Fear God in Worship
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1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
3 As a dream comes when there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
Introduction
Introduction
A Question: Why did you come to church this morning?
Because it was the right thing to do?
Because it’s the thing you do?
Was it purely out of habit?
Or was it perhaps because you don’t want others to see that you’re absent again, and so you’d better show up to win their favour?
For young people, was it because your parents made you do it?
There are many reasons why people gather to worship God.
But very often, I think we fail to honour the Lord in coming to worship, because we don’t really give thought to what we are doing, and why we are doing it.
Solomon deals with this issue of coming to God in worship in these verses this morning.
You will know that Solomon has been looking at vanities in the world.
As people seek to find meaning in the world, they chase after this meaning in the things of the Lord, and they fail to put everything within the context of God.
And this leads Solomon to his thoughts in these few verses this morning.
As we live our lives in this world, we need to reorient our own thoughts.
These words are not only for the audience of Solomon, but they are for us today.
Commentator Derek Kidner says that they are for “the well-meaning person who likes a good sing and turns up cheerfully enough to church; but who listens with half an ear, and never quite gets round to what he has volunteered to do for God.”
And so this morning as we consider this passage, I would like to urge you to hear what Solomon has to say, and to ask yourself, what is my reason for turning up to worship God today.
More importantly, how well prepared is my heart as I turn up for worship today?
As Solomon brings this challenge to us today, he gives us at least 4 things to consider.
1. Guard your steps before Him (v.1)
1. Guard your steps before Him (v.1)
Ecclesiastes 5:1
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God”
We must be watchful as we approach God in worship
Solomon says to "guard your steps"
Guard your steps = watch your feet.
As we approach God to worship Him and bring Him praise, we need to do so in a thoughtful manner.
We need to do so in a manner that considers who God is, and what we are coming to do before Him.
We are, after all, coming to worship the Almighty creator of the universe, and we should bring Him honour as that Creator.
Not only that, but we come before Him as those who say that God has done a mighty work of grace in our lives, by giving us spiritual life.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites were freed from bondage to slavery in Egypt. This was the reason that God called them in particular as a nation to worship Him in the right way.
But for us, how much greater has our salvation not been?
He has raised us from spiritual death to spiritual life, giving us mercy from the divine wrath that was due us, washing us and cleansing us by the blood of the lamb...
Solomon says to the Israelites, as he considers them coming and going from the Temple (that Temple that he built)… that they should guard their steps when they go to the house of God.
What Solomon saw as he looked on, was a bunch of people coming and going to worship without thinking about God.
They were merely going through the motions.
They were not guarding their steps.
“Go near to listen”
Solomon says that the primary task as they go to the temple is to listen
Our primary task in coming to worship God is to hear Him speak!
We do not come primarily to tell God things... even what we think of Him.
We do not come primarily to do the talking.
We do not come to hear a particular preacher preach.... because we like their preaching.
We come to hear Almighty God of the universe declare to our hearts the glorious truths concerning Him.
We come primarily to hear God speak through Holy Scripture.
We come to listen to Him proclaim His love and His mercy and grace in sending His Son.
We come to hear how He has made us for the very praise of His glorious name.
We come to hear how He is worthy to be lifted up and exalted above all things in this life.
We come to hear how He commands all people everywhere to repent of their sin and selfish lives, and to live for Him alone.
Friends, God alone is worthy is worthy of our highest praise and adoration.
And so when we come to church, we do so to listen to Him so that we get our eyes off of ourselves.... even if just to reorient our perspective so that we can properly evaluate ourselves.
“...rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.”
In Solomon’s day, there was a big problem with the Israelites coming into the Temple to worship God, but they were merely doing what they were told, as a mindless exercise.
The Israelites would come into the Temple, and offer their sacrifices to God, because that was what was done… or that was what God had commanded...
For example, listen to what God says to Israel through Isaiah...
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the law of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
16 wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
17 learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us reason together,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
The Israelites were taking the sacrifices of fools into the Temple, not even realising their own sin.
