1. From vanity connected with kings, he passes to vanities
(Ec 5:7)
which may be fallen into in serving the King of kings, even by those
who, convinced of the vanity of the creature