault. An offense has been committed, but if you look for vindication, you are thinking too highly of yourself.

23 All this I have proved by wisdom.
I said, “I will be wise”;
But it was far from me.
24As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep,
Who can find it out?
If Solomon is modest about his wisdom, then perhaps we should be aware of our limits. The Preacher admits his wisdom cannot fathom all the depths, but he did discover something others do not know. The sage in solitude on top of the mountain claims to have the answer to all, but The Preacher only knows what he knows by careful examination. He declares what he is certain about, while confessing some things remain hidden.

39. Accept that prosperity and adversity will be met. React consistently under both conditions. It is fitting to be happy at prosperity but not to be resentful when trouble comes. Consider what it means. It means there are forces at work that prevent control, and will rob you of the things you expect.

Summary 6

It is no surprise that God is part of the solution. Many people are distressed at the sight of good people suffering and say that God, if he cares, should save those who are doing the right thing. God has not promised to save you from suffering, so do not expect that he will.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity:
There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,
And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.
The history of the truth reveals persecution for the favored of God. So put up with it. It has never been different and is not going to change.

16 Do not be overly righteous,
Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
17Do not be overly wicked,
Nor be foolish:
Why should you die before your time?
Do not be self-righteous is what it means. Do not hold yourself out to be a pillar of virtue when you know you have faults for which to account. Do not think too highly of yourself so by your conduct you despise others. Do not go to the other extreme so you do not have any values for which to stand. Human nature tends to be extreme, so you find you have to make your way through life between those two positions, and navigating this course can be difficult. It is common among men to be self-righteous. Challenge them and see how quickly they rise to their own defense. It is often a charade, part of a fantasy that denies truth. In this you are not yourself, you are acting the part of someone you prefer to be.
People will put up with you trying to be someone you are not, but they will not tolerate one who is wicked. They deal with him swiftly. Become a nuisance to society and they put you away, or even take away your life.

18 It is good that you grasp this,
And also not remove your hand from the other;
For he who fears God will escape them all.
These evils, though common to man, can be avoided, or the affects lessened with a little wisdom. Even if you cannot avoid them, you can survive if you fear God. Imagine life under these conditions without God.

Proposition 7
Here is a “just” man and yet he sins? We have met many of those, but Solomon claims there are none of the others. There are no “just” men who do not sin.

There are twenty three points of issue under this proposition all bearing witness that man in his prime, is just a man. If you see yourself as flawless, you will defend every unkind word. You may be just, but you still sin as other men. So do not infer you are innocent and all criticism is undeserved.

Foolishness and madness are a dangerous game to play. You are courting disaster if you engage in wanton mischief. The truth is; God will leave you there. And it is better to be dead than mixed up with that kind, because they will not let go. You belong to her. You have sold yourself, and you will not escape. A just man will escape them all.

The Preacher then describes the way he conducted a survey designed to discover a person’s reaction to temptation, and found only one man in one thousand who did not lie or invent an excuse. God gave man the ability to be upright, but they invented their justification for wrongdoing. So he asks how many people can understand the situation, and deal with it. How do you deal with the king or any other person in authority? The answer is, carefully. How do you deal with time and judgment? The answer is, soberly.

38. 9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.   Anger is for fools, and fools get angry easily. To “be angry and sin not” is difficult, because truth is the first casualty when one is enraged. It rests in the bosoms of fools ready to flare in a moment. They are not concerned about the damage it can do. They can with their anger force their position on others and take advantage, but it is the work of fools. Do not let it happen. It is common to man. You get the impression if you avoid these things you will be in good shape to manage life.

10 Do not say,
“Why were the former days better than these?”
For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. It is perverse, but we all do it. The privilege of the old to look back and pine for the way things were done is not helpful. The memory is selective and only the nice things come up, and you forget the difficulties. Again we are dealing with the matter of discontent. Looking backwards and saying, the good old days, is pouring scorn on the present and implying, wrongly, there is no hope for the future. They do not much remember the days of their life, and it is a common evil to view things this way.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
And profitable to those who see the sun. An inheritance is a windfall. You do not work to earn it. It comes when people who love you die. To wait all your life for the inheritance is wishing away your own life and that of the one that loves you.