They didn’t even realise that what they were doing was detestable before God.
Many people go to church as fools... offering their sacrifices..
"God, I've come to church today... what a sacrifice I've made for you..."
"God, I've put my money in the offering bag... what a sacrifice I've made for you..."
"God, I'm sure you're happy with my offering... this time that I've spent..."
Many a person will come into the service, and they are not convinced of God's holiness...
They care little for who He is, and His supreme worthiness and holiness.
They care only about what God can do for them....
Part of the reason churches fail to demonstrate the grace of God to the lost world, is because they've never understood the grace of God.
They know about that grace, but they don't realise what the means for them.
They don't realise who God is... His power, His holiness, His purity, His excellencies, His absolute glory, His majesty!
The angels in heaven bow in continuous worship of the Almighty in His presence.
They cannot bear to look at Him - they must cover their eyes because of His glory...
And we come to church... oh, just another Sunday where... it would have been nice to sleep in, but I know it's better to do my duty and go to church....
Oh friends, as we realise the perfections and the glory of God, and the fact that we have been granted grace to stand in His very presence, we have been granted access into the very throne room of God....
We have been called children of the living God.... by His wondrous, amazing, grace....
We ought to be looking so forward in eager anticipation to gathering on a Sunday morning for worship of God because of what He has done, that we not only get up with joy on Sunday, but we pray and seek God on Saturday night.... we must earnestly desire Him....
The sad reality of the fools that Solomon speaks of here in this verse, is that they do not even perceive that they are doing wrong.
They don't even know that they do wrong... They think they're fine. They think that what they're doing is just fine and ok... and that's precisely the danger.
In the OT, the Israelites thought that they were fine... they thought that they were doing everything just right...
We're doing what God wants of us... we go to the temple... we bring the sacrifices that God requires....
But when the prophets would come along and announce to the people that their sacrifices were not acceptable to God, and that God was going to judge them, what did they do?
Jesus told us in Luke 13:34...
Luke 13:34
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
They put them to death... they wanted to kill the prophets... at least those who were speaking the truth.
The heart of man is so deceitful...
Let us not presume that what we do is acceptable before God...
Let us seek God in humble prayer.
Let us confess our sinfulness before God.
Let us confess our apathy before our holy God.
And let us plead that He would fan into flame our heart's desire for Him and Him alone...
Hypocritical worship is not merely unproductive, it is sinful.
2. Guard your tongue before Him (v.2-3)
2. Guard your tongue before Him (v.2-3)
Ecclesiastes 5:2–3
2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
“Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.”
The warning that Solomon gives here is that we should not be hasty to utter anything before God.
One of the great marks of a fool is one who speaks much, without thinking much.
28 The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.
28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
Our tongue is a restless evil... think about that for a moment!
Philip Ryken:
"Every time a mouth is open, a heart is on display, and we are as likely to hear a word from Hell as a word from Heaven."
This caution from Solomon concerns coming to God and speaking to Him within the place of worship.
The striking thing here is that even our prayers to God and our speech to God may be marked with foolishness.
Think about the parable that Jesus told of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector going to the temple to pray.
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
As we make this a little more practical, just consider the context of Ecclesiastes so far...
Solomon has been speaking about trying to find meaning under the sun.
He's searched all kinds of possible places to obtain meaning.
He's considered work, accumulating wealth, finding meaning in position and status in society.
In all of his searching, for the most part, it was done apart from God!
He barely gave thought to God...
In fact, this is the overarching theme of this very book.
Now, Solomon says, having evaluated the meaninglessness under the sun, and having considered all of the vain endeavours that people pursue in order to find meaning, he says to them... when you come to the temple, do not be hasty to utter anything before God.
When life is lived in pursuit of the things of the world, where is the heart of that person...?
Their heart is not in pleasing the Lord, but rather in living for themselves.
Such a person comes to prayer, and the prayers are not so much in worship of God, but rather in pursuit of selfish gain.
