Pastor's Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes (series), #12 - Watch Your Step! (Ecclesiastes 5:1-8)

Series: Ecclesiastes

Sermon #12: Watch Your Step!

Ecclesiastes 5:1-8

[Audio file from Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Ecclesiastes51-8.]

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. 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. ³ For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. ⁶ 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 thine hands? ⁷ For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. ⁸ If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Introduction:

The nature of the middle sections of Ecclesiastes

Note: There are noticeable differences in paragraphing involving this section evident in various translations. Many modern translations seem to link verse 9 with verse 8, rather than seeing verse 9 as beginning a new paragraph.

Outline:

I. Few Words (5:1-3)

II. Paid Vows (5:4-5)

III. Fear God (5:6-7)

IV. Marvel Not (5:8)

I. Few Words (5:1-3)

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. 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. ³ For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

1. Watch your step! (5:1a)

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God

2. Watch your mouth! (5:1b-3)

and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 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. ³ For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

God is in heaven, and you are upon earth! If that doesn’t put man in his place, I am certainly missing something here! Could this be at least one of the central thoughts or propositional pivots of this book of Ecclesiastes??? God is in heaven! You are on earth!

The Ministry Of A Closed Mouth

By Leslie Vernick

We live in a culture of talk and tweets. We’re encouraged to express our feelings, hold nothing back. We’ve all seen in national news how people’s unrestrained talk and tweets can get them into public hot water. Every day I see the relational fallout that comes from thoughtless, deceitful, and cruel words.  

Hear me. There are times we ought to keep our negative thoughts and emotions to ourselves and refuse to give them a voice. The Bible warns us that our tongue can be a mighty weapon, for good and for evil. (James 3:1-12). 

Proverbs warns us, “Reckless words pierce like a sword” (Proverbs 12:18). We can damage a person’s spirit, family, or reputation by blurting out negative thoughts and feelings without any thought or prayer. Yes, it might temporarily feel better to blurt them out when we’re mad or hurt, but I liken blurting to vomit. Vomit belongs in the toilet and not on another person.

But it’s not only good for the other person that we learn not to blurt our negative thoughts and feelings during moments of great intensity. It is also good for us. 

Proverbs 21:23 says, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”   

Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” 

1 Peter 3:10 says, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”  

Imagine how much better you would feel if you weren’t always complaining or critical of something wrong in your life? How would your relationships be improved if the people you loved didn’t feel angry with you by your reckless or deceitful words? How different would you feel about yourself if you weren’t so captured by your own negative feelings and thoughts?

Here are three things you can do to develop the ministry of the closed mouth*.   

1.  Decide: No matter how negatively you feel you make a conscious decision that you will not vomit your toxic emotions out on others. (Don’t get me wrong – you may have to speak some hard word at times, but hard words need not be harsh words). The psalmist determined, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence” (Psalm 39:1). 

2.  Acknowledge the struggle: In Psalm 39 despite his vow to keep silent, the psalmist found keeping quite pretty tough. Silence didn’t bring the psalmist satisfaction but more anguish (see verses 2 and 3). During this time of anguish and temptation write a no-send letter venting out your feelings or praying them out to God until you can get a better perspective and calm down.   

3.  Remember the big picture: It’s crucial that you understand that YOU are much more than your temporal thoughts and feelings. We all have negative thoughts and feelings but it’s important to not allow them to have us. Instead of getting stuck in your mood or negative thoughts, remind yourself that you are more than your feelings and you will have to give an account for how you handled adversity.

Remember your goals (I don’t want to vomit on people), your deeper desires (I want to be a godly person, or I don’t want to have regrets later) or your values (I want to treat people as I would like to be treated). This practice helps us develop the muscle of restraint and self-control so that we don’t become a slave to our emotions.

Dietrich Bonheoffer said, “Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we absolutely refuse to allow them to be expressed in words…It must be a decisive rule of every Christian fellowship that each individual is prohibited from saying much that occurs to him.”

Let’s make 2016 a year that we use our tongue and our tweets to build up and encourage one another.

*I first read this phrase “Ministry of the Closed Mouth” in The Life You’ve Always wanted by John Ortberg

Source: Leslie Vernick, “The Ministry Of A Closed Mouth” (5 JAN 2016), via email; also on Leslie Vernick at https://un184.infusionsoft.com/app/hostedEmail/2350388/999ed915aedf9a84/ [accessed 29 JUL 2016].

II. Paid Vows (5:4-5)

⁴ 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. ⁵ Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

There is more going on in these verses than merely keeping your word.

And, while this may be appropriate to consider on the issue of “New Year’s Resolutions,” that is not what is under consideration here either!

1. What impresses God (5:4)

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.

2. Caution is in order (5:5)

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

III. Fear God (5:6-7)

⁶ 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 thine hands? ⁷ For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Reasons to fear God:

1. The anger of God - God as a God of anger - the angry God

wherefore should God be angry at thy voice

2. The destruction of God - God as a God of destruction - God the destroyer

and destroy the work of thine hands

IV. Marvel Not (5:8)

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

1. Two possible occasions for amazement:

1) the oppression of the poor

2) violent perverting of judgment and justice

Kaiser’s note on the use of the Hebrew word for “province” here!

2. Two absolute bases not to marvel:

1) he that is higher than the highest regardeth

2)  there be higher than they

[Sermon preached 3 JAN 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Complete Outline:

I. Few Words (5:1-3)

1. Watch your step! (5:1a)

2. Watch your mouth! (5:1b-3)

II. Paid Vows (5:4-5)

1. What impresses God (5:4)

2. Caution is in order (5:5)

III. Fear God (5:6-7)

1. The anger of God - God as a God of anger - the angry God

2. The destruction of God - God as a God of destruction - God the destroyer

IV. Marvel Not (5:8)

1. Two possible occasions for amazement

2. Two absolute bases not to marvel

Select Sources on Ecclesiastes:

J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing).

William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012).

C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books: The Wisdom and Songs of Israel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979)/

Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983).

F. Delitzsch, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, trans. M. G. Easton, Vol. VI in C. F. Kiel and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, trans. James Martin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d., 1975 reprint).

Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1993).

Donald R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord, and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1985).

William Henry Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review 29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).

H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952).

Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, rev. ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).

Roland Edmund Murphy, Ecclesiastes, Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1992).

Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, in Preaching the Word, gen. ed. R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

Philip G. Ryken, Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2015).

J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).