‘Stand in awe of God’
[Ecclesiastes 5:1-7]
Do we fear God? After a Wednesday night prayer meeting last week, we the session and the deacons asked this question during the Bible Study: ‘Which people truly fear God? The prophet Jonah or the Gentile sailors?’ When we look at Jonah chapter 1, the word ‘fear’ appears four times: “All the sailors were afraid …” (1:5), “… and I fear the Lord God of heaven …” (v. 9), “Then the men became extremely frightened …” (v. 10) and “Then the men feared the Lord greatly …” (v. 16). Among these four times, one time the prophet Jonah feared God (v. 9) and other three times the Gentile sailors feared God (vv. 5, 10, 16). Though Jonah confessed that he feared God, we can not help but doubt that he truly feared God when we see his actions. In contrast, the Gentile sailors were terrified when the ship was nearly broken up because of the great wind, and when they heard Jonah's confession, they were greatly afraid. They began to fear the Creator God, the God who made the sea and the land, and eventually came to fear God greatly when the sea became calm after they threw Jonah into the sea. Who really feared God? Is it the Lord’s servant Jonah or the Gentile sailors?
Today's text In Ecclesiastes 5: 7 and the second half, the wise King Solomon exhorts us, “Therefore stand in awe of God.” Based on Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, we are going to learn how to fear God in three ways. Hopefully, we can learn these three ways and live a life of standing in awe of God.
First, those who fear God obey God's Word.
Look at Ecclesiastes 5:1 – “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.” In Ecclesiastes 4: 13-16, which we have already meditated, King Solomon compared with the poor but wise young man and the old and dull king who did not know how to receive advice and warning (v. 13). That is, the wise man knows how to receive advice and warning. Then King Solomon came to Ecclesiastes 5: 1 and said, "Listen." In other words, King Solomon says that a wise man enters God's presence and hears God's word. As I meditate on this word, I learned that not only the wise hear the word of God, but also the one who fears God obeys the word of God. In short, if I summarize my thoughts, the wise (4:13) is the one who fear God (5:7), and the one who fear God is the wise. This is the connection between wisdom and fearing God. Proverbs 1: 7 can be the basis of this: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Then, according to King Solomon in Ecclesiastes5:1, what does the wise man do who fears God? King Solomon says that when he enters the temple of God, he not only guards his steps when he goes to the house of God but also he goes near to listen to the voice of God. But the fools despise wisdom and discipline (Prov. 1:7) and offer sacrifices instead of listening to God’s voice. Doesn’t this remind you of any of the characters in the Old Testament? Don’t you remember King Saul? God commanded that all the Amalekites be destroyed, but King Saul was disobedient and did not destroy them completely. He left the good things and later he got caught by Prophet Samuel. So he excused himself by saying that he left good animals to sacrifice to God. Then what was the word of the prophet Samuel? The word was “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22). What God wants is obedience, not offering sacrifice to God in disobedience.
We must fear God. And a wise man who fear God not only hears the word of God, but obeys it. Therefore, we must listen to the Word of God and obey it. When we look at Leviticus 26, God gives us blessing if we obey his command, but if we disobey it there is discipline. What is interesting is that if the people of Israel are not obedient and do not follow all the commands of God (v. 14), God said “I will punish you for your sins seven times over” (v. 18), “I will multiply our afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve” (v. 21), “… will afflict you for your sins seven times over” (v. 24), and “I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over” (v. 28). What was he talking about? Doesn’t it tell us that the Israelites did not obey the word of God that much? That was why God disciplined them. If we do not listen to the word of God and disobeys it, then God will discipline us for our sins seven times over. Why is God doing so? That’s how much God wants us to hear and obey God's Word. This God of Israel is our God. Our God wants us to obey him. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Therefore, we must listen to the word of God, obey it, and enter into the presence of God and worship him. We must never worship God, without hearing the word of God in our daily lives. It is a folly in the sight of God and a foolish act of those who do not fear him. We should be people who listen to God's Word and obey him.
Second, those who fear God pray to God immediately.
Look at Ecclesiastes 5:2 – “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” The Teacher King Solomon says that those who fear God not only go near to listen to him but also do not be quick with their mouths. In other words, when those who fear God go near to God to pray, they do not open their mouths quickly and utter anything before him. In a word, those who fear God speak few words when they pray (Park Yun-sun). Why do they speak fewer words when they pray to God? The reason is that God is in heaven and we are on earth (v.2). When I meditated on this, I remembered Isaiah 55: 8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” How can we on earth understand all the deep, broad, and high thoughts of God in heaven? Without understanding God's high thoughts, we pray to him by pouring out a lot of words. We must pray in faith, rather than trying to understand God's high thoughts. We must hold onto the Word of God by faith and pray to God. In this way, we must pray with full trust in God. Another reason we need to speak less when we pray to God is because ‘they are many words in the speech of a fool’ (Eccle. 5:3). What is the speech of the fool? In Ecclesiastes 10: 12-14, King Solomon says: ” Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness - and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming-- who can tell him what will happen after him?” King Solomon tells us that the beginning of the word of the fool's mouth is folly and at the end they are wicked madness. All those many words of the fool are only vain. What a foolish thought to think that God would answer that prayer if we prayed to God with such many vain words?
