The Prudent Walker (8/3/2025)

“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).

Broken down to the simplest level, this passage is about attitude and behavior. Solomon is giving instruction to the “prudent”—that is, the wise, who want to know God and to please him: specifically, he says to be on guard when they go in to worship God.

“The house of God” indicates that worship is under consideration. To “draw near” indicates they are not to approach God half-heartedly nor casually but rather to give heed and listen to Him with the intent of allowing it to shape their behavior in worship. 

If they fail to draw close and learn, they will ignorantly offer “the sacrifice of fools,” meaning they will not worship nor live their lives in a way that pleases God and God will not take them seriously.

Succinctly, Solomon has given instruction to people of every dispensation of time about what it takes to be an acceptable child of God: we must be wise, attentive, obedient, and worshipful—otherwise, we end up in the category of those who are doing evil and do not even realize it.