Get Ready for Worship

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

Solomon knew about the Temple. He built one. He built a glorious one (I Kings 6). His father – David – was not permitted to build a house of worship, but Solomon was given that privilege. And after 7 years, the Temple was ready to receive worshippers.

But the Temple was not just a location for people to gather and “go through the motions” of worship. It was not a place for heartless praise. The Temple, and every church facility, is a house of genuine worship. The Temple was meant to be a place where those who were created in God’s image, saved by God’s Son, and indwelt by God’s Spirit could gather to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving.

Solomon – in this verse – is telling us that we can occupy space in a house of worship, we can give tithes and offerings, we can move our lips and sing songs, but if our heart is not aligned with our lips, our worship is in vain. It’s no different than Paul’s conclusion of loveless living as a clanging cymbal (I Cor 13:1-3).

How do we know if we have gathered in vain?

Well, we must draw near to God ready to hear from God, because God knows whether we want to hear Him or not.

And when we draw near, we ought to come to God to listen. And listening is more than audibly hearing someone speak. Listening – in the Bible – is often synonymous with obedience.

In his book Expository Listening, Ken Ramey helps us understand this connection better – “There is an inseparable relationship between listening and obeying. Throughout Scripture, listening is equated with obeying. In many passages, a direct connection is clearly made between listening and obeying (Exod 15:26; Deut 6:3-5; Luke 6:47; 8:21; 11:28). They are like two sides of the same coin. They are synonymous terms. In fact, there is a direct lexical link between the words “hear” and “obey” in both the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament word for ‘hear’ is sama. This is the same Hebrew word used for obey.’ There is no separate word for ‘obey’ in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek word for ‘hear’ is akouw. The word for ‘obey,’ hupakou, which literally means ‘to hear under,’ is a derivative of the word for ‘hear.’ The implication is that, in God’s mind, hearing and obeying are one in the same.” (Expository Listening, pg. 95)

So, what does all of this mean? Well, when the church gathering ends on a Sunday, and you drive out of the parking lot, the real application begins. What will you do with what you have heard? Will you plan to obey the Lord? Will you start thinking about lunch and that afternoon nap?

If you don’t plan to obey, it is likely your heart will not be ready for the next worship gathering. Take Solomon’s counsel – guard your steps in the days in between going to God’s house.