Why does the Preacher warn against careless promises and the love of money?

The Preacher tells his listener to speak few words before God. God is in heaven, while the listener is on earth. Many cares bring dreams, and many words can bring foolish speech. A promise to God should be kept without delay. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and break it. The speaker also warns against saying before the angel that there is no providence. He urges the listener to fear God rather than become lost in dreams and empty words.

He next describes oppression of the poor and twisted justice in a province. Officials have higher officials above them, and a king rules the land. The passage names this hierarchy without saying that it always brings justice.

Money does not satisfy a person who always wants more. Greater wealth also brings more people who consume it. The owner may gain little beyond seeing what he owns. A worker can sleep well after eating little or much, but the rich person’s fullness can prevent sleep. The Preacher has seen wealth kept to its owner’s harm and then lost, leaving a son with nothing. A person enters life naked and leaves without taking the results of work. This makes a life spent chasing wealth seem like work for the wind.

Yet the Preacher also sees good in eating, drinking, and enjoying work during the days God gives. Wealth alone is not the whole gift: the ability to enjoy it and find joy in work is also God’s gift.