Ecclesiastes Chapter Five, The Sacrifice Of Fools

Ecclesiastes 5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

The preacher commends prudence when going to God’s house. His house, in this instance, is the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem, the seat of Jewish worship. Here Yahweh appeared in the Shekinah glory behind the veil in the Holiest of All, over the mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant. The KJV renders the verse, “keep thy foot.” In short, like the NKJV version, the idea is to walk circumspectly, to be aware of where and why we’re going where we’re going.

Wrestling With Doubt

Oxford defines the word “doubt,” as a “feeling of uncertainty,” or to, “disbelieve or mistrust someone.” For the Christian, doubt is a serious offense; it is a faith-based four letter word, tantamount to blasphemy for any who dare to express its reality in our lives…or is it?

Is doubt really as awful as all of that? Can a saint experience doubt, and is it wrong to do so? What does the Bible say about doubt, and how does it impact our faith? Can faith exist in the presence of doubt? There are really so many questions that can be asked about this topic. To pursue answers, we shall turn our attention to the gospels.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four, Parables & Reality

Ecclesiastes 4:13 Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. [14] For he comes out of prison to be king, although he was born poor in his kingdom. [15] I saw all the living who walk under the sun; they were with the second youth who stands in his place. [16] There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

It could be that the preacher is reflecting on himself in this passage as the old and foolish king that will no longer accept admonition, see 1 Kings 11:4-6, 10, 11. And indeed, God raised up not only enemies, but a successor in the form of Jeroboam who would lead away 10 of the tribes to northern Israel, which would later become Samaria.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four, Solidarity

Ecclesiastes 4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?

“Again,” signifies that the preacher wishes to return to the same topic, but to approach it from a different perspective. This time, rather than partnership he refers to the most intimate companion one may find: a spouse.