"BE HUMBLE WHEN YOU GO TO THE HOUSE OF GOD"

Singing: (Psalms and Hymns are from the "Book of Praise" Anglo Genevan Psalter)
Psalm 122:1,3
Psalm 27:2,3
Psalm 18:8
Psalm 37:5,13
Psalm 34:1,2

Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We come to church faithfully, for we know that this is God’s will for us. Equally, we read the Bible regularly, attend Catechism class and Bible study club, again because we know this is God’s will for us. One can, then, only say positive things about our going to church and being busy with the Scriptures.

Yet, brothers and sisters, what God wants is not just that we go to church or be busy with His Word; He is also interested in how we go to church, and with what attitude we are busy with His Word and His service. In fact, before God the how is of greater importance than the whether. Going to church is good, but going with the wrong attitude is an abomination to the Lord. Being busy with the Scriptures is praiseworthy, but reading the Scriptures to find fault with God’s word is obviously evil. The how, the attitude is so important.

This is the topic that Solomon addresses in the portion of Scripture we read from Ecclesiastes this morning. In his earlier chapters, Solomon has been confronting the brokenness characterizing life after the fall into sin, and trying to find a way to rise above the brokenness, regain some semblance of Paradise. Riches and pleasure don’t help you to rise above the brokenness, he said in chapter 2, and neither does toil or good friends, nor even popularity (chap 4). Striving to overcome the effects of the fall is all vanity, says Solomon, and so one needs God and His mercy so much. And that mercy is freely available in the temple Solomon has built. Hence the reference in our text to the ‘house of God’. But even the answers of the temple, says Solomon, are not automatic; to benefit from the temple so much depends on your attitude. So Solomon tells his people to "walk prudently when you go to the house of God" – or, as we can better translate: "watch your foot when you go to the house of God." As one goes to hear God’s word, one’s attitude needs to be one of humility.

I summarize the sermon with this theme:

A literal translation of our text goes like this: "Watch your foot when you go to the house of God." In this instance the NKJV gives an explanatory meaning in its translation of Solomon’s words; it tells us to "walk prudently when you go to the house of God." The NIV does more justice to Solomon, for it tells us to "watch your step when you go." Solomon indeed wants us to ‘watch our step’ or to ‘watch our foot’. Yet his intent is not simply literal so that he would advise the temple-goers of his day to watch out for sticks and stones on the path. His intent is that one not go to the temple with one’s nose in the air, feeling all smug and confident and proud of oneself. ‘Watching your foot’ is a figure of speech for an attitude of humility. This notion of humility is the theme that runs through the whole of the passage we read.

Why might Solomon instruct his people in humility, tell them that when they go to the house of God they need to ‘watch their foot’? Back at Mt Sinai, when God established His covenant with Israel, He told them to build a tabernacle where He could live amongst His people. That tabernacle traveled with Israel through the desert and came with Israel into the Promised Land. For generations God dwelt with Israel in a tent – while the people increasingly built for themselves comfortable houses. Solomon finally built a temple for the Lord God, a proper ‘house of God’ where God dwelt with His people. 1 Kings 8 relates how that temple was dedicated to the Lord and His service. With many sacrifices and great rejoicing the temple was opened; God Himself even came to the temple in a cloud of glory.

We understand: this house of God in Jerusalem was rich in meaning! God with His people: how delightful! The sin that drove us out of Paradise in the beginning was washed away in the blood of the sacrifices on the temple’s altar so that holy God and sinful man could be reconciled. In the temple, then, was the gospel of redemption in the blood of the coming Savior, atonement for sin, forgiveness – so that sinners could live with God and God with sinners. That temple, that house of God: it proclaimed that Paradise was in principle restored! Could anything be better than that!

And see: the people could freely go! This temple was not for priests alone (as if the people had to stay miles away), nor was it for kings and rich people only (as if the little people could never approach the Lord). No, this house of God was open to the public. All could come with their sacrifices for sin, all could come with their thank offerings, all could come with their petitions. No wonder that on the day of its opening the people rejoiced so exceedingly!

