Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
– Ecclesiastes 5:1
How many conversations do you think Moses had during his lifetime? I know, you are probably thinking, “Moses? How did we get on Moses? We are probably talking here about Solomon, the prominent wisdom writer of the scriptures.” Play along with me for a moment. Moses surely had countless conversations in his life, many that would be memorable. But if we were to name the conversations in Moses’ life that were truly life-altering, one that might stand above all the others would be a conversation Moses had with God on a mountain in the Sinai wilderness. Our record of the conversation is in Exodus 3, and while most of us could not recount the entire conversation from memory, we can remember how it began. Immediately after calling Moses’ name, the angel of the Lord told him to remove his sandals, because Moses was coming upon holy ground. Do you think this helped frame the rest of the conversation? I almost guarantee it.
The fifth chapter of Ecclesiastes seems to begin with the same idea, a word of awareness for those who come into the Lord’s presence. Much of the writing of Ecclesiastes contrasts wisdom with foolishness. In the first seven verses of chapter five the writer applies that contrast to our interactions with God, with clear thoughts on how we may be wise or foolish in those moments. Translated from the original Hebrew, the statements may be a little difficult for us to process. Hear how Eugene Peterson paraphrases Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 in The Message:
“Watch your step when you enter God’s house. Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than good. Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better. Overwork makes for restless sleep. overtalk shows you up as a fool. When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now. God takes no pleasure in foolish drivel. Vow it, then do it. Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up. Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you. When called to account, you won’t get by with “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation? But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk, there’s always this rock foundation: Fear God!”
How many of us can remember a time when we have made a bargain with God? “God, if you will get me out of this mess, I promise I will…” I wonder what the fulfillment rate would be on those vows. The writer warns us in verses 4-5 of the foolishness of being casual about our vows made to God. This can even bring to mind our baptismal vows that are made before a representative of God (pastor, priest, etc.). It may be convicting to consider how our vows to God have been taken with less seriousness than they should. God has grace when we fall short, and this is definitely good news. Still, the wisdom writer challenges us to never take lightly the promises and commitments we make to God.
This also invites us to evaluate the mindset we have when we gather for worship, for group study, or any other time we gather as the church. In a way it is good that people can feel comfortable when coming to church. It should be an inviting place to be. Even so, there is a casualness that may inhibit our encounters with God. Would it help if, every time we entered our places of worship, we heard a voice from the altar reminding us that we are treading on holy ground? Perhaps we would take James’ advice to be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19) rather than hasty to offer unthoughtful prayers and shallow commitments to God.
Peterson’s paraphrase of verse 2 is a great word for self-evaluation: “Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.” Instead of speaking, a better first move may be listening. It would seem odd to most congregations if the worship leader welcomed the people, then invited everyone to spend 10-15 minutes (or more) in silence so we can hear God speak. A different approach would be for us to take time before coming to the gathering. Let our listening begin early rather than bringing a scattered mind to church. (Yes, I know there are days when that’s just the way it is. Come anyway!) Give God the agenda and cares for the remainder of the day so our hearts can be inclined to heaven. Whatever it takes, it will be for our benefit and for God’s glory to be attentive to God. Imagine Moses staring at a divine flame in the midst of a bush. Perhaps God can likewise get our attention.
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 