Let My Words Be Few
Daily Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 3-5
Daily Focus Passage: Ecclesiastes 5
Words carry power. People use words to encourage and discourage others. People use words to express feelings and emotions. Often, people use words to fill the void of silence. In wisdom, Solomon charged God's children to guard against speaking and acting in haste. Instead, he called people to let their words be few before the Lord. The same truth exists today. As followers of Christ, we must strive to learn and understand how to live before the Lord in a state where we allow our words to be few.
WE MUST SPEAK LESS AND LISTEN MORE
Solomon charges us to guard against letting our words become many. When we consider this warning, we must remember that Jesus warned the Pharisees who prayed with many words. The Pharisee rested in his religious rhetoric with the Lord and believed his words ascended to the throne of God because they were eloquent and many. Yet, the words ascended with void because they carried no genuine weight of the person's true identity. Thus, we must guard against the threat of wordiness for speaking sake before the Lord.
At the same time, Solomon elevated the need for us to listen more than speak. He charged us to keep our words few before the Lord. This declaration does not mean believers must withhold their true feelings from the Lord but prepare to listen, just like speaking to the Lord. When we allow our words to become few before the Lord, we recognize he already knows, is already at work, and is our source of need.
WE MUST THINK BEFORE ACTING
Solomon addressed the danger of impulse response. When we respond out of impulse, we face the danger of responding in the flesh. Solomon cautioned believers not to become hasty in the heart. This demonstrates the danger of the flesh upon the individual. When we fail to guard the heart, we become controlled by the desires and ways of the flesh and, as a result, become disobedient before the Lord.
Solomon's use of a hasty heart also reveals the importance of guarding the heart against prioritizing things without seeking the will and wisdom of the Lord. Solomon knows that the heart can become easily persuaded when someone fails to protect the heart. Thus, he charges us to intentionally engage with the Lord to understand his will and ways before accepting something and prioritizing it in our lives.
WE MUST TRUST THE LORD
Solomon addressed the need for us to trust the Lord. We trust him by recognizing his position and our position. He is God in heaven, and we are here on earth. He is high and holy while we battle the flesh and are lowly and sinful. We must learn to trust him because he sees before us, knows what we feel and think, knows what we need, and is not limited by the flesh. Since he is God in heaven, we must learn to lean into and trust him completely.
Solomon calls us to trust the Lord because of his position and character. He reveals the importance of trusting God’s goodness and work. We must strive to release our perspectives and live only for him and his ways. We learn to trust him when we allow our words to become few and withhold our hearts from becoming hasty. When you consider your life, how are you trusting in the Lord? Are your words few? Are you guarding against a hasty heart?
