Introduction
Are you coming to worship in a way that truly listens and obeys, or just going through religious motions that leave you unchanged? God is teaching us in Ecclesiastes 5:1–7 that worship is not about giving Him our time or our words, but about drawing near to hear Him, fearing Him, and responding with humble obedience. We’re continuing our study in Ecclesiastes, and this passage presses one of the most important questions in the whole book: what really matters when we come to God? The Teacher warns us that there is a way to “do church” that is spiritually beneficial, and a way that actually makes us fools.
Main Points
Are you coming to worship in a way that truly listens and obeys, or just going through religious motions that leave you unchanged? God is teaching us in Ecclesiastes 5:1–7 that worship is not about giving Him our time or our words, but about drawing near to hear Him, fearing Him, and responding with humble obedience.
We’re continuing our study in Ecclesiastes, and this passage presses one of the most important questions in the whole book: what really matters when we come to God? The Teacher warns us that there is a way to “do church” that is spiritually beneficial, and a way that actually makes us fools.
God Opens Doors for His Mission
Before we even step into Ecclesiastes 5, I want you to see the kind of God we’re worshiping: the God who opens doors for the gospel across the world and right in front of us.
On the Africa trip, we saw three broad themes:
- Partnership in the gospel: Pastor Gene traveled with us, served our team, translated, navigated culture, and preached. God has given him a deep love for the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it’s not hard to see the Lord stirring something bigger, new relationships, new churches, and new possibilities for Great Commission work “from Boise to the Congo.”
- Shared joy at the table: We spent time with orphanage workers and children, saying yes to the opportunities God kept placing in front of us. One of Ecclesiastes’ repeated responses to life’s heaviness is to receive God’s gifts with gratitude, to eat, feast, and enjoy what He provides. Those dinners were a “slice of heaven,” a reminder that God can knit hearts together through Christ even when our stories are radically different.
- Gratitude for our church’s resources: We visited the missionary couple our church supports, Jacob and Tara, serving in Congo, including the aviation work that brings supplies, medicine, food, and the gospel to remote villages. It made me freshly thankful for our church family and your generosity. You’re participating in mission when you pray, give, and send.
And because I believe some of you are being stirred toward missions, I’m inviting you to a dinner and story-sharing night on Friday, July 29, where we’ll take time to share photos, stories, and discern next steps together.
Responding to Cultural Moments With Love
We also live in real time, and sometimes discipleship means learning to walk with Jesus through cultural upheaval. The Roe v. Wade decision is one of those moments.
On one hand, we can praise God for the gift of life and for laws bending toward what reflects His design, God breathes life (Genesis 2), calls humanity to be fruitful (Genesis 1:28), and knows us from the womb (Psalm 139). God is sovereign; He knows our names and prepares good works for us (Ephesians 2:10).
On the other hand, Ecclesiastes reminds us that in this world, “the crooked line will never be made straight.” We should not place our ultimate hope in courts, laws, or cultural wins. And we must remember: for every celebration, many feel sorrow. So I’m urging you as your pastor and brother:
- Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31).
- Be kind and gracious as people process.
- Look beyond the shifting ground of politics to the unshakable Lord.
Then we come to Ecclesiastes 5 and ask: How do we approach God Himself?
Guard Your Steps Before Worship Begins
Ecclesiastes 5 opens with a command: “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). One commentator puts it like this: good and faithful worship begins before it begins.
That means discipleship starts on the way to church, not after the first song:
- The stress of getting out the door.
- The traffic, distractions, and irritations.
- The cravings, the to-do list, the sense that you “could be doing anything else.”
The Teacher says: guard your steps. Treat worship as something weighty, like you would a serious meeting or an important interview. In other parts of Scripture we’re told to guard our hearts; here we’re told to guard our approach. Come expecting that:
- God wants to meet with His people.
- God speaks through His Word.
- Praise is not filler, it’s formation for your soul.
Draw Near to Hear, Not Perform
The next phrase is the fork in the road: “Draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools” (Ecclesiastes 5:1).
There is a way to attend worship that is not worship at all:
- You came because someone invited you.
- You came to network, to be seen, to keep a routine.
- You came physically present but spiritually absent.
And the Teacher is blunt: if you don’t come to hear, you are offering “the sacrifice of fools.” He even says such people “do not know that they do evil” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). In other words, it can feel religious while being spiritually harmful.
