WHAT DOES ECCLESIASTES 5:1 MEAN? – KEEP THY FOOT WHEN THOU GOEST TO THE HOUSE OF GOD.
Ecclesiastes 5:1;
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear,than to give the sacrifice of fools;for they consider not that they do evil.”
Glory be unto the great name of our Lord Jesus Christ,for ever.
The Bible cautions us on how we ought to conduct ourselves when we want to go to the house of God,that is,in the church,to worship or offer our services to him.The author tells us that it is better for one “to go near and listen, rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools.”This means not everything, whether offering gifts or service is to be done in church just like we could do in any other place.Remember,any prayer or service you make that is dedicated to God is a sacrifice.
But what happens today in the church is disgusting.For example,you will find,in a church,some youths who don’t see it shameful to serve God while their lives are far from salvation.Immediately they get to church,they walk straight to the front and join the church choir in singing for God.Yet these youths are fornicators.Likewise,there are also people in the church who are not called by God to serve him,and do not even live as the Word says,but are always on the front-line in teaching others.They do so just because they see themselves as having the gifts of good speakers.However,the Bible calls all these as the sacrii of fools,who by doing so do not recognize that they do wrong.They do things that might bring them harm.
Uttering too many words before God,which are empty and meaningless is seen as a sacrifice of fools.For instance,there are some people who like complaining to God in prayer.They complain about their lot in life.As soon as they go down on their knees to pray,they do nothing more than murmuring over this or that.They are the likes of the Israelites who while they journeyed in the desert,grumbled against God and their leaders.And as a result,they were destroyed rather than being healed.This too is a sacrifice of fools.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2;
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear,than to give the sacrifice of fools;for they consider not that they do evil.
Be not rash with thy mouth,and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God:for God is in heaven,and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.”
Consequently,when you go before God in prayer,let your words be few.Instead of complaining or uttering curses,it is better for you to spend most of your time giving thanks and making supplications.
Making vows to God and then defaulting to fulfil it is also a sacrifice of fools.For example,if you promise to do something for God in church,and you fail to fulfil it,when it is in your capacity to do so;you do wrong.You are like Ananias and Sapphira who lied to God and died.As we read further,verse 4 says:
Ecclesiastes 5:4–5;
“When thou vowest a vow unto God,defer not to pay it;for he hath no pleasure in fools:pay that which thou hast vowed.
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”
Also, do not bring in the house of God as an offering money earned from acts of prostitution or the sale of drugs.Such gifts are detestable to God.
Deuteronomy 23:18;
“Thou shalt not bring the hire of a white,or the price of a dog,into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow:for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
In conclusion,if you are not fully aware what God requires of you,do nothing in the name of service to God in church.Just sit and wait to be taught what the will of God is first.Thereafter,you may now begin to serve God.It is better than being quick to serve God or offering gifts in church without first knowing what the will of God for you is.
Holiness should come first before offering ourselves to God.It is then that our services to him can be fruitful and a blessing.Trying to falsify God by pretending to serve him while our lives are far from salvation is wrong.The Lord himself said:
1 Samuel 15:22;
“And Samuel said,Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
Let us, therefore, strive to know the will of God in our lives.
Shalom.
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