It is common the benefit of an inheritance is lost by the third generation. That is, the grandfather worked hard and long, and gave it to his son. The son manages to hold it together and gives it to his son. The grandson, knowing nothing about the system that created the fortune, squanders it all. Wisdom is necessary if the family fortunes are to survive.

12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense,
But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life
to those who have it. No amount of wealth will compensate the loss of life. And yet we waste life waiting for wealth to come. As useful as an inheritance might be, wisdom is better. It does not need an inheritance to be useful. It gives a valuable inheritance itself. Those who have it will make something useful of their life whether rich or poor. Wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense against calamity, but which would you choose.

13 Consider the work of God;
For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
This is the single most important idea that wisdom invites you to think about. Grasp this and all else will fall into place. God has made it crooked. Your life is lived within the framework of mortality and there is nothing you can do to change that. The only thing you can do to make your life meaningful, is follow the Preachers advice.

This is becoming more and more obvious. Once you accept it was made that way, you feel obliged to listen to the solution proposed by God.

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
You do not question providence and ask “what is God doing to me” because he is doing what he does to all men. He allows them to experience the result of death because of sin. If you look at life through the eyes of wisdom, instead of the rose-colored glasses of deceit, you find things take on a different hue. What was obscured becomes distinct, and your approach to other people changes, because you realize you are all in the same boat. Those things you thought important become trivial, and the things you thought a burden become a joy.

37. So there is a real attempt here to advise us how to behave and get along. And there seems to be a harping on certain things that are not worthy of one who is trying to be godly.

What concerns me is the answer points to a person who does not strive at all. This uncomplicated man is nobody. We do not need to be reminded about the rich being hurt by their riches, for we have seen enough of that in our time.

Getting hurt gathering wealth is the important point here. Why do you do it, if you are going to be damaged by it? That does not make sense. In fact it means so much to the uncomplicated man he decided to slow down and stop striving so much. It is not worth it.
So this nobody has decided to cut and run. He has left the contest. Because it damages some of the contestants he has decided he will not play the game.

It is not a contest and it is not a game. This is the serious business of life. There are sons and daughters and grandchildren involved. They are part of it and need to be considered. They have to be taught how to go about it. If the only thing they learn from Dad is you need to be absent because it is work, work, work, then they run the risk of being damaged as well. That is not what we want. Not for them.

It is not all about the children, as the story of the man who had one hundred children shows. This is a man who thought it was all about the children, so he had as many as he could. He ended biting off more than he could chew. He spent his life doing it and felt good about it, until it came to the time when he could not do it anymore. It was then that he realized what it meant to the kids. Nothing! They did not want to know him. He was not their problem. He was somebody else’s problem.

You can never tell with kids. It is a gamble. Two or three ought to be the limit. Or perhaps the Chinese have the idea, with penalties if you have any more than one. You can spend your whole life dealing with the kids.

It is not a waste, because they are your most meaningful reward. You ask the rich and famous, and they will tell you the birth of their child is the most important thing to them. Women leave it too late and it ruins their life, because they want a child more than anything else.

The most rewarding investment you will ever make. Children give you grand children and those are the only ones who love you just because you are who you are. You cannot buy that, no matter how much money you make.

What if it consumes you? What if it cannot be satisfied and destroys all enjoyment in the present. It is all in the future. You are wishing your life away while you struggle to get the thing that is out of reach. And you only want it because someone else has it. That is shallow.

We do not need other people to approve of us, but I do not want people to disapprove of us. That is not who we are
Solomon tells us the uncomplicated man has the best of it. I am willing to accept it is not the answer to everything but it is the answer to most things. Personal integrity is vital for a person’s self-esteem. Everyone else’s impression is important to them as well.

