When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 NLT
And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
Matthew 16:19 NLT
Same here. Ecclesiastes is one of the most honest books in the Bible. It doesn’t pretend life is simple, it wrestles with meaning, disappointment, success, and mortality, yet still points us back to fearing God and living wisely. It’s painfully real, and that’s what makes it so beautiful.
@_VirgoM The “fear of God” in the Bible often does not mean being terrified or intimidated by God. It refers to a deep reverence, awe, respect, and recognition of God’s holiness, authority, and majesty.