May 14, 2021 - Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

When I was younger, I took several vows that shaped and created me as I matured. I really had no idea how important those words or pledges were at the time, but now as I reflect on them, they aided me in my walk-through life. Vowing to be a member of a team, raising my hand to swear to serve my country and standing in front of a Pastor, family, and pledging a life of togetherness with my wife, all have had lifelong ramifications.

Solomon brings us to the topic of keeping vows and seriousness that God places on the words that we speak. He challenges the reader to be careful and to speak wisely when entering the presence of the Lord. Stepping into God’s house and being submissive to Him should cause us to consider how we speak. Solomon’s instruction is to go in silence and to be slow to speak or make promises before the Lord. Verse four states emphatically that the Lord expects the words you speak to be completed without delay or interruption. Solomon knew very well the passages in Deuteronomy 23 and Numbers 30 where the Lord spoke clearly about keeping a vow made to Him.

Several clearly stated instructions to heed before making a vow is highlighted. Listen carefully before you speak. A word spoken before considering all the consequences is foolish and could create bad results (vv.1-2). Do not be afraid to dream big, but until you are sure God agrees with that aspiration, be slow to reveal those desires (v.3). Lastly, when making a vow, begin immediately to fulfill it (vv.4-5)!

The resources that God makes available to us to accomplish the vows we make are limitless (Psalm 50). He wants us to dream big and to accomplish great things but we are to be slow to pledge and slow to announce our intentions. Solomon’s conclusion was a warning, “Fear God” (v. 7). The vows we make to the Lord will shape our lives, so speak thoughtfully and carefully.