That may well be the case, but from our view, striving is good. Struggle never hurt anyone. It separates the men from the boys. Some people are made to shine. That is what keeps them going. Make them a paler shade of gray and there will be no challenge. Challenge is inspiring.

Many people will have an opinion on all these issues and they will feel entitled to hold their position against everyone else, only Solomon, has put together an argument that is hard to resist.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity. The Preacher will employ irony and humor to make his point. The first phrase should read the crackling of nettles under the kettles. Set alight to the thorns and the fire lasts for a moment, and it does not do any good. It will not boil the kettle. And if you are going to feed the fire with thorns you will find you are constantly doing it. Laughter lasts about a moment, and you sit and wait expectantly for something more, hoping for another round of a similar kind. If one fails to come it all falls flat. Such is the laughter of fools. It is raucous, and it dies down because there is nothing to keep it going. It is empty and vain.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,
And a bribe debases the heart. He is also concerned about personal integrity. A wise man is incensed at oppression because of injustice. The misuse of power is common. The gift is that which sways your attention away from justice and towards the one who has extended the benefit. The bribe, or gift, encourages you to show respect to anyone good or bad, and justice is swept away. A gift will destroy the heart. Even a wise man is susceptible to the gift. Make it a policy to refuse. It is not that hard to do.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. He made this point before. This is the nature of proverbs. They say it one-way and then say it again in another way. It reinforces the point. The end of a thing is better than the beginning because it is all over, the die is cast. It is done. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit, because he waits for the thing to be complete before he boasts about the result. Let another evaluate what has been done, and when the result is known then boast about it if you must. It has to do with what is important to you.

36. You look back only to find you have spent all your life longing.

10 Whatever one is, he has been named already,
For it is known that he is man;
And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he. What is the point here? It seems a bit obscure. We are correctly named red-earth, (adam or man) and you are in no position to complain about your condition. To call someone “red-earth” is to devalue them, and people do not see themselves like that. Yet God makes it clear that this is where we stand. You cannot contend with God and complain that he should not say such unkind things about us. Or again, why did he make us this way? These are inappropriate, given he did make us, and his plan was not to make us just red-earth.

I am reminded of the expression we use at every funeral, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” And we say; death is a great leveler, because it brings everyone, both small and great down to size.

11 Since there are many things that increase vanity,
How is man the better?
12For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days
of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can
tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? It is a matter of opinion. Look at it correctly and there are no regrets at all.

Chapter 7.
1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
And the day of death than the day of one’s birth; It is still part of the argument. Ointment is only precious to those who know what it can do. To all others it is useless. If you have enjoyed the benefit of its healing power and need it, you value it. It is a matter of how you see it. If you want to live in a world where good is valued then you will protect your reputation. Not many would consider the day of death better than the day of birth, but look at it this way. At the day of death your reputation is behind you, you have set up a good name and will be remembered for it. They can close the book and think nice things to say about you. It is important as you walk before the living to walk discreetly and be careful of your name.

Do not do anything that will destroy your reputation because it will shape your life. And you need to navigate your way and get to the end intact.

2 Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart. The house of mourning is a morbid place. You go there when you are obliged to. If you were to look at it in a different way, it is the better place to be. What we consider unappealing can be a worthwhile exercise. It is all in how you look at it, and it is common among men to look at it the wrong way round.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. He is laboring the point. Everyone wants to be in the house of laughter, because they get away from the reality of life. Sorrow can do you some good. Do not seek fantasy. Do not avoid the issues. Face life bravely and accept that you need to be brought into contact with the brevity of your own existence. Your heart is made better.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools. These come across like proverbs. They appear poetic. The immediate reaction to a rebuke is resentment and hostility, while you are shamelessly elated when you are praised. The praise of a fool is faint praise. Praise, or the song of fools, will take you out of touch with reality and can be a trap. It does not do much good. The rebuke of a wise man is at least honest. So do not resent it. Do not be hostile when it happens. Accept the rebuke and you will improve.

