Vanity and Vexation!

I've been itching to read Ecclesiastes for a couple days now. Finally sat down this morning to read it all again.

This book is such a bizarre comfort to me. I come to the words of "The Preacher" with all my post-modernistic angst, and every time I'm assured that what I'm going through is nothing new.

Two particular things were bugging me yesterday. One was a case of Christians behaving badly. Not only was I hopping mad at what I percieved was unjust treatment of a brother, but the offending brother seemed to be getting all sorts of props. This is a pattern I saw repeated all too often in church, and it triggered a bout of discouragement.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 (NIV)

I always thought it was curious that such a statement should be included in the holy canon of scripture: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." Later I would come to realize there is often as much treachery within the sanctuary as without. We are responsible at all times to be wise and use discernment, asking God for help.

Blogland certainly has no lack of words. So it should not surprise me or anyone else to run into a few foolish speeches here and there. Reading Ecclesiastes makes me feel somewhat better, knowing that I'm not the first, nor will I be the last, to be aggravated by such things...