JUNE 7 2016 ECCLESIASTES 5:1-3 BETTER BE SEEN THAN HEARD.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
5:2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
5:3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words."(ESV)
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.
5:2 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.
5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words." (KJV)
Verse 1 has several meanings by various Theologians. Personally, I didn't really like any of them except one called "Benson Commentary" whoever he is. this is what he wrote about verse 1....
Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep thy foot — Thy thoughts and affections, by which men go to God, and walk with him. See that your hearts be upright before him, devoted to him, and furnished with those graces essential to the true worship of him, especially with reverence, humility, resignation, meekness, faith, and love. It is a metaphor taken from a person’s walking in a very slippery path, in which more than ordinary care is requisite to keep him from falling: when thou goest to the house of God — The place of God’s solemn and public worship, whether the temple or a synagogue; and be more ready to hear — To hearken to, and obey, God’s word; than to give the sacrifice of fools — Such as foolish and wicked men are wont to offer, who vainly think to please God with their sacrifices, without true piety and obedience. For they consider not that they do evil — They are not sensible of the great sinfulness of such thoughts and practices, but, like fools, think they do God good service. (compliments of "Bible Hub")
In my way of thinking, verse one sets the stage for verses 2 & 3 because of the seriousness of entering the House of God, or as we say, the local Church. I don't think I'm the only one who notices the careless entry that some people make when they go to church. Today, some act like church is a social club. Don't get me wrong, praise God that there still are many Churches that are the genuine article.
About a year ago, I left the Baptist Church that I had attended for about 13 years. The reason that I left, and I wasn't the only one. It became apparent to some of us older members that the Pastor and his wife, who are in their middle 30s, were really after the younger people with families and young children. Personally, I felt that the Pastor and his Wife compromised some of the older standards to accommodate the younger crowd. Standards like modest attire, worship songs were getting more like a rock concert, and the young women who sang solo were not in modest attire. As I said before, church seemed more like a social club sprinkled with some topical preaching that tickled the ear. There were good points though, so not all was bad. It was the attitude of those attending that turned my Wife and I off.
We now belong to a Church in New Hampshire, about a 45 min. ride. The pastor started that Church 36 years ago and is very solid. The Pastor preaches the whole counsel of God, Books of the Bible verse by verse, line upon line etc. etc.
I'll leave off for right now and see what some of you have to say about any of the three verses. I'll tackle verses 2 & 3 in a couple of days. My schedule is very busy counseling some folk who have desperate needs....Love You all!!