Main Idea: Knowing what foolish worship looks like can help us worship wisely.
At this point in Ecclesiastes, Solomon turns his eyes upward toward God, more so than he has already. He directly commands his readers to be careful with how they approach God in worship. This exhortation falls naturally into the sequences of topics Solomon has addressed. He observed the fallen nature of man all around him; he saw corruption and oppression; he saw man's inability to be made happy by the goods of the world; he saw the reality of death and the many ways it comes about; and he saw man's complete inability to prevent or explain any of these things under the sun. At this point we might expect someone to turn the gaze of their heart 'upward.' "Who can we go to for all of this?" That's what Solomon does. As Solomon looks back on his life, he recalls how many have approached God, including himself. Via negative examples, Solomon teaches what a right approach to worship looks like. He does this by describing what foolish worship looks like. From this we can deduce, then, how one ought to wisely approach God in worship. Consider how you approach your worship. Are you guarding your steps? Are you listening? Are you hasty with your words? Do you make empty promises to God? Do you excuse your failures? How does the fear of God address these things?
Jared is pastor over the College Ministry at Faith Bible Church. He and his wife, Claire, have one son and one daughter. He recently received his M.Div from The Master's Seminary and desires to serve as missionary in the future!
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