Guard your Steps and Words before God (Ecc 5:1, 2)

GUARD YOUR STEPS AND WORDS BEFORE GOD (Ecc 5:1, 2):

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes looked at the vanity of the things he had, he experienced and he was exposed. The author had realized that God alone could help a person to find real lasting Joy and enjoyment in his toils. Also, the author shared all his observations regarding various things in the face of the earth since creation. Then, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes moved on to share about things regarding God in the process to move towards his conclusion of the whole duty for mankind. The author writes it to walk upright when the person goes in the presence of God which could be stated as a house of God. Usually, there were sacrifices offered to God, when people come before God, for repentance and reconciliation, but most people forget the purpose of it, and the sacrifices had become customs and it doesn't have sufficient resolution for the purpose it was intended. So, the author stresses the importance to draw near to God, to listen to God’s word so that the people may strive to follow it. He says that drawing near to listen is better than offering the sacrifice, which is of fools. Because following something meaninglessly is worthless but hearing about something for knowing its purpose would be more meaningful. The fools do a sacrifice without realizing that they are doing evil because they didn’t do it with a good intention but considering themselves that they are doing good.

The author cautions the respondents not to be rash with their mouth and not let the heart be hasty to utter anything wrong before God because God is in heaven and the people are upon the earth. God knows the thoughts and feelings of every human being in the face of the earth. God knows the situations that every person goes through the paths of life. God wants a person to respond to things in a better way and being rash doesn’t help anyone to solve things better and uttering many haste things in heart also is not needed, as God knows everything. God is all-powerful, beyond the limits, all-knowing, and omnipresent which are said in brief by the author that God is in heaven. The author also expresses the limits of human beings by stating that they are on earth. God is sovereign and there is no need of the things to be dictated to him again and again, so the author writes to let the words be few, because God knows everything, even the words before it arises in the thoughts.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    When a person ought to guard his steps?

2.    What is meant by ‘Guard the steps’?

3.    Why a person need to Guard his steps while going to the house of God?

4.    What should a person do?

5.    Why being ready to hear is better than the sacrifice?

6.    How a person should not be rash with the mouth?

7.    How a person’s heart should not be?

8.    What the author says about things concerning mouth and heart? Why?

9.    How we can Guard our steps and be more ready to hear?

10.    How we can seek and look unto God?