Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

FEAR GOD - "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. 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. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear" (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7).

There is great truth to the saying, "Your mouth will get you into trouble!"

If we reflect upon the days of our youth, perhaps we can recall our mothers admonishing our behavior with this warning. Do we understand where this truth comes from though? Would we be surprised to know it is based on Scripture?

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble" (Proverbs 21:23).

Similarly, many of us have heard it said, "Nothing comes out of the mouth of a drunk that wasn't there already." Again, this quote is based on Scriptural truth. For Jesus warned His followers, "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him" (Mark 7:15).

The simple fact is that in many cases the Bible is viewed as merely a historical timeline of Christianity, but not necessarily a culturally-relevant, living and active guide to live out our faith. While the majority of unbelievers mock the audacity that "God's Word" could be written by common and sinful men, we in the church believe that "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Therefore, we are without excuse when it comes to living our lives according to the standard of righteousness outlined in the pages of Scripture, if we claim to be born-again followers of Jesus Christ and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For we believe, "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11).

The main theme of Ecclesiastes 5 echoes powerful truth that we must begin living each day by recognizing that God is our supreme authority and we must fear the wrath of His judgment if we choose to live outside the boundaries of His Word. However, our fear is not meant to weigh us down with guilt and shame when we sin, so as to elicit depression and hopelessness.

What Solomon conveys is that the throne of grace which God sits upon can only be approached with reverence, which is healthy fear bathed in respect and esteem for who God is as our Creator. Man is called to listen and obey the Word of the Lord regardless of how he is received or looked upon by others, for God sees what we do not and purposes our lives for His glory.

For example, we are reminded that "by faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:7). 

Noah's reverent posture compelled him to trust that God's Word was infallible and absolute; and by faith, his legacy lives on because he feared the Lord and obeyed the instruction he was given.

Would we be so easy to do likewise though if presented by God with the same marching orders? It is a fair question for us to wrestle with. Because in order to live a life fully devoted to the teachings of Scripture, we must be willing to relinquish our pride and submit to the authority of absolute truth.

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).

All that being said, Solomon focuses the bulk of his attention under the theme of fearing God via the words that come out of our mouth. Our speech must not be hasty, but calculated and discerning. Our tongue must not be untamed where fire can spread rapidly, but controlled and guarded. Our words must not be full of shallow and empty promises, but intent on following through on our commitments to others.

We cannot undervalue or misinterpret the severity of what Solomon is addressing. Therefore, our hearts must be postured each day to fear God by allowing His Holy Spirit free reign to control our tongues and protect our mouths from pouring forth foolishness.

A simple starting point is waking up each morning and praying to the Lord, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). What this does is incredibly valuable because it shifts our focus off self and onto God. It relinquishes selfish will for the Lord's will and positions us to obey His teachings because it puts Scripture top of mind.

That is why spiritual disciplines are so invaluable. The more we bath our minds in the absolute truth of God's Word, the more equipped we are to handle all the trials and opportunities God puts before our path to glorify Him in our behavior. In turn, this communicates to the world around us that we are not conformed to the pattern of this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) through how the Bible teaches us to live as Christians.

For our spiritual compass declares, "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12). "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name" (1 Peter 4:16).

We cannot ignore though how strongly Solomon admonishes foolish behavior that wages war within our flesh, for our natural instinct is to react and not respond with our words. As we learned in our study of James, taming our tongue is one of the most effective ways to guard ourselves from living foolishly.

"If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!" (James 3:3-5).

The key is not to attempt to control our tongue by our own strength which seems counter-intuitive, for how else would we guard our words? But it is by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts that we have the ability to exude self-control.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:5-6).

In essence, the Spirit reminds us who we are in Christ and that we are no longer bound by the desires of our flesh. For Scripture reminds us, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10). 

Bottom-line, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). No truer words have been written and no wisdom more profound that sums up the choice laid before us.

Granted, we can continue to strong-arm our way through life by sheer will power and personal strength, but at some point we will grow tired and weary. Fatigue will overcome us and the consequences of our foolish actions and thinking will have come to fruition.

Reality has a way of teaching that lesson. Far too many of us Bible-believing Christians understand the wake of destruction foolish living creates because we have the battle scars to show for it. Our tongues were once left unbridled more often than not, and our words became instruments of wrath rather than righteousness.

We understood that "folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him" (Proverbs 22:15). However, we rejected that truth because the fear of the Lord was not elevated in our hearts to the extent where it trumped the folly we passionately longed for.

That is why life perspective can be a powerful tool in the life of a Christ-follower, because it reminds us how far from God we once were and how He saved us by the shed blood of His Son who died in our place. "You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23), and we are wise to realize that we have a choice whether we speak with wisdom or foolishness, to fear God or reject His authority.

Solomon's admonition is true: God is the one we must fear. For if we do, the trajectory of our lives will lead us unto righteousness by His Word and save us from the consequences of foolish living. "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:7-8).