Ecc 5:1-7 (ESV) Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. (2) Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (3) For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. (4) When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. (5) It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. (6) Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? (7) For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
An “Under the Sun” View of Church
The Teacher of Ecclesiastes is somebody who grew up going to the temple and is now disillusioned. He knows enough about what goes on in the temple to comment, but he is not committed to anything that is not “under the sun.”
The modern day equivalent is someone who has been:
Confirmed
Sunday School
Maybe made a commitment
He is convinced there is a God (like 90% of USA), and He is mighty and powerful, Picks up the fear component. He questions God’s goodness as we have seen before with God has given us tasks to frustrate us and contentment cannot be found, and we are powerless to find truth. Skeptic
He does not talk much about a relationship with God, because he has not seen much
Hypocrisy- one of the number one thing that keeps people away from church and faith. People want something genuine. Sometimes just an excuse, but we give many reasons.
The World is watching, and many times they are not impressed. New book “They Like Jesus, but Not the Church”
Complaints about church goers
I) We Come Out of Obligation Instead of Expectation
Verse 1- “Guard your steps” equivalent to “Watch your step”- God guards his earthly threshold “Lev 15:31 "Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst."
The Teacher knows the demands of God for purity and fears for those who take entrance into the temple lightly.
Our Status
In the Teacher’s day, no one was able to enter the Holy of Holies, but since we are given access now by the blood of Jesus, we have a privilege that of which all OT believers would be jealous. Do you treat this privilege lightly?
Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
What is your purpose for coming today? Do you know who God is and what he has done? Are you serious about it? Are you expecting God to work in your life? Are you here to serve Him and others? Or are you here going through the motions.
Rev 1:20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Jesus is present at church- do we come expecting?
2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars."
Activity on our part
“Guard,” “Go,” “Draw near,” “Listen”
The teacher criticizes those who attend the temple or church that they should be active and not passive. He is right in saying that we should be active, but wrong in his reason for desiring it.
Jas 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
This is in contrast to putting on a show- acting the part, but no heart
Vs. 7
“Fear God”- fright before a powerful and dangerous being- (Longman 36)
God is so powerful, why do you treat him so lightly? The Teacher believes that if people knew how powerful God was and the horrible things he can do, those who attend church would change their attitude.
We need to fear God in a positive way and know that He is mighty and will bring judment, but He is on the side of those who seek Him and can do mighty things for them.
Transition: Listen in Hebrew has double force: 1) pay attention and 2) obey. Similar to 1Sa 15:22 “And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.’
II) We Talk Too Much and Listen Too Little
(1) …to draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. (2) Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. (3) For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.
Never use a gallon of words to express a spoonful of thought.
Anonymous, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."
Prayer- The Teacher is warning that we do not have a right to bother God with all of our little things. He is in heaven and we are on earth. Leave him alone, unless you have something important to ask. God is distant not close.
He also has probably seen those who pray so many can see them pray. They are pompous in speech and this has disillusioned him also.
Speaking to impress God- formalism, not heart felt
Longest sermon on record: 48 hours, 18 minutes. Number present at its conclusion: 8
Faith & Renewal, 5-6/94, (preached by Clinton Locy of West Richland, Washington, in 1955, using texts from every book of the Bible).
God gave you one mouth, two ears- proper proportion
Going in like we have the answer
In our worship of God we are not telling God things that he does not know
We are supposed to listen to him because there are a lot of things that we do not know
Mat 6:7-8 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
God wants to speak to us in each part of the service-
Maybe the only time during the weak that we are not preoccupied-
Nursery, children’s church allows quiet
III) We Say and Promise Things We Do Not Mean
4) When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. (5) It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. (6) Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? (7) For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
Here the Teacher hits on something that has merit, but he comes to the wrong conclusion.
Pro 20:25 It is a snare to say rashly, "It is holy," and to reflect only after making vows.
Because people are making rash vows- they should stop.
They will be confronted by a messenger (possibly a temple messenger in this time)- and they will have to make excuses.
God will become angry with you and destroy your works- the only good thing in this life
Fear God- be scared
Illustration:
Hymns- if we were honest
• (I Surrender All) I Surrender Some
• (There Shall Be Showers of Blessing) There Shall Be Sprinkles of Blessings
• (Fill My Cup, Lord) Fill My Spoon, Lord
• (Oh, How I Love Jesus) Oh, How I Like Jesus
• (He’s All to Me) He’s Quite a Bit to Me
• (I Love To Tell the Story) I Love to Talk About Telling the Story
• (Take My Life and Let It Be) Take My Life and Let Me Be
• (It Is No Secret What God Can Do) It is My Secret What God Can Do
• (Onward, Christian Soldiers) Onward, Christian Reserves
• (Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow) Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following
• (Just As I Am) Just As I Pretend to Be
• (When the Saints Go Marching In) When the Saints Go Sneaking In
We speak and say things religiously, but do not mean them
Proper fear of God which is the beginning of all wisdom- unlike the Teachers fear
Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
We should mean what we say, because God means what he says
Are we living for Him like the vows we make in church?
Are you worried about finances and the future? You must believe what you say in church. He has the cattle on a thousand hills and he owns the hills
Is he in Heaven? Instead of the distance that the Teacher sees, it is a promise for us- he sees all and can do all.
Conclusion:
The world is looking for genuine
They believe in a God
The do not believe he cares for them
They want to see people that believe and live like it.
They want to see us live out the vows that Jesus has changed us.
