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.
[Ecclesiastes 5:1]
Ecclesiastes is one of the Books of the Bible I cherish so much because it contains wisdom for daily living.
Here, The Preacher, as the Great King Solomon chooses to call himself throughout the Book gives some pieces of advice:
Advice No. 1: Walk prudently when you go into the House of God. Synonyms for prudenceinclude: cautious, circumspect,considerate, discreet, judicious,provident,
economical, frugal, sagacious, sensible, careful, wise, and reasonable.
When Bible says we should walk prudently when we go into the House of the Lord, it means it’s possible to show imprudence before God.
Nowadays, especially among we the Charismatics, we show a lot of imprudence when we go to church. One area is the way we dress. People who sit by us in the public transport or pass by us in the street on Sunday morning would be greatly shocked to see us in the chapel. This is because our dresses and hairstyles of late don’t show any reverence to God whatsoever. You’ll wonder if we’re going to the club or the sports stadium.
Solomon said he looked through is window and saw a woman dressed like prostitute (Proverbs 7:10). This means our dressing can send the wrong message to people. There is a way lawyers dress. Likewise doctors, policemen, nurses etc.; and there is a way Christians dress, though we may not be in uniform.
It’s true that God looks at the heart. That’s why you can be naked and pray in your closet and God will answer you speedily. Bible says every creature is naked before God [i.e. even when we dress] (Hebrews 4:13). However, in church, we don’t meet God alone. We meet other believers as well. If we cause them to sin by our dresses, then we’ve offended God. That’s why Paul said if what he would eat would cause someone to sin, then he wouldn’t even eat; so that he wouldn’t offend someone Christ has died for.
If we don’t walk prudently in the House of God, then our offering is a sacrifice of fools. May the Lord cause us to be wise so our offerings will be acceptable in His sight in the Name of Jesus. Amen