How much of this isn't seen in the world today, as people pray to God, and they ask Him to bless them, to prosper them, to give to them... Oh, of course we want to be a blessing to others..... but the blessing to others is an after-thought.
We want to bless people out of our abundance…
John Bunyan, wrote: “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.”
As we come to worship, we should let our words be few...
But then Solomon gives the great reason for this:
“God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
As we hear those words, we might think that Solomon is stating the very obvious!
But I wonder how truly obvious it is to our minds.
So often our perspective goes wrong because we fail to appreciate what is known as the Creator / Creature distinction.
The fact that God is God and we are not!!
One Reformer said that “knowing God and knowing ourselves is the sum of all wisdom.” (John Calvin)
In the Sola 5 confession of faith, we have a description of God given in these words:
“1.2. God’s existence derives from himself, and he is set apart from all his creatures. He is pure spirit, having no body or unstable emotions. God is infinite in his being and perfections: changeless, eternal, almighty, most holy, all-knowing, most wise and free. He is most loving, gracious, merciful, compassionate and forgiving...
“1.3 God is sovereign and works all things according to his own righteous will, for his own glory. From all eternity God decreed everything that would ever happen in time; he did this in perfect wisdom and holiness. Furthermore, God sustains and governs all his creatures by his supremely wise and holy providence. In so doing he fulfils the purpose for which they were created, in order that his own attributes and glory may be praised.”
What a distinction we must draw between God in heaven, and us on the earth.
If we are going to live a proper life in this world, and if we are going to worship God in an acceptable manner, then we must understand this.
If the true majesty of God were very real to us, it would drive any laziness in the worship of God out of us.
Do we constantly guard ourselves to ensure that we realise fully that God is in heaven and we are on earth?
“As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.”
This phrase in verse 3 speaks about the burden of work, and how a person who is overloaded with work has dreams.
An overactive mind produces dreams.
So it is that a divided heart before God, a heart overactive with many worries, results in many words before God.
When speaking about prayer, Jesus said to his disciples...
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Our words in worship of God should be carefully considered.
It’s for this very reason that James says that not many should presume to be teachers of the word of God...
He goes on to say in James 3:2...
2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
And again, James said...
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
3. Guard your vows before Him (v.4-6)
3. Guard your vows before Him (v.4-6)
In verses 4-6, Solomon deals with the aspect of making vows to God.
In Biblical times people often made vows to God, usually in the context of public worship (see Leviticus 22:18–20).
For example:
14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
1 Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
Examples in the Old Testament:
Jacob - promised to serve God if God watched over him (Gen 28:20)
Hannah, who vowed to dedicate her firstborn son to the ministry of a priest (1 Samuel 1:11)
Jephthah, who rashly made a vow that cost him his daughter (Judges 11:29–40)
Extra-Biblical example:
Martin Luther - promised to become a monk...
What Solomon speaks about in these verses is a holy promise to offer God a gift or sacrifice.
And what he begins by saying is, “If you make a vow, fulfil it...”
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
When one considers who God is, and the fact that He is the almighty, then you cannot make vows to God and fail to carry them through.
To do so would be to lie to God almighty!
This is foolishness!
In the biblical days, this had become such a problem, that Jesus went as far as to issue a warning to the people:
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ 34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
What Jesus was speaking about here was not important promises / covenants, like a marriage relationship.
Certainly there is place for such a vow to be made.
The problem was that people were in daily life making vows to one another that had little meaning, and they didn’t really follow through with.
And Jesus says that this is wrong.
James wrote in similar manner...
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.
Let us be sure of this, that when we make a vow before God, we are to keep our vows before God.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
Very often, people make vows when they are in trouble.
They say: “God, if you will do this for me in my time of trouble, then I promise you I will serve you in this or that way...”
Perhaps someone very sick in bed.
Martin Luther is an example.
How often, when people make such a vow, do they not follow through on the vow when they get what they prayed for?
