Ecclesiastes 5:1

ADVICE REGARDING THE PRACTICE OF HOLY RELIGION[1]

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words: but fear thou God."

We find a dramatic switch here from Solomon's `I' passages to a series of admonitions to one addressed as, "thou." As we have frequently noted, Solomon was very good at telling other people what to do! We find a brief summary of this whole paragraph in the Living Word Paraphrase: "As you enter the Temple, keep your ears open, and your mouth shut."[2]

"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Recent versions render this: "Guard your steps, as you go to the house of God,"[3] or, "Go carefully when you visit the house of God."[4] The `house of God' here is a reference to Solomon's Temple; and `keep thy foot' is an idiomatic expression standing for one's entire pattern of behavior. This declares that acceptable worship in God's sight is not merely an outward observance of religious duties, but also includes a pattern of life honoring God's commandments.

"The sacrifice of fools" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). "Be not rash with thy mouth" (Ecclesiastes 5:2). These verses reflect Solomon's views as stated in Proverbs. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah (Proverbs 15:8)." "He that refraineth his lips doeth wisely" (Proverbs 10:19). Not only is the worship of wicked men an abomination of God, so also is the worship of any person who engages in it without regard to the proper understanding and intention of it. As Jesus stated it, "They that worship Him must worship him in Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

"And a fool's voice with a multitude of words" (Ecclesiastes 5:3). The author is still dealing with the problem of rash speech. The world is still suffering under the curse of countless words regarding religion that are totally without any value.

"Better is it that thou shouldest not vow ... etc." (Ecclesiastes 5:4). Hannah, Jonah and Jephthah are among those whose `vows' are mentioned in the Word of God. See comments in Numbers 6:1-21; Jonah 2:9; 1 Samuel 1:19-28; and Judges 11:29-40. Jephthah is often cited as an example of one who made a rash vow; and Jonah's prayer indicates that he had made vows without paying them. Christians today are not sinless in this matter of keeping our promises to God. Our very baptism is "a holy vow" to love and serve God through Jesus Christ; and any failure to do this falls under the condemnation cited here. 2 Peter 2:20:22, with reference to the Christian who, in a sense, "vows to serve God in Christ," and then turns back, declares that it would have been far better for such a person, "not to have known the way of righteousness." This is very nearly the same thing that is here stated with reference to the making of vows, that it would be far better not to vow than to vow and then not perform it.

"Neither say thou before the angel that it was an error" (Ecclesiastes 5:6). The word `angel' here is used in the same sense as in Revelation 1:20, namely, as a messenger of God; and in this case it is a reference to the priest or other functionary in the Temple in whose presence a vow might have been pledged.

"Fear God" (Ecclesiastes 5:7). In a word, this is the message of the whole paragraph. The worship and service of the holy and righteous God is no flippant or casual business. It is weighted with eternal meaning and significance. Furthermore, we must not write this paragraph off as some outmoded example of Old Testament harshness. The New Testament also even more urgently warns us in the same manner (Matthew 7:21ff; 23:16ff; and 1 Corinthians 11:27ff). "No amount of emphasis upon the grace of God can justify taking liberties with God. The very conception of grace demands gratitude; and gratitude can never be casual."[5]