I need to draw this all out farther still. Israel in Solomon’s day lived in unsurpassed economic prosperity and in great political peace. Every man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, sat under his own fig tree to enjoy the fruit of his own vine (1 Kings 4:20,25). Their material abundance and their political peace gave the people opportunity to build a house for God, and they did so. What danger invariably follows? Is it not this, congregation, that one get somewhat uppity, to think –even subconsciously- in terms of us having the right to say something to God, to negotiate with Him? There’s a reason why the Lord God gave the instruction of Dt 8: "Beware …, when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied" that "your heart [be not] lifted up…" (vs 14). Solomon is so very aware of the dangers of arrogance, of smugness, and that is why he tells the people who built the temple that they need to watch their foot when they go to God’s house. Attitude is so important.

Look at the second part of vs 1. "Draw near to hear," Solomon says, "rather than to give the sacrifice of fools." "Draw near to hear:" to hear you need an attitude of humility. If you want to hear well, if you want to be instructed, you can’t think in terms of demanding the floor or of finding fault with the speaker or of having your answer ready. To ‘hear’ well requires a specific attitude, one of ‘watching your foot’, of humility.

Solomon contrasts the attitude of ‘drawing near to hear’ with the attitude of fools. Fools come with a sacrifice, says Solomon (as must all who come to the temple), but fools come not with humility but with demands. True, fools don’t know that they do evil (vs 1c), they do not even realize that they come to the temple with the wrong attitude. So Solomon explains for the people what he means, lest they act like fools in the temple. Vs 2: "do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God." In God’s presence, says Solomon, it is not fitting that you say much, simply because "God is in heaven, and you are on earth." Not that one may speak only ten words in God’s presence instead of 100. We read a part of 1 Kings 8, but skipped Solomon’s prayer. And yes, there are many words in that prayer, 30 verses of them (vss 23-53). But the point of the injunction to "let your words be few" is that your words need to arise out of an attitude of humility. We all know it: humility tends to produce few words, while cockiness leads to many. Well now: God is in heaven, God is God, majestic, holy, and people are on earth, people are but dust. So the attitude has to be one of humility, and therefore few words. It’s the whole message of the house of God: the altar underlines the reality of human sinfulness, depravity. So it will not do to come to God with an attitude of arrogance; depravity, the fact that we live on this side of the fall, dictates humility.

Perhaps an example will illustrate the point. I think here of Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9ff). The Pharisee stood – notice that his posture portrays his attitude. And what does he say? "God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." Those are big words, bragging words – and we all realize that he’s saying too much. There’s also the tax collector "standing afar off" and he "would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast." Notice again his posture; it communicates humility. He doesn’t lift up his eyes to heaven, but he watches his foot. What he says? Only this: "God, be merciful to me a sinner." Truly, how different the attitude!

Concerning the fool Solomon explains further what sort of words he utters before God. Vs 4: one could come to the house of God to make a vow. In His law at Mt Sinai the Lord gave room for vows. Think of the Nazirite, for example, where one could vow to commit one’s life to the Lord in a very special way, abstaining from this or that in order to devote oneself to the Lord. In accordance with God’s permission to make vows, Hannah (Samuel’s mother) prayed that God would give her a child and promised to give him to the Lord. Well now, how tempting it was to come to God in His house in order to make some sort of deal with God. You give me this, and I’ll give you that. You give me a child, and I promise to give him to You. You give me a happy marriage, and I promise to increase my thank offerings. You give me a dream, a vision, and I’ll sacrifice my best bull.

You can turn it around too. I’ll sacrifice my best bull, Lord, if You’ll give me a dream. I’ll increase my thank offerings this year so that You can bless me more. I’ll pray longer, more ardently, so that You will be happier with me and give me this or that…. Or, in the thinking of the Pharisee: I’ll not act like an extortioner or an adulterer, and I’ll pay my tithes regularly, and You’ll have to give me eternal life, Lord, won’t You…. As if the Lord God can be manipulated…. As if people can try to make a deal with God! How preposterous! "God is in heaven, and you on earth," and would you think you can negotiate with God?! But that’s the nature of the fool. To his mind, God is there for him instead of he there for God. Now that the temple is ready, an extra trip or two to the house of God can be advantageous…. So he comes to make his promise, and figures that there’s gain in it for himself….