Charles Bridges gives some good advice for when we do make a vow:
A solemn engagement advisedly made with God is a transaction needing much prayer and consideration. It should rest on the clear warrant of God’s word. It should concern a matter really important, suitable, and attainable. It should be so limited, as to open a way for disentanglement under unforeseen contingencies, or altered circumstances.
The Preacher warned about two sins. The first was that of making the vow with no intention of keeping it, in other words, lying to God.
The second sin was making the vow but delaying to keep it, hoping you could get out of it.
6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
When the priest [“angel” = messenger] came to collect the promised sacrifice or gift, the person would say, “Please forget about my vow! It was a mistake!”
A person makes a commitment of an offering or sacrifice, but when the time came to pay that vow / sacrifice, they suddenly say that it was a mistake...
This is foolishness.
We are to keep the vows that we make.
4. Guard your worship before Him (v.7)
4. Guard your worship before Him (v.7)
Ecclesiastes 5:7
7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
(Fear God!!)
As people come to worship, very often they will bring their own ideas to the worship of God.
There are those who teach things that are not in accordance with doctrine, but rather they are in accordance with their own imaginations.
This is a dangerous thing to do.
Solomon here says that much dreaming and many words are meaningless.
In the Old Testament, we find numerous examples of so-called prophets in Israel who would give prophecies to the nation of Israel based on their own imaginations.
25 “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31 Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
As we come to worship God, we need to be careful with our worship.
We need to come in the fear of God, knowing who God truly is.
Knowing who God has revealed Himself to be according to the Scriptures.
The church in general is in a very serious state of waywardness.
They’ve lost the ability to hear the truth about God...
Think about 2 Timothy 4:1-3... people want their ears tickled....
People come with a preconceived notion of God, and want to hear only that...
That must stop... we must hear God as He speaks so clearly in the word!
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
A.1. Go near to listen
A.1. Go near to listen
The Preacher assumes that when people go to the house of God, there will be something for them to hear.
That “something” is the Word of the living God.
The house of God is a place for the reading and the preaching of the Word of God.
So the first questions we need to ask ourselves as we prepare for worship are:
Am I ready to listen to the voice of God?
Is my heart open to spiritual instruction?
Are my ears attentive to the message I will hear from the Bible?
A.2. Go Near in Reverence
A.2. Go Near in Reverence
As we approach God in worship, we must do so in reverence.
Derek Kidner
“If we are tempted to write this off as a piece of Old Testament harshness, the New Testament will disconcert us equally with its warnings against making pious words meaningless, or treating lightly what is holy (Mt. 7:21 ff.; 23:16 ff.; 1 Cor. 11:27 ff.). 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.”
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Warren Wiersbe writes:
"The worship of God is the highest ministry of the church and must come from devoted hearts and yielded wills." (Be Satisfied, p. 64)
Part of this reverence for God should be to confess our sins before Him.
We cannot come before God with continuing sin in our lives, and not repent of that sin.
A.3. Fulfill your Vows
A.3. Fulfill your Vows
If we have vows that were made, promises made before God, we should fulfill them.
It is foolishness to not fulfill our vows before God.
And if you think that you have freed yourself by not having made any vows before God...
What about your vow to follow Christ, in the good times, and in the bad?
To surrender yourself to Christ in worship of Him and obedience to Him?
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
If you are a member of this church, you have made a vow to serve Christ.
If you are not officially a member, but have repented of sin and trusted Christ as Lord, then you have made a vow to serve Christ...
Waters of baptism are a demonstration of that work of God, and that commitment to follow Christ.
Let us not go back on our vow of a life lived for Christ.
A.4. Remember the Cross
A.4. Remember the Cross
Christ worshiped fully
22 I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
Because Christ worshiped perfectly, and then became the One whose perfections are imputed to us who are His disciples, we are not consumed by God in our failure to worship God properly.
By the grace of God through Christ, we are dealt with mercifully.
Praise God for the Son!!
But we don't then become apathetic... we seek to worship God correctly, by the power that He gives us!