Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Ecclesiastes 5:1-7: Key verse – “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.” 7 Read Ecclesiastes 5 These verses deal with proper worship. Having looked at different ways of finding meaning, the Teacher pauses to observe Israel’s worship. As he watched the comings and goings of God’s people to the place of worship, it became apparent that all was not well. Corruption had crept into those who professed faith causing confusion about whom they were worshipping and how He was to be worshipped. We might say this section is addressed to the nominal churchgoer—the person who knows a number of the songs, taps along to the tunes, listens to the sermons with half an ear, remembers very little of what he hears, and rarely responds to God’s inner workings with obedience The Teacher gives us four instructions concerning worship: Guard Your Steps: --v.1: “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God” We may thing of Psalm 34:3 “Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” This is our aim when we come to worship. Unfortunately, few of us prepare for the task. Preparing for worship—guarding our steps—is crucial if we are to be true worshippers. We must be spiritually alive, spiritually assisted, and spiritually active in how we prepare ourselves for worship. How can we prepare ourselves for worship? Watch Your Mouth: --v.2-3: The Teacher warns against meaningless, mechanical worship. “Do not be quick with your mouth” he says in v.2 and adds in v.3 that speaking excessively will inevitably lead to us saying nonsense. Attempting to impress those around us we will use religious cliches in prayer. Instead we would do well to quietly consider the infinitely qualitative distinction between God and ourselves. When God looks at us as worshippers He listens not through the speakers, as it were, but through the stethoscope. He hears what is really happening on the inside, irrespective of the ambient noise—the things we want to present to the outside. How can we transfer worship from our mouths to our hearts? Keep Your Vows: --v.4-6: The Teacher next addresses the issue of vowing before God. “When you make a vow to God do not delay to fulfill it.” (4) Vowing to God in worship presents us with a danger. We come to worship, God’s word speaks to us, and as result we tell God we’ll do something in response. The Teacher says it is better not to vow. But if we do speak in this manner to God then we ought to be careful to fulfill our oath lest we deny that we spoke it in the first place and thus increase our sin. What are examples of vows we might make to God? Do we try to make contracts with God? Stand in Awe: --v.7: The final instructions concerning worship are found in this verse: God is the One you must fear. In other words, we are to stand in awe of God. Awe is a synonym for reverential fear, not terror. Terror is the reaction of guilt in the face of God’s holiness. It’s the desire to run away from God in despair. What the teacher urges upon those involved in worship is not some king of terror that drives them away from God but an invitation for them to stand in fear of God. To fear God is to live in adoration of Him and His character. It is to realize with shame that, though we are created in His image, our sin has tarnished that image. Fearing Him is recognize the costly way in which the image of God would be restored: by God sending His Son to die, in order that we, entering the benefits of His death, may stand before our righteous Judge forgiven. In the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of God’s justice is brought to bear, and all of His love is made manifest. When our souls begin to grapple with these realities then we can join the psalmist in declaring, “With You there is forgiveness that You may be feared.” (Psalm 130:4) How can we develop a fear of God? Summary: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 makes it clear that when we come into the context of worship our aim is to glorify the Lord, exalting His name. Worship is meant to turn our gaze from the earth upward to heaven, from time to eternity, and from ourselves to God. Therefore we must guard our steps, watch our mouths, keep our vows, and—most of all—stand in awe. Still we know that God is not looking for worshippers who are perfect but for those who are humble and honest before Him. Just as parents adore the little scribbles and drawings their kids make for them, so, too, does God accept whatever we do out of genuine love for Him in Christ.