35. So it is a mindless exercise to calculate what we are missing.

3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. 5 Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place? Once again he makes the point even though you live a long time, if it ends, it is not a good thing.

The stillborn child comes in darkness and goes in darkness. It does not see the evil. It does not have to face life, nor endless toil and hardship. It is better to be dead, to have never been born, than to be found in the position of this poor man.

He had a hundred children. He lived many years and became a burden on them. They could not agree whose responsibility it was to look after him so no one did. It is not difficult to imagine what happened. He was prepared to sacrifice himself for his children. But when it became their turn to reply, they ducked for cover. The poor old man knew of the conflict he caused and was depressed, wishing himself dead. He became dependent on them, and they did not have enough love to care. Under these conditions it is not unreasonable to ask what your life is all about. This man probably came to the conclusion it was not wisely spent. Since they did not even bury him, his end days were a misery.

He made a mistake having all those children. His life would have been bearable if he had kept it to seven or eight. So you make one mistake and ruin your life, or in his case you make ninety three mistakes and it ruins your life. But you still have to live with it, and given the right spirit you can. Some people think it would be good if you were given enough time to make many mistakes, so the outcome is not so serious.

Long life is no answer. The mistake is not the problem. They say it would be so different except for the mistake. Well it would not be so different. Make it or not, you still live in a world gone wrong.

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied. This one comes from the left field. What does this mean? A man must have food, but he must have it regularly. It is not as if he can fill his body and then live on the reserves for a long time, as the camel in the desert. The process of eating food, in an endless cycle day after day, meal after meal, ought to teach a lesson about our condition. Our labor, when it all boils down, is for feeding our bodies. But the appetite is not filled. You dig the ditch to earn enough money to buy the food to have the energy to dig the ditch.

That we have to fill up regularly teaches us something. That is a cycle. That never ends. It is never satisfied.

8 For what more has the wise man than the fool?
What does the poor man have?
Who knows how to walk before the living? Both of the questions are rhetoric. They provide their own answer. The wise has a lot more than the fool, and so does the person who has discretion. It is a valuable asset in dealing with life and people. The poor man who has discretion is not disadvantaged; he is rich in the things that matter. The rich without it are invalids. Discretion is a rare commodity in humankind. Without it you just stumble along. I can see that we are talking now about more specific things that are essential to the well-being of an individual.

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. Wandering desire is a yearning for what you think other people have. It is better to be satisfied with the sight of the eyes and what you can see and what you have, than wanting things belonging to others that you cannot get. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Do not be fooled by the impossible dream, it is a waste of time. More than that, you will regret your life; wish it away, longing for what you do not have instead of enjoying what you do.

34. We have great difficulty accepting that we cannot control all our arrangements. To some it is obvious they have lost control, and some imagine they have everything in hand. Those who know they have lost it think that “if only,” they would regain control. While those who have it all in order have disaster threatening just around the corner.

Proposition 6
Within this proposition we have twenty six points of issue. All are a perverted way of looking at things and is also the most common way. You need to have an attitude to all of these, and make sure it is not the common one. The first is a tragedy by any measure, but this man is better-off than a man who is poor who does not have his health. It is common among men to see all the negatives, and imagine you cannot live with them. You can and you must. The second is equally sad, but a more practical approach to life, given your circumstance, might address some of the difficulties. Men think seventy years too short, but one thousand years twice-told, will not serve any better.

We need to recognize that all our arrangements are faulty. People skills are a great asset, practice these and it will help. Control want and prevent it from running away from you. Know the nature of man and your condition and you will know how to behave. Value your reputation and do not sell it or give it away. Spend time dealing with the issue of death and the effect, and it will give you a better attitude. Feeling another’s sorrow will do you more good than ignoring it, as if it will never touch you. A wise man will have a sober attitude. He will accept rebuke.

