Be Silent

Why are we silent? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.

Many of you know that one of my main problems with Christianity today is people have the idea that God regularly speaks to them and they need to listen for his voice. Sadly, some people think that’s what’s going on at the start of Ecclesiastes 5. Let’s look at the first three verses:

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. ²  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. ³ For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

The idea is that you go to the house of God, church for us today, and you be silent. Why? Because God is going to speak to you and you are to draw near to listen.

This idea comes with a lot of assumptions.

For one thing, I take it as a very individualistic form of worship, practically the idea of going to church alone. No. When the ancients went to worship, they went with the community and they would hear the priest (Preacher for many of us) speak. The sacrifice of fools would likely then be speaking things out of ignorance.

Watch what you say before God. When we pray in our churches, I often wish we would watch what we say better. Consider someone who starts off a prayer praying and saying “Thank you for sending your Son for us.” Okay. That’s fine. Then just a few moments later they say, “Thank you for dying on the cross.”

If you were addressing Jesus, yes, but you just said “Thank you for sending your Son,” which means the Father. Then you said “Thank you for dying on the cross.” The Father did not die. The Son did. Some might consider this a minor quibble on my part, but we have churches full of people who have a poor idea of the doctrine of the Trinity and this does not help the problem.

Finally, the Teacher talks about dreams. Unfortunately, so do too many other Christians. Many of us can dream the strangest things. I wake up somedays remembers bits of a dream I had and wondering “What on Earth was going on in my head last night?’

Unfortunately, too many Christians seem to think that most every dream is somehow a message from God and they need to find out what that message is. While God could speak in a dream, there will be a context so that someone would know it was from Him. My ex-wife spent so much time trying to figure out what a dream went and I always told her, “If only you spent as much time trying to understand Scripture which you know comes from God as you do these dreams which could come for any other number of reasons.”

The basic lesson is really to come to the house of God in awe. Remember who He is. Remember who you are in comparison. Do not try to act rashly and impress him with a great vow. The more you speak, the more prone you are to say something foolish. Pastors also remember this for your sermons. Make sure you especially do not say foolish words as your congregation could take the statements that are foolish as if they were gospel.

In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)