And when things don’t pan out as he hopes, when God doesn’t give sufficient to warrant fulfilling the vow, he reneges on his promise. Hence Solomon’s instruction in vs 4: "when you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it." For God sees through the intention of the fool….

It all comes down to the closing words of vs 7: "but fear God." An awareness that God is in heaven and you on earth, that God is the almighty and you but dust, produces a sense of great awe for God, respect for Him, healthy fear. And such healthy fear, respect for God, comes out in attitude, in humility, in watching one’s foot. So one comes to God not to make rash promises, to try to cut a deal with the Almighty; one comes to God to hear, comes to His temple to be taught with the gospel of redemption. Humility is to characterize those who frequent God’s house, humility born of an awareness that God in heaven has acted on earth to restore Paradise, and all our efforts –even attempts to manipulate God- will never bring back anything of Paradise. Humility: only when you come to God’s house with that attitude can you learn God’s way, and be blessed, be happy.

That, beloved, is the instruction of Solomon in our text. It was an instruction intended in first instance for the people of Solomon’s day. Yet the truth of this word from God does not apply only to those of Israel who lived 3000 years ago. Here is instruction from heaven true for all ages and peoples – and therefore binding on our Lord Jesus Christ also. How, then, did our chief Prophet and Teacher work with Solomon’s words? That’s our second point:

Our Savior knew the instruction of His God through Solomon. Jesus had to be about His Father’s business, and so at age 12 went to the house of God in Jerusalem – and stayed there. He went, and had to ‘watch His foot’, had to come with humility – for God was in heaven while He was on earth. Luke tells us something of Jesus’ attitude. Though He knew He was the Son of God –and therefore had more claim to the house of God than the learned teachers of the law- Jesus (says Luke) listened to them and asked them questions. He came to hear. Not until the Father authorized Him at His anointing to teach did Jesus begin that teaching; He first listened, learned what there was to learn about God in the house of God.

And what, brothers and sisters, what was it that Jesus could learn in the house of His God? Was it not that the sacrifices on the altar required the sacrifice and death of a true and righteous man, one who was also true God – Himself? He knew: the law of Moses spoke about Himself, and the instructions of the law were daily being carried out in the temple; that temple spoke about Jesus, about the work He had to do. The law of Moses, and therefore the message of the temple, was that reconciliation could be achieved with the God offended in Paradise only through the shedding of blood. Yet the blood of animals did not ultimately help; that’s why new animals had to be killed every day. The Son of God learned from the instruction of the temple that He had to die for sin. Every time He came to the house of God He was confronted with the fact that He had to suffer, to die.

This, congregation, was a message Jesus understood so very well. This coming week is Good Friday. Come with me for a moment, then, to the Garden of Gethsemane, and see what Jesus did with the instruction of the temple. I read in Mt 26:36 Jesus’ words to His disciples: "Sit here while I go and pray over there." Pray: He wants to speak to God. No, He doesn’t go to the temple, to the house of God in the city. But He wants to speak to God nevertheless, and so He goes deeper into the garden to a quieter spot where He can be alone with God. What does He do now: does He stand tall, lift up His face to heaven, and proclaim to God how He has obeyed all God’s commands? Does He come with many words, big words? Does He make rash promises to God in an effort to obtain God’s blessing, or perhaps to escape God’s curse (for He knows it’s coming)?

