Question:

50.4—“For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words” (Ecclesiastes 5:3). What does the first part of this verse mean?  Does it truly have something to do with dreaming?  And, keeping in mind the last half of this verse.…

50.4—As is the case with everything Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, this is not a scientific explanation of dreams but his observation that dreams are often produced when a person is very busy. The KJV and JND translate the verse: “A dream cometh through the multitude of business, and a fool’s voice through a multitude of words.” One commentary puts it this way: “Just as a hyperactive mind often produces wild dreams, so a hyperactive mouth produces a torrent of foolish words, even in prayer” —William MacDonald.

Yes, as you say, in view of the fact that we “shall give account…in the day of judgment“ for “every idle [non-working] word that” we “speak” (Matthew 12:36), how important it is to keep in mind the last part of Ecclesiastes 5:3: “A fool’s voice is known by his many words.” And may we be sure to heed the advice Solomon gives in the previous verse: “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Question:

50.3—“It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows” (Proverbs 20:25).

Does this directly apply to expressions that refer to cows, or any other things, as holy?  Of course, Harry Carey made it clear that he was saying HOLEY cow…hence the cow with holes in it on his desk.  🙂

50.3—This verse from Proverbs is not merely Solomon’s reasoning based on what he saw “under the sun” as is true in Ecclesiastes, but it is a warning not to devote something to God, then later change our minds or be unable to fulfill what we promised. We should not make a man an offender for a word, but God does! He says: “If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2). God holds us accountable for anything (even a cow) that we say we are going to dedicate to Him.

Question:

50.2—“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

Throughout these verses it’s speaking of two individuals.  Can this mean a person and God…or is the thought more the companionship of two people?  Also, when it mentions a threefold cord, would that be referring to two individuals having their relationship intertwined with God?

50.2—Solomon mentions “God” 36 times in Ecclesiastes, so it seems that he would have mentioned God in the verses above had he been referring to Him. Solomon is speaking in Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 of a vanity that he saw “under the sun” that blew his mind. It was the folly of “one alone.” Like some today, this person labored all alone as a miser but had no one to labor for (v. 8). He only lived for self, and Solomon thought that this was an empty, wretched way to live.

He then, in verses 9-12, gives the advantages of partnership and uses five illustrations to press this home. Two workers are “better than one” because:

1) They get more reward for their labors (v. 9).

2) If there is an accident, the other can help; but one who falls alone is to be pitied (v. 10).

3) In bed on a cold night, there is heat from each other (v. 11). (We could argue this point that some have cold feet and an electric blanket is far superior, but the point is that there are benefits from companionship that are unknowable to one who lives in isolation.)

4) A thief can often overpower one victim, but two can usually resist successfully (v. 12).

5) A rope made with three cords is stronger than a rope with only one or two strands. In fact, three strands twisted together are more than three times stronger than three separate cords (v. 12).

Question:

50.1—” I said in my heart, ‘God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there shall be a time there for every purpose and for every work” (Ecclesiastes 3:17). “…Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly” (Ecclesiastes 8:6).

Is one of the things these two verses say, that on the Day of Judgment (for the unsaved) and on the day that we have to give account to God for all that we’ve done (the Christians) there will be plenty of time for every work and purpose to be reviewed?  I know that is true, but am wondering if these verses are key to supporting that.  When I thought about it in this way it really had an impact…I could just imagine myself standing before God and one by one giving account of each and every thing…sounded rather painful.  Please feel free to correct anything I’ve said, if need be.

50.1—These verses do “support” the truth that everyone, saved and unsaved, will give account to God when He judges everything that is done in this life, but Ecclesiastes is not a revelation of truth from God but rather the reasoning of Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, about things he “saw under the sun.” In Ecclesiastes 3:17, which you quote above, Solomon says, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.” This is the conclusion he came to because of what he observed in the previous verse: “I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there.” He reasons that since things are not made right in this life that decency and fairness demand a time when accounts will be settled and when the right is vindicated. He does not say that God will judge the righteous and the wicked after death, and in Ecclesiastes 8:7 he says that “he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?”

But as you say, we do know because we have the revelation of God in the New Testament that Solomon did not have, that says: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We know that a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ “does not come into judgment” (John 5:24), because “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). The believer himself shall not be judged though his “work shall be” so he can “receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:13,14).

The Scriptures also tell us that God will judge unbelievers at the “Great White Throne” judgment because they are responsible for their sins. He will sentence them to spend eternity in the lake of fire, and their punishment will be “according to their works” (Revelation 20:11-15). How immeasurably blessed we are to have the revealed Word of God regarding what lies after this life.