The Fool's Sacrifice

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.” -Ecclesiastes 5:1 [KJV]  


Let’s examine this verse, line by line.

 

1. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God.”  Solomon takes for granted that we will go to the place of public worship where the children of God meet together to honor Christ.  In addition, he admonishes us that when we enter into the place of worship, we must do so with reverence and an awareness of the greatness of the One we desire to worship.  One writer said, “Ponder the path of thy feet.”  You are entering a place designated for worship, be it a church building, a private home or anywhere that God’s people gather to read His Word, seek His face in prayer, sing His praises and take heed to the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God.  Enter with the prayer that the Lord grant grace to truly worship through the person and merits of His Son.

 

2. “Be more ready to hear.”  “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).  Listen and take heed to the gospel of God’s grace to sinners through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.  Imitate young Samuel; when called by the LORD he responded, “Speak; for Thy servant heareth” (I Samuel 3:10).  Let each of us give full attention to the message of the grace of God and may He grant us heart-faith to honor and believe on the Savior of sinners.

 

3. “Than to give the sacrifice of fools.”  “The sacrifice of fools” is an outward performance of religious actions unaccompanied by a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  Religion without spirit and truth is a fool’s religion.  The person whose heart is not involved in worship, who gathers out of a desire to impress God and be seen of others, is a fool. He forgets that the One Who said, “My son, give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26) also proclaimed, “all things are naked and opened to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).  Don’t be a fool!   

4. “For they consider not that they do evil.”  A fool performs his religious duties believing God is impressed having no idea that his heartless religion is repugnant to God.  “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8).  The fool’s mistake is twofold: he offends God for he thinks he is doing Him a great service and he cheats himself.  A hypocritical cloak of religion harms no one except the imposter.  May the Lord grant us a heart to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).

 

 

-preacher Jim Byrd 

Thirteenth Street Baptist church

Audio Gospel sermons here: 

 https://www.sermonaudio.com/speakers/12684/sermons 

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