©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 5:1-7 (ESV) - 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.
Question to consider: How do we draw near to God and listen?
It is not a coincidence that Solomon moved from relationships with possessions to family to society to politics and then to God, for not only does this span both tables of the Law (love of God and love of neighbor), but all of these relationships are ultimately corrupted through idolatry. Solomon has concluded that the work of our hands (our ability to be gods of our domain) is vanity, and “God is the one you must fear.” Luther’s explanation of the first command, “You shall have no other gods,” is “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”
There is no greater sign of hubris than when one ventures into the house of God to speak rather than to listen. Essentially, this is the idea that I will demand that God conform to my will rather than submit myself to the will of God.
Listening to God does not mean we go into the house of God, sit cross-legged, and hum. It is not sitting in silence and considering the first thing that comes into our minds as a downloaded message from God. It is not following our hearts. It is in listening to the scriptures with a humble heart and a desire for understanding. It is not in making promises to God but in resting upon God’s promise of redemption through Christ.
The messenger in this passage would be the one that reads the scriptures to us as we enter the house of God. We would see this as listening to the scripture readings on Sunday morning and to the pastor’s word given to us in accordance with those scriptures. This is much better than making a vow, failing in that vow, and then trying to convince your pastor it was a mistake.
If we merely come to God with a list of our demands to fulfill our worldly dreams, we are engaging in idolatry which is vanity. This is not a prohibition against bringing our supplications to God. Christ has clothed us in righteousness and made us His brothers and sisters. This means that we can come to God and expect that He will welcome us as a loving Father who desires good things for His children. A child who comes to his beloved Father with a need is far different than a little god who demands that the one true God carry out his will.
Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for listening to our requests and providing good things to us even when we aren’t able to recognize them as being good at the time. Help us to trust in Your goodness and Your timing. Amen.