Ecclesiastes 5:1&2 “(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 thine words be few.” This week we return to the book of Ecclesiastes and the Preacher (King Solomon) gives a strong reminder of the importance of reverence towards God and our attitudes when entering His house. These verses should always be kept in mind when attending Church. We have a duty to prepare ourselves in mind, body and soul before we enter into the House of the Living God. If these verses are not taken seriously when we attend Church, we run the risk of defiling the sanctuary of the Lord.
Today’s thought out of these verses is, “Submission in the Sanctuary.” We must submit to God, and Reverence Him and His House, in three ways to prevent quenching the Holy Ghost and ensure that we are prepared to Worship in Spirit and in Truth. We must: 1) Arrive with the Proper mindset – “Keep thy foot” and “be more ready to hear” both deal with our attitude when coming to the house of God. Keep thy foot is an instruction to be conscientious of how we walk in the house of God (as well as how we behave and think). Don’t be tossed about with stray thoughts or anything that distracts from the objectives of God’s house… Worship God and Hear his Word for us. Anything that takes the focus away from him or anything that prevents us from receiving the Word should be shunned and avoided when we attend. It is very easy to arrive in the wrong spirit or become distracted, which is why we must always watch our feet and be “more ready” to hear.
2) Avoid Foolish Sacrifice! – I dare say many today, all across this world and even in our church, are ignorant of the fact that they cause evil in God’s house by offering up foolish sacrifices. There is no sincerity or holy purpose to why the come to His Sanctuary or how they conduct business once they arrive. They think participation or attendance translates to fulfilling the requirements God has for Christians. Those people are wrong. God is not impressed with our vain efforts to appease ourselves or attain vain-glory from others. We not take lightly the danger of coming to His house and expecting something from God.
3) Abolish Rash and Hasty Words – Verse 2 of Chapter 5 explains clearly that God is not impressed with flowery words or length of speech. A true testimony, song or praise is not a knee jerk reaction to the pastor asking if anyone has such a word. They are sentiments that have been cultivated by daily meditating on the things of God and what He has done for us. A testimony or song, or even a prayer, is birthed in the heart long before we ever come to the house of God. They are in line with the Will of God because they express our overwhelming need to express appreciation, praise or a melody towards God that reflects what we have felt in our soul. Just because we seem to flatter him with our lips, if we speak out of turn or without the proper sincerity, we do nothing but desecrate the hollowed ground upon which we stand.
In conclusion, it’s easy to become a creature of habit. That simple truth is why we must purpose within ourselves to constantly enter into his house in preparation with humility and Fear of God. We should strive to enter into His house with no expectations or preconceived notions of how Worship will go. The only thing I should know for certain is that I will be present and I will yield my whole heart, mind and soul to do what the Lord instructs me to do at His house.
I know that many are excited for the events this weekend, but I caution those that have a preconceived notion of what will happen at God’s house; nothing takes precedent over lifting high the name of Jesus and glorifying the Father for his mercy and kindness to us. Be sure to keep thy feet and avoid rash words, and do not be offended if the Holy Ghost has a different plan for what needs to happen in the House of God. It’s His house, He knows how conduct the business, and He knows what we need. Your fellowservant in Christ,
Bro. Jordan Foster
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