Day 20: Ecclesiastes 5:6-7

“Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.”

Wow. Do I have a habit of sinning because of my mouth? Or do I make frequent excuses for my sin?

Our world has a habitual problem of sinning because of things it says. Too often we say things that we can’t or won’t do, and our words cause us to sin in our actions. We are hasty with our words.

But on top of that, we make excuses for our sin. Our mouths compound the problem by trying to explain away or justify our actions. Sorry humans, but God doesn’t take excuses. He wants confession and repentance.

My words are important. My word is important. I shouldn’t have to promise to do anything to assure someone that I’ll do what I say. My word at face value should be good enough.

Once I say I’ll do something, I should do what I say, but if I can’t follow through, it’s my mistake. Excuses and justification are not acceptable. An acknowledgment of my mistake is what is needed.

“In the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity.” What’s the solution? What is my best option?

“But fear God.” Sounds so easy, so simple, and yet it’s not. But the good news is, it’s also possible. It’s just not easy.

If you say that you’ll do something,
You should plan to keep your word.
For if you end up do nothing,
You have wronged those who had heard.

Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin,
You’ll lose trust with one another.
Friends may not hear you again;
Empty words will lose a brother.

Excuses don’t work either,
If you sin just take the blame.
But work hard to just do neither-
Fearing God should be your aim.

Day 19: Ecclesiastes 5:2-5

I know, I know. I looked at verse 2 yesterday. But it bridges verses 1 and 3-5 in such a way that I think it needs to be included in the discussion of both. Verses 3-5 talk about guarding what we say, and verses 4 and 5 specifically talk about promises.

Many are the fools who say things that they shouldn’t before God. They offer up illegitimate worship or make promises they don’t keep, and in both cases they are better off not saying anything. The second half of verse 5 says, “A fool’s voice is known by his many words.”

This passage reminds me of Matthew 5:33-34 where Jesus said, “”Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all.”

We live in a world where the spoken word is not venerated as much as it used to be. A verbal promise is not the binding contract it was back in ancient days. Instead promises are made flippantly and vows are used as a means of dishonest personal gain.

But woe to the person who makes an illegitimate vow to God. God does not look lightly on those who promise Him something but fail to follow through. But God has a good reason to demand such a high standard.

In Hebrews 6:13-18, the writer of Hebrews explains that when God makes promises, He keeps them. He has never once lied or made a promise He can’t or won’t keep. He is always faithful, and he expects us to be as well. But for those who aren’t, “He has no pleasure in fools” (Ecclesiastes 5:4).

I need to be careful with my words. First of all, I should not commit to doing anything that I do not plan on doing or think I am capable of doing. Secondly, I should not make ill-advised promises and I should keep the ones I make.