January 19, 2010 - Ecclesiastes 5:1-6

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools; for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.
For dreams come with many cares, and a fool's voice with many words.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you vow. It is better than you should not vow than that you should vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger than it was a mistake; why should God be angry at your words, and destroy the work of your hands?"

I cannot tell you how many times I have opened my mouth and words came out that were downright ugly. Once said, words cannot be recalled. Even if you try to "make up" for it later, the damage has been done. In this passage we are warned against such sinning before God.

"Oh God, I promise...if You'll just do this for me, I'll...give me this, Lord and I'll..." Wherever did we get the idea that we can bargain with God? We so often treat God like a vending machine...if we just plug in the right prayers ("In the name of Jesus" comes to mind) then surely God will grant our request. And if God says "no," well, how dare He? Didn't we do everything right?

Once again, we forget Who God is, and who we are. God is God. We are not. In this passage we are warned against making vows to God unless we are going to fulfill those vows right away. How often have we made a vow to God, and then rather conveniently "forgot" when the time for doing was past? Later, maybe, we said...I know I promised God something but now I forgot what it was. Oh well, God will forgive me. That, my friends, is just about as blasphemous as it comes. If there is an unforgiveable sin, it's taking God for granted. It's taking His grace and turning it into a cheap gift. God's grace did not come cheap. God's grace came with a price, a heavy price. A price paid by Jesus on the cross so that you wouldn't have to pay it.

The Bible cautions us in many places to guard our tongue. And when it comes to God, be more than cautious is what we say and how we speak. God is listening.