Look at vs 39: "He … fell on His face." We understand the significance of the posture: this is submission, this is humility! This has the same punch, be it in more intense form, as Solomon’s instruction to ‘watch your foot’. Here’s no arrogance, here’s no boasting, here’s no effort to make a deal with God. Here is dependence, here is meekness. That humility comes out also in Jesus’ words. "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." He knows –He’s learned it in the temple over the years- that suffering and dying on the cross is the Father’s will for Him. That road is difficult, so very difficult for Jesus. But in humility He accepts that road: "not as I will, but as You will." That’s His prayer, not once, not twice, but three times. He came to God to listen, and not to get out from under God’s revealed will for Him through rash promises or many words. He came to God to learn God’s will for Him, and so He accepted the Lord’s instruction.

That attitude, brothers and sisters, on Jesus’ part is the cause of our salvation! Had He sought to talk God out of the sacrifice the temple required, had He made rash promises in an attempt to escape God’s judgment, had He even come before God to boast of His work, we, beloved, would still be in our sins. You see, Jesus’ obedience to the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Solomon is the cause of our salvation. He knew: God is God, majestic and holy, and the way to salvation He had revealed in the Old Testament temple was the only way for sinners to be reconciled to God. Jesus "feared God", stood in awe of God, and so knew how to be little in God’s presence, how to humble Himself and listen. And we, we benefit from His attitude, His posture!

So I come to our last point:

Through His sacrifice on that Good Friday long ago, our Lord has fulfilled the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament house of God. As a result we are reconciled to God. So much so are we reconciled to God that He does not dwell in our midst in a house built of brick and mortar, but through His Holy Spirit He dwells in our hearts – so close has He come to us! We do not come to Him once a year with a sacrifice, or once a week or even once a day, but our every day is lived in His presence. That is why Christians of the New Testament dispensation are not to come to Him with periodic sacrifices, but the entire life of the Christian is a constant sacrifice of thanksgiving to Him for the abundance of His grace to us. It is Paul’s instruction in Romans 12: "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God" (vs 1). Always we are in the house of God, always we are the house of God.

Solomon under girded his instruction in Ecclesiastes 5 with the thought that God is in heaven and we are on earth, and therefore humility was so very much in place. Yes, the dwelling of God is still in heaven and ours on earth, but, congregation, God in the Spirit has made His home in our hearts even while He remains God, majestic, holy. Here is a marvel most profound: while we remain sinners, yes, while we give ourselves to sin day by day, God nevertheless makes us houses of God, temples of the Spirit! That reality dictates why the New Testament Christian is to be characterized by humility, watching the foot. To say it with Jesus’ words in His Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Mt 5:5). People aware of what they are and aware of who God is cannot go through life with the nose in the air!

What is the lesson for us, then? This: our whole manner of living is to be characterized by humility. An awareness that we remain sinners even while God makes His home in our hearts fills one with such awe of God, fear of God, that we’re overwhelmed by the magnitude of His grace, so overwhelmed that there’s nothing of smugness in our attitude, nothing of an uplifted heart, nothing of arrogance. Then yes, we shall talk to God, talk much, but our words shall be little words in relation to ourselves, words conveying our unworthiness for such grace. More, our words shall be big about God’s mercy, shall be abundant in praise for what such a God has done.

If that, congregation, is the application for all of life, we realize well that this applies also to when we go to church and when we busy ourselves with the study of God’s word. Go to church feeling good about ourselves? Engage in Bible study to confirm our feelings-of-contentment about ourselves? Listen to what others have to say about the Lord and His word with a spirit of condescension, a spirit of judgment and criticism? That’s such a small step removed from the attitude of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, and it’s just the opposite of the spirit Solomon desires in our text. James puts it this way: "let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (1:19). That’s a habit born of humility, of watching your foot.

Fallen human nature does not appreciate being small, being told, being humble; it’s in us to be judgmental over the other. In the house of God –and that is what Christians are- being uppity, judgmental, critical, is deadly. The meek inherit the earth, those who have small thoughts about themselves, who are willing to listen, who fear God.

Solomon says at the end of vs 1 that fools "do not know that they do evil." There, then, is the question that remains: do you give God the sacrifice of fools or do you draw near to hear? Do you watch your foot or is your nose in the air? Amen.