Ecclesiastes 5:2

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. BE NOT RASH WITH THY MOUTH - answering to the considerate reverence indicated by the foot ("Keep thy foot," ). This verse illustrates , as to prayer in the house of God ("before God," ); so Ecclesiastes 5:4, as to vows. The remedy to such vanities is living faith, as is stated (), "Fear thou God." GOD IS IN HEAVEN - therefore He ought to be approached with...

1-3 Address thyself to the worship of God, and take time to compose thyself for it. Keep thy thoughts from roving and wandering: keep thy affections from running out toward wrong objects. We should avoid vain repetitions; copious prayers are not here condemned, but those that are unmeaning. How often our wandering thoughts render attendance on Divine ordinances little better than the sacrifice of fools! Many words and hasty ones, used in prayer, show folly in the heart, low thoughts of God, and careless thoughts of our own souls....

Verse Ecclesiastes 5:2. _BE NOT RASH WITH THY MOUTH_] Do not hasten with thy mouth; weigh thy words, feel deeply, think much, speak little. "When ye approach his altar, on your lips Set strictest guard; and let your thoughts be pure, Fervent, and recollected. Thus prepared, Send up the silent breathings of your souls, Submissive to his will." C....

EXPOSITION ECCLESIASTES 5:1 Section 6. Man's outward and secular life being unable to secure happiness and satisfaction, can these be found in _popular religion?_ Religious exercises need the observation of strict rules, which are far from meeting with general attention. Koheleth proceeds to give instruction, in the form of maxims, concerning public worship, prayer, and vows. ECCLESIASTES 5:1 This verse, in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bibles, forms the conclusion of Ecclesiastes 4:1; and is taken independently; but the division in our version is more natural, and the connection of this with the following verses is obvious....

BE NOT RASH WITH THY MOUTH, AND LET NOT THINE HEART BE HASTY TO UTTER [ANY] THING BEFORE GOD,.... In private conversation care should be taken that no rash and unadvised words be spoken in haste, as were by Moses and David; and that no evil, nor even any idle word he uttered, since from, the abundance of the heart the mouth is apt to speak, and all is before, the Lord; not a word in the tongue but is altogether known by him, and must be accounted for to him, Psalms 106:33. Jerom interprets this of words spoken concerning God; and careful men should be of what they say of him, of his nature and perfections, of his persons, and of his works; and it may be applied to a public profession of his name, and of faith in him; though this should be done with the heart, yet the heart and tongue should not be rash and hasty in making it; men should consider what they profess and confess,

3. EXHORTATIONS ON DIFFERENT VANITIES CHAPTER 5 _ 1. Concerning worship and vows (Ecclesiastes 5:1)_ 2. Concerning extortions (Ecclesiastes 5:8) 3. The vanities of wealth (Ecclesiastes 5:10) 4. The conclusion (Ecclesiastes 5:18) Ecclesiastes 5:1. The writer, King Solomon, seems to have been exhausted in his descriptions as to the things under the sun. He pauseth and turns to something different. He meditates on worship, that man aims to get in touch with the unsee

REALITY IN RELIGION. This section deals with worship and vows. Those who go to the house of God (whether Temple or synagogue is not clear) must go reverently and thoughtfully. Keep thy foot recalls the Oriental practice of removing one's shoes in sacred places (Exodus 3:5). The great requirement in religion is not the ritual sacrifice but the spirit of discipleship and obedience (1 Samuel 15:22 and the prophets _passim)._ Read, with a slight change, for they know nothing except how to do evil. Ecclesiastes 5:2 may refer to prayer (_cf._ Matthew 6:7) or to vows (_cf._...

THING. word. UPON EARTH. Same idea as "under the sun". See note on Ecclesiastes 1:3....

_Be not rash with thy mouth_ The rule follows the worshipper from the threshold into the Temple-court and tells him how he is to act there. We are reminded of our Lord's warning against "vain repetitions," after the manner of the heathen (Matthew 6:7). The second clause, though parallel to the first, carries the thought further. The "heart" or mind of the worshipper also is to be calm and deliberate. We are not to turn every hasty wish into a prayer, but to ask ourselves whether it is one of the things for which we ought to pray. Here also the precept has its analogies in the counsels of the wise of heart outside the covenant of Israel. See especially Juven. _Sat_. x. _therefore let thy words be few_ The Son of Sirach gives the same rule for our speech when in the presence of the "great men" of earth (Sir 32:9), and _à fortiori_the reverence due to God should shew itself in th

D. GUIDELINES FOR THE WORK OF WORSHIP Ecclesiastes 5:1-9 1. Watch your step in God's house. Ecclesiastes 5:1 a TEXT 5:1a Ecclesiastes 5:1 a Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, THOUGHT QUESTIONS 5:1a 114. Since vanity is still under consideration, where are we now to guard against it? 115. What would the house of God be in Solomon's day? 116. Why should one guard his steps when going to the temple? PARAPHRASE 5:1a Watch your step when you come to the temple. Remember it is God's house. COMMENT 5:1a For the first time the Preacher resorts to admonition. It is direct and extended. He is concerned about the possible