Ecclesiastes 5:7

"For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God."

It appears that this verse is similar in thought to Ecclesiastes 5:3. Excessive talk, like daydreams or all dreams are nothing more than vanity. Dreaming doesn't really accomplish anything, and neither does mere talk. The words under consideration are words which are empty, i.e. meaningless prayers, rash vows, hasty promises, speaking off the top of our heads, meaningless speculation, and so on. Instead, Solomon won't be impressed by those who claim that there is some hidden message or truth in our dreams. Mere human dreams are basically empty, and are dreams aren't telling us anything earth shaking!

"Rather, fear God" -That is, approach Him with deep respect. When you pray to God, have something to say. When you make. promise to Him, keep it, and place it as the highest priority in your life (Matthew 6:33). Unfortunately, even some Christians treat God with less respect than mere human beings (Malachi 2:6-9). When we have time for everything else, including our favorite hobby- rather than teaching others, teaching our children, making sure their bible homework is done and so on---we are playing the part of the fool. And if we are tempted to say, "Well, this is nothing more than harsh Old Testament teaching", we need to remember that the New Testament says the exact same thing! (Matthew 6:33; Ecclesiastes 7:21-23; 1 Corinthians 11:27ff).. still like what Kidner said, "No amount of emphasis on grace can justify taking liberties with God, for the very concept of grace demands gratitude; and gratitude cannot be casual" (p. 53).