Careful Words - Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Solomon has been considering the world by looking at it through the eyes of humanity, through a philosophy of meaninglessness. Now, for a few verses, he completely shifts his point of view and considers our relationship with God, focusing on how we come to worship him. I wonder if the weight of looking at the world only through humanity’s eyes has become too much for him; last week we looked at how Solomon even mentions how the dead are happier, and the person not yet born is better off than us. The answer to such despair is God, so Solomon turns to the one who created the sun.

Worship has changed a lot even in just my lifetime; not necessarily for better or worse, probably a bit of both. Saturday night was all about preparing for worship the next day. At supper we would read the Scripture passages for the next day. After supper we would polish our shoes, while mom made sure our Sunday clothes were clean and ironed. Saturday night was bath night because Sunday was about being our best for God and Sunday worship was all about honouring God. But it could also be very legalistic.

How do you prepare to come to church to worship? What do you expect from worship on Sunday? I often hear many say they come to be fed, to be blessed, and to be equipped. A quiet shift has taken place from going to church to glorify God and honour him, to worship now being about our experience of worship, coming for what God gives us on Sunday rather than what we’re bringing to God; honour and glory. Some come out of obligation or habit. Some come on Sunday morning so they can do what they want in the afternoon. Some come to be entertained; while others come to be seen and heard. It wasn’t much different in Israel. People came to the temple, but didn’t always come with a right heart or spirit, without reverence or awe of God. Worship was often a formality.

Solomon calls us to “Guard your steps” when we go to the house of God. This is a command, to come before God with reverence. It’s a reference to how coming before God is a holy experience, an echo to those times when God came and met his people personally. The most well-known is Moses and his encounter with God at the burning bush in Exodus 3. When he saw a bush on fire and not burning, he goes to check it out, “When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.” Moses is struck by the realization that God has come to him, has reached down to speak with him, even though he’s a sinner and God is holy. Awe and reverence drives Moses to hide his face.

Jesus taught us to pray to God, “Hallowed be your name.” God is holy, and while he calls Abraham and others friends, we still approach him with awe and reverence because he’s the creator of all things, including us; he’s holy and the only one who can make us holy. Jesus calls us to approach the Father with respect; deep respect. We’re reminded that God is in heaven while we remain here on earth; we hear an echo again to how Jesus begins the prayer he teaches to his disciples, “Our Father who is in heaven.” This is why we come to God’s house to worship, coming together in a designated place to worship God, a place where we invite the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to the presence of God.

One of Jesus’ angriest moments is when he sees God’s house disrespected in Matthew 21:12–13, “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” Those who came to worship at the temple would have had to contend with the noise and chaos of the sellers, the buyers, and the animals, all while trying to worship God. This would have especially affected the Gentiles, as the selling area was in the Gentile court, impacting their ability to worship, pray, or seek God’s presence. How can you approach God to worship in the middle of a marketplace, it would be like trying to worship at Parkland Mall while all the stores are open and doing business.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be your name in heaven and on earth,” approaching God with respect. Jesus urges reverent worship in the temple because it’s the house of God. The writer to the Hebrews picks up on this call to reverent awe in 12:28–29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Worship, thankfulness, gratitude, and reverence are all connected. Because God’s holy, when he gives us his Spirit to live in us, the Spirit works like a consuming fire that burns away all that’s unholy, sanctifying us throughout our life into the image of Jesus. Be careful of being too casual with our holy God.

Solomon calls us to “Go near to listen;” to listen to God speaking rather than filling worship with our words. Going to listen shows humility, a desire to learn and be shaped by God, to grow into God’s image, to grow deeper in Christian character. In the Old Testament we’re told to worship God with reverence through listening rather than speaking. Deuteronomy 6:4–5 is central to the Jewish faith, reminding them of who God is and how to relate to God, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Hearing leads to obedience, the call to hear is a call to obey in the Old Testament. Without hearing there can be no understanding or obedience.

When Solomon talks about the “sacrifice of fools,” he’s pointing to doing sacrifices out of ritual rather than a desire to honour God through your offering; ritual is not good enough for God, he wants your heart and your entire life, this is why Jesus tells his followers that if they’re bringing sacrifices and remember that a brother has something against them, to put their offering down and to make things right with them before giving your offering to God. God is a God of restoration and reconciliation and it begins with each other.

Solomon goes on to talking about talking to God, about not being quick with your words, and not overtalking either. “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” There’s a huge difference between God and us, we’re in no place to demand anything from God, nor to expect anything from God. Our ability to see things as God does is limited because we’re limited, living under the sun rather than seeing all things from the perspective of God. Jesus teaches us to let our words be few when we pray, Matthew 6:7–8, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” It’s about trusting God in our worship and our praying, because he’s our God, and our father, and loves us accordingly. His love for us is awesome! He keeps coming after us, he never gives up on us, he gives up his own holy Son so that we can be made holy through his sacrifice. God is an awesome God worthy of all our love and respect.

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.” Do not put strings or conditions on your requests to God, everything you already have is God’s anyway; a gift given to you to manage for him. Do not use God’s name lightly, let your mouth only use his name with the deepest respect and humility. In Matthew 5:33–37 Jesus warns us about making vows, “I tell you, do not swear an oath at all … All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” When we pray to God, it’s about trusting that God gives us what’s best for us. We don’t have to convince him to give us his blessings, it’s his joy to do so.

In Solomon’s time, worship was done at the temple; when Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman, he says in John 4, “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” When we consider what Jesus endured for us so that we could be washed clean from our sin, made holy, our worship needs to reflect the holiness of God, to come to him with awe and reverence. It needs to become a part of each day as we worship through our work, our play, our home and family life, and in all parts of our lives, bringing glory to God.