Let them be Few
Ecclesiastes 5:1-5 NKJV
[1] Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. [2] Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. [3] For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words. [4] When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed— [5] Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
In our society we are taught that we must be heard.
The world is a very loud and noisy place so we must speak up!
The one with the loudest voice is the one that gets the ears attention! The one that gets heard gets noticed. Supposedly those are the ones that get the answer they seek.
The louder and loftier the words the more attention is had. What happens in the process is that no one gets heard.
No longer is there room for humility.
It becomes more important for us to be heard rather than to hear.
We are called to walk prudently when we go to the house of the Lord.
We are to walk out of the House of the Lord with the same prudence.
With prudence comes discernment, making wise decisions. It is using the knowledge of God for the Glory of God.
When we walk in prudence we should be teachable. Prudence teaches us to control our thoughts and actions.
Prudent is to be cautious.
What are we to be cautious of?
We are called to draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. What voice do we listen to? When do our ears peek up? There is a reason the Lord tells us to draw near to Him. Not just a nearness but a closeness.
The purpose of closeness with God is greater understanding of His commands, more reliance on His Mercy and deeper rest in His promises.
We can not approach God ready with a performance, but instead we come with a posture ready to listen.
This is difficult for us because we don’t like to listen, we like to be heard.
We approach God with senseless speech rather than with attentiveness. Worse yet we listen to the loud voices of society or even ourselves first.
We are to come to the Lord with all of our requests and all of our supplications.
But let me ask, how do you approach a Holy God?
We are losing something or maybe have already lost it, reverence.
We have turned away from giving the Lord all the due respect He so deserves.
It is hard to find such respect and honor for the One that sits on the Mighty and Holy Throne of Heaven!
For God is in heaven, and you on earth
As Christ took His last breath and the veil was torn from top to bottom that opened up the Holy Of Holies. That gave every heart and soul the privilege to come directly to the ear of God! It gave us an open and clear path into the Righteousness of Heaven!
But we have taken that for granted.
Instead of seeing it as an honor and a gift we use it as an invitation for nonsensical words and requests that brings us Glory rather than God!
When did we forget that God is Holy?
When was the reverence and fear of the Lord lost?
I’ll tell you.
When we stopped hearing Him and stopped listening and adhering to His Precious Word.
Not only what we say matters but what we hear has more of an impact in our hearts.
Hear the Word of God above all other chatter and voices.
His Words are everlasting. His Words heals the lost souls and wounded hearts. His word brings Eternal life.
Let your words be few!
Let your words of pride and resentment be few.
Let them be few to not fuel the crookedness of your heart.
Let your words be few in trial and tribulation until the Hand of God sees you through.
Let your words be few in your hurt, sorrow and anguish. Let them be few until the healing power of our Lord can restore what has been lost.
Let your words be few in your sins until they are confessed and forgiven.
Let the Holy Spirit give you understanding before you say anything at all. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives you wisdom before our mouths open!
There is a reason to “ Let your words be few.”
Yes let them be few, but let those few Words be ones that exalt the name of the Lord. Let us not come with foolish idle talk. May the words we speak be said with humility as a wise person that has lived through the hardship of life through the Grace and Mercy of God!
Let our words be few but meaningful that lift the Name of oor Savior Jesus!
Let all that comes from our lips start in a regenerated, forgiven heart.
Let it all be thought through a renewed mind, a mind that focuses on Christ and a Heart that has been sealed and healed by His Love!
When we’re careless with our words we’re being careless with our hearts. Words matter to God because hearts matter to God!
Luke 6:45 NKJV
[45] A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Think about this today.
As Jesus was hanging from the Cross how did He speak? In pain and agony what Words came out of His mouth?
Every word He spoke was true. Even in the greatest pain and agony of the Cross each word He said was carefully chosen and calculated. Not one utterance was wasted. But was given to penetrate the hearts of those He spoke to! Let us learn from what it is do the same for His honor!
I challenge you today to learn what our Savior said from the Cross and study them. It is only seven statements but seven divinely inspired statements.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 NKJV
[2] Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
May our few Words encourage rather than dishearten. May they build instead of break. May they always point them to the tender heart of Christ!
May the few Words we chose today be words that will honor and Glorify our Lord.
Pastor Ed