AVOID THE SACRIFICE OF FOOLS

AVOID THE SACRIFICE OF FOOLS

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:1-6

Topic: Avoid The Sacrifice of Fools

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” 

                                                                                                                                             Ecclesiastes 5:1-6

Oftentimes we offer the sacrifice of fools when we go to church to worship God. What is the sacrifice of fools? It is the vow or promise of which one intends no performance. It is the promising of what we know very well we shall not do. The scripture deems the sacrifice of fools as an act of evil. This evil is the forte of a lot of Christians; the uttering of anything.

Hannah did not offer the sacrifice of fools when she made a vow to give back to God the son that God will bless her with. Indeed she fulfilled her vow, and God gained a great Prophet called Samuel.

“And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.”

 

                                                                                                                                             1 Samuel 1:21-28

Hannah returned to identify herself as “the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord”. Many make empty promises to God, His Church, to His servants when they are in dire situations only to forget their promises when the Lord comes through for them. This is the sacrifice of fools. The consequence of making a sacrifice of fools is that God gets angry when next He hears your voice, and destruction of your works follow this anger.

“ Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?”

                                                                                                                                               Ecclesiastes 5:6

Dearly Beloved, do you have outstanding vows? Pay them today! Do you have unfulfilled promises towards the house of God? Redeem them immediately, the year is still young before anything of yours is destroyed! Do you have unfulfilled promises towards God’s servants? Redeem them now!