Those who fear God is wise, so they hear God's word and asks for God's will. In other words, when they pray to God, they do not use vain repetitions (Mt. 6:7). But the fools who do not listen to God and do not know the will of God open their mouths in their state of confusion and repeat the same prayer again and again. Why do they continue to pray the same thing over and over again? Why do they say many vain words when they pray to God? We can find the answer in Matthew 6:7 – “"And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words” (NASB). The Gentiles thought that God would listen to their prayers if they speak many words. In a way, the Gentiles offered a human prayer, a long prayer of human endeavor, a prayer based on human merit that they could receive answers to prayer when they prayed to God with many words. We must pray to God by relying on the merit of Jesus' cross. When we pray, we must offer a right prayer to God. How can we offer the right prayer to God? In order to offer the right prayer to God, we must pray with preparedness of our hearts (Wiersbe). The reason is that what is in our hearts comes out of our mouths (Mt. 12:34-37). John Bunyan, who wrote “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, wrote: "In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart" (Wiersbe). We should pray to God with truthful hearts rather than many words. This is the right prayer in God's sight. Then we will not be quick with our mouths to utter anything before God (Eccle. 5:2). We will make few words instead of using vain repetitions. Of course, today's verse Ecclesiastes 5:2 doesn’t mean that we should not make prayer long. This is what Dr. Park Yun-sun said: ‘Here, the truthful pray does not oppose long and specific prayers. In fact, the truthful prayer can be long and specific. The reason is because since you trust in God who is in heaven, he can be specific in his prayer as he pours out his soul to God’ (Park Yun-sun). We must offer this prayer to God. We must pour out our souls to God and pray specifically as we trust him completely.
As I meditated on both Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 and 5:1-7, I realized that when we pray to God, we must first listen to God and obey his words. In other words, prayer and obedience to the Word must go together. Just like the front and back of a coin, obedience to God and praying to God can not be separated. Therefore, we should pray to God by obeying the Word of God first and foremost, rather than saying a lot in prayer to God. In other words, those who fear God will pour out their souls truthfully to God while obeying the word of God.
Lastly, those who fear God fulfill their vows that they made to God.
Look at Ecclesiastes 5:4 – “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.” If we fear God, we are praying to him with a sincere heart to God while obeying the Word of God. And in such a life of faith we will show our truthfulness. How will we show our true hearts before God? We will do so by manifesting our truthful life. And such a truthful life is fulfilling what we have promised to God. This is to say that we should keep our vows to God (v. 4). What is a “vow” here? What does it mean to say that we have made the vow to God? It is making an oath to God. It is a blessing if we keep the oath that we swore to God, but a curse if we do not keep it. In the Old Testament, it is Jacob who made the first vow to God. Jacob went out from Beelzebah and went to Haran (Gen 28:10). While listening to the voice of God as he watched as the anger of God ascended and descends on the ladder in the dream, (vv. 11-15). After waking from sleep, he called his name Bethel, and there Jacob vowed to God (vv. 20-22): “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” In the Bible, all the vows made to God are promised with the expectation of grace from God (v. 20), or thanks to God's blessings (Ps. 116: 12-14) (Youngbolood). And the vowing was part of the devotion to God every day (61:8) or the annual festival (1 Sam. 1:21). And to make a vow was to volunteer. And if we made a vow to God, we must obey (Deut. 23: 21-23; Eccle. 5:4-6). Thus, those who made a vow had to make a vow after considering it carefully (Prov. 20:25) (Youngblood).
As I meditate on these bible passages about a vow, we must faithfully keep our vows to God, as God has made a covenant with us and has faithfully fulfilled the covenant in our covenant relationship with God. If we made the vow to God in devotion to him, King Solomon encourages us not to be delay in fulfilling it (Eccle. 5: 4). If we are not fulfilling the vow to God, or putting off keeping the vow, then we are sinning against God. Please think about it. If we do not fulfill the vow that we made to God, then isn’t it we are lying to the true God? And if we don’t fulfill our vow to God by making an excuse by saying “My vow was a mistake” (v. 6), this is what King Solomon said: “Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?” (v. 6) We should listen to what King Solomon says in verse 7: “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.”
I would like to share the prayer of vow that was written by Pastor A. W. Tozer, who was called the 21st century prophet, with you (Internet): “O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou are about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord, Thou has stopped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man takes this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant. My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I knew thee—I ordained thee—I sanctified thee,” and Thou has also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done. Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live. It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give me vision to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee. Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet; not a promoter, not a religious manager—but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from the bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that I could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I shall have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them. And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven. Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure. Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen” (Tozer).