To join in the laughter of fools is not a wise thing to do. To accept a bribe is to sell your life for sixpence. The end is better because many who start out never get there. Many think that because they are right, they are entitled to get angry. Well you might be, but do not be hasty to do it. To engage in a negative complaint is counterproductive, and not even true. An inheritance can be a blessing if handled properly. It can also divide a house, if wisdom does not prevail. Wisdom is the greatest asset because it gives you the power to work things out. Because they do not realize that God made it crooked, men spend untold energy trying to straighten things out. The wheel will turn. What goes around comes around. God has made it that way, so wait for it to turn in your favor. It will not always work to your satisfaction, and sometimes the one that does the right thing suffers for it. Do not make out you are more virtuous than you are. Do not become a thug and take advantage of everyone else, because God just might deal with you first.

They are common to men and some of them are evil, or things you will not like, not evil intrinsically, just not pleasant.

CHAPTER 6
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction. He has everything he needs but enjoyment is snatched away. That is unfortunate.

It happens, and we must deal with it. This fellow had it all, but his health prevented him enjoying it. Too often you see the super wealthy suffering ailments which are the product of their life-style. They suffer gout from drinking too much Port, something the poor manage to avoid. Be thankful if you have your health. Count your blessings. Consider what God has given you, and be content. The wealthy would give all they have for your health when theirs begins to fail. There are many things of importance for which to be thankful, and it is just as well to give them due weight.

33. Run the business with a just balance and weight and you will prosper. Everyone will tell you that. If you want people to do business with you then treat them fairly, and let them know you are honest, and they will buy off you again.

The argument just unwinds. It all makes perfect sense.

13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
14 But those riches perish through misfortune;
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,
To go as he came;
And he shall take nothing from his labor
Which he may carry away in his hand.
16 And this also is a severe evil—
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?
17All his days he also eats in darkness, And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. We kept these verses together because it is a single sad story. The riches were supposed to be a comfort to the family. In the end they were the undoing. If you are tempted to argue about the last conclusion, if you want to defend a policy of wealth acquisition as a front line activity for a good life, then consider this. The man was born into riches but an evil event took it all away. It would have been better if he had never known riches, because he is left with a chip on his shoulder. His life is full of bitterness and resentment. A black cloud hangs over him that would not exist if he had never known wealth. He cannot cope with this change in fortune, and his days are filled with deep depression resulting in fits of rage.

He had a son and had nothing to give him. He looks on himself as a failure. Having possessions, then losing them has created a negative attitude in this individual. This man is so morose he is a burden to himself and all around.

That is a sore evil, because if he had not wanted riches his life would have been different. But now all his days he eats in darkness. And that is a tragedy.

Summary 5
If enjoyment in labor is your portion you need to be enjoying it now, because that is as good as it gets. It is not to be despised, for our choices are before us, and we take them up at will. You are in charge, and what you get is established by the wisdom of your choice.
We know we have reached a plateau because we have another of those verses.

18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. The summary is similar to the last, but we do have several more reasons to agree.

19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart. You might decide to leave the choice to God, and those who fear him often do. They leave the important life changing question to the only one who can make the right decision. The way you know whether the choice was right or wrong is in the joy of your heart. The one brave enough to do this has abandoned striving selfishly, and is content to do what needs to be done in whatever way opportunity presents. If you ask whether people with this spirit enjoy life, you will find they do.

Accept that prosperity and misfortune will be faced. React consistently under both conditions. It is fitting to be happy at prosperity but not to be resentful when trouble sets in. Consider what it means. It means there are forces at work that prevent ultimate control and will rob you of the things you expect. So do not expect too much.

32. It is not a lull in the argument, it is the main point.

8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. People go to war over this. There is a danger that a person with newfound zeal will pledge themselves to right all wrongs, to be the comforter. Like Don Quixote they try with their broadsword to put all evil to flight. The Don discovered that evil was present no matter how high you went in Government or Religious circles. Reforming the world would mean changing everything. Do not become the social reformer; you will become disillusioned quickly. So do not become an idealist.