I’ll put it plainly: if you’re not here to hear from God, this isn’t the best place to be. It’s a beautiful day, you could be walking the river, riding the greenbelt, hiking the foothills. If your heart is closed to God, don’t comfort yourself that your attendance is automatically pleasing to Him. God doesn’t need an hour of your week; He wants your reverent attention and obedience.
And yes, this cuts all of us. There have been times I’ve shown up and left less wise than when I came, because I wasn’t actually drawing near.
Let Your Words Be Few Before God
The Teacher then warns: “Do not be rash with your mouth… for God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
This is discipleship in prayer and speech:
- God is not your peer. He is holy, high, and enthroned.
- Reverence should slow you down.
- Much religious talk can be a disguise for a distracted heart.
Ecclesiastes adds vivid images: “a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words” (Ecclesiastes 5:3). Busyness produces dreamlike, scattered spirituality, lots of impressions, little substance. And a fool can hide behind verbosity.
So when we worship, I want you to practice this: listen more than you speak. Sing with attention. Pray with sincerity. Hear the Word with readiness to obey.
Keep Your Vows and Stop Making Excuses
Then the Teacher presses deeper into integrity: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it… Pay what you have vowed” (Ecclesiastes 5:4). He even says: “Better not to have vowed than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).
This isn’t teaching that we earn God’s favor by religious promises. It’s teaching that empty spiritual language is dangerous. God cares about reality, not performance.
He warns us not to let our words lead us into sin and then try to cover it: “Nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). The pattern is sadly familiar:
- We speak too quickly: “God, I’ll do anything…”
- Then obedience becomes costly.
- Then we rationalize: “I didn’t mean it like that.”
But God is not fooled, and the Teacher asks soberly: “Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). When we treat God lightly, we shouldn’t be surprised when our lives begin to fracture under the weight of our own double-mindedness.
If you want a practical takeaway: don’t offer God “gifts” you actually want for yourself. Don’t give Him performative worship. Don’t promise what you don’t intend to obey. Instead, bring Him honesty and follow-through.
Fear God and Escape Vanity
The passage concludes: “In the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity; but fear God” (Ecclesiastes 5:7).
Vanity here is not just “emptiness.” It’s the hollow spiritual fog that comes from:
- busy religious activity without listening,
- many words without reverence,
- vows without obedience.
The cure is simple, not easy: fear God. That means we approach Him as God, holy, real, authoritative, good. The fear of God doesn’t push you away from Him; it draws you near rightly. It’s the beginning of wisdom, and it rescues worship from becoming a waste of time.
Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 5:1–7 is a loving warning: you can come to church and still miss God. The Teacher calls you to a better way, guard your steps, draw near to hear, be slow to speak, keep your commitments, and fear God.
I want you to redeem the time you offer Him. Don’t settle for a “sacrifice” that costs you an hour but changes nothing. Come ready to listen, ready to obey, and ready to worship with reverent joy. And as God stirs hearts for mission, across the street or across the world, let’s respond with humility, love for neighbor, and a deepening fear of the Lord.
Father, thank You for the gift of life and for forming us with purpose. Thank You that You are sovereign over nations, cultures, and the times we live in. Teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be gracious and kind in tense moments, and to place our hope ultimately in You.
Lord, as we come to Your house and gather with Your people, help us guard our steps. Give us hearts that draw near to hear Your voice. Make our worship sincere, our words reverent, and our obedience steady. Where we have been careless with promises or quick with excuses, forgive us and teach us to walk in integrity.
Fill us with the fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom and joy. Stir our church for Your mission, locally and to the nations, and guide us into whatever open doors You are providing. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 5:1–7 is a loving warning: you can come to church and still miss God. The Teacher calls you to a better way, guard your steps, draw near to hear, be slow to speak, keep your commitments, and fear God.
I want you to redeem the time you offer Him. Don’t settle for a “sacrifice” that costs you an hour but changes nothing. Come ready to listen, ready to obey, and ready to worship with reverent joy. And as God stirs hearts for mission, across the street or across the world, let’s respond with humility, love for neighbor, and a deepening fear of the Lord.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of life and for forming us with purpose. Thank You that You are sovereign over nations, cultures, and the times we live in. Teach us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be gracious and kind in tense moments, and to place our hope ultimately in You.
Lord, as we come to Your house and gather with Your people, help us guard our steps. Give us hearts that draw near to hear Your voice. Make our worship sincere, our words reverent, and our obedience steady. Where we have been careless with promises or quick with excuses, forgive us and teach us to walk in integrity.
Fill us with the fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom and joy. Stir our church for Your mission, locally and to the nations, and guide us into whatever open doors You are providing. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.