21/1/22. Study 13. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

 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. (Ecc 5:1-7)

 

1. What truths about God does Qoheleth use to encourage us to fear Him in this passage? (cf. 3:14 "God has done it, so that people fear before him")

• God is in heaven and we are on earth (v.2b). He is God, we are not - His wisdom, power, goodness and holiness cannot be compared with ours. So while He calls us 'friends' (Jn 15:15) because He has revealed His truth to us, we are never to take Him lightly or flippantly.
  
• God takes no pleasure in  fools (v. 4). A 'fool' in the OT is not one who is unintelligent, but one who is morally deficient, lacking the wisdom of God. God does not tolerate those who are wicked - who do not keep promises made to Him.
  
• God can punish our misdeeds. He can become angry and can destroy our work - all our achievements (v.6). God can even become angry with and discipline His children, even though this is done in love, not in condemnation.(cf. Job)

The awesome reality of God is in view when we worship.

2 What right and wrong approaches in worship are mentioned in this passage? 

 The right approach is to guard our steps (with deliberate care), to listen, to say little with our mouths or in our hearts. We must keep our commitments to Him with sincerity. We are to keep an attitude of silence (Hab 2:20j

 

The wrong approach is to be careless, casual and irreverent, with much meaningless insincere chatter in our mouths and unguarded distractions in our hearts. It is to fail to keep commitments before God. Chatter is a mark of vanity (meaninglessness, emptiness). Our hearts are shown by our speech (Mt 12:34-37)

3. What do you understand by a 'vow'? Give some Old Testament and some New Testament examples of vows made by particular individuals?

 

A vow is a voluntary promise before God to undertake a particular action should He cause a certain thing to come to pass.

• Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God,(Gen 28:20-21)
•  And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”(Nu 21:2)
• And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, ³¹ then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”(Jg 11:29-30)
• And [Hannah] vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Sa 1:11)
• Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.”(1 Sa 14:24)
• And [Herod] vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
•  At Cenchreae [Paul] had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.(Ac 18:18)

Why might Qoheleth give advice about vows  in v. 4-6 the way he does in the light of  these examples?

A vow It can be spoken rashly in a time of need, and therefore be ill-considered when the cost of fulfilling it is high. Some of the vows found in the Bible were foolish and wrong vows, the fulfilling of which would involve greater sin. In this case we should repent of the foolish vow made.

cf. If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. Nu 30:2

“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.Y ou shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth. (Dt 23:21-23)

 

4.  Why is it important to be careful with 'many words'? Where else in the Bible do we find such warnings?

• When words are many, transgression is not lacking,  but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.(Prov 10:19)
• But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Mt 5:22)
• All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Mt 5:37)
• But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mat 12:36-37)
• The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (Jas 3:6)

We recognize that some of us are chattier, while others are of few words. The proscription is not so much with the volume of speech, but with the quality of speech. We always need to take care about what we say before God and man.