Mar 27, 2018
Promises. We all make them. And the sad truth is, we all end up breaking them. In this section of his book, Solomon is going to go into proverb-mode, something with which he was very familiar. He was a collector of proverbs – wise sayings that provide deep truths in a simple, easy-to-understand format. He filled an entire book with them. And in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, he is going to provide some timely truths learned along the way that had special meaning and significance to him. They all have to do with a man’s relationship with God. While, at this point in his life, Solomon had veered off course and abandoned his relationship with God, he still had a healthy fear of God. He knew better than to treat God with disrespect. Of course, he had placed idols to false gods all over the kingdom, but in his old age, he seems to realize that he had made a drastic error in judgment. He could look back over his long life and see the many times he had rushed into God’s presence, offering his sacrifice, while neglecting to offer his heart. He also knew what it was like to make promises to God and then fail to keep them. In a way, his entire reign had been one big broken promise to God. At the very beginning of his reign, God had told Solomon that if he remained faithful, God would establish his throne forever. But Solomon had failed. He had made a promise to God and had not kept it. And like so many other things he has to say in this book, Solomon’s words in these verses resound with regret.