Ecclesiastes 5: 4 – 5 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

This is advice given by someone who refers to himself as the “Preacher” a King of Israel (traditionally thought to be Solomon). Solomon asked and received wisdom from God, together with more wealth than he could manage. He reveled in it all and eventually felt that he had explored every indulgence that existed “under the sun”. He concluded that unless life had God at its center, everything else amounted to “vanity” or was just meaningless.

The Preacher comments that “A man can do nothing better than to find satisfaction in his work.” But then he adds, “This too I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Eccles. 3: 24 – 26). If ever there was a treatise on the meaning of life, this Book of Ecclesiastes is it.

One thing that does not escape the Preacher’s understanding is the subject of man’s accountability toward God:  “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.” (Eccles. 3: 11 and 17). It is against this background and the wisdom gained that the Preacher not only encourages us to live a happy and balanced life but to stand in awe of God. Therefore he entreats us not to take lightly the making of vows to God, but to quickly fulfill them once we make them.