An idealist in an imperfect world is as much a misfit as the meanest thug. When you consider it, there is a natural justice involved in everything that happens, and there is no sense trying to reform society with the sword. The natural justice is this;

9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field. If there is injustice, you will find there are those in authority who are higher that will take the guilty to task. Even in the highest place, the king himself is served of the field. The king must negotiate with the peasants, because if he does not, they will not give him their produce. That natural course of checks will deal with the issue of injustice in the province. So do not take up the case of social reform. You will not solve it this side of the kingdom of God. Being the world’s benefactor is an attractive prospect, but solving the problems that exist is something only God can do. So wait for the right time.

10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity. So what do we do with our time and effort? Want will just grow and grow, as you gather silver, so desire will increase. Those who love plenty are never satisfied, so chasing silver and gold is vanity. It will not comfort you. And even if you are wealthy and prosperous it becomes a burden. Rarely does it solve all the problems, and the tragedy is you find you have enough just at the point where you lose all desire. Somebody else gets to spend it. And not knowing how much it cost to gather the wealth, they squander it. Keep it in perspective.

11 When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes? Increasing goods has its own set of problems. You have reason to believe when you gather wealth that you will be the one who benefits from it. The truth is you become the servant to the things you own. The picture is of a large house and prosperous tenants, who only build up their own responsibilities. They do not enjoy the increase; it is spread in the running costs of the estate. Increasing goods is not the only thing to think about.

12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. Even though the laboring man goes to bed hungry, and is deprived of what everyone considers essential, his sleep is sweet and he rests in peace. The irony is he finds comfort. But the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. The worry associated with possessions of the rich prevents them from sleeping. It is a great evil that prevents a person from relaxing simply because they are wealthy.

31. When you present yourself to God and offer your resolve to change, just think about it and watch what you do and say. Sometimes fools walk in there. They lay down their offering before God, and do not realize they have offended him. What is the offering they bring?
You would not want to make the change and do it wrong, would you.

2 Do not be rash with your mouth,
And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
Therefore let your words be few.
3 For a dream comes through much activity,
And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
To protect against making a fool of yourself just keep your words to a minimum. Listen more than speak. Their prayer is like the rambling dream of a businessman. “Help me God, just this once, I will make it up to you, I really will.” The thoughts tumble out full of self-interest and greed. This is the voice of the fool when he approaches God. And yet men comfort themselves in the thought that having prayed, they have God in their debt.

It is like they are doing a deal with God. It is a business transaction, where you do something for God, and he does everything for you.

The Preacher asks you to give some thought to the way you spend your life, and give an equal amount of thought to the way you serve God. When you come into the presence of God do so with due reverence and caution, remembering that God is in heaven, which is much higher than a king, and you are in no position to make any request. There is little you can say, and there is little you should say. Do not try to defend yourself as if you did not do anything wrong. Do not accuse everyone but yourself for the problems you have. Do not promise to improve unless you mean to try. If there is one thing that will make God angry, it is the person whose speech lacks sincerity. So watch your step, otherwise your approach into the presence of God will be your downfall. That is a sobering message.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it;
For He has no pleasure in fools.
Pay what you have vowed—
5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
Is this vow a formal thing or just something you commit yourself to do? It is just something you declare you are going to do. You are convinced of your need to reform. Life has no meaning without God. You sincerely want to change. Do not promise something you do not have the power or the resolve to do. Reform is all very well, but it is no comfort if it is feigned.

Do not be casual when you commit yourself to duty. In Psalm 15 David asks “1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill? he that has sworn to his hurt, and does not change it;” This is one who miscalculated the cost to him of doing something but did it because he said he would. It was a matter of integrity. Integrity goes to honesty and sincerity. Solomon does not want you to get it wrong. Truth and honesty is the control. You need to get that right.

6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry with your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.
He makes it plain. Resolve to be true. We need mercy on that day; we do not want God to be angry with us. What a tragedy if we get everything else right and fail because we cannot control our tongue. Where God is concerned get your mind into gear before you speak. Focus on the interests of others and keep clear of selfish requests, and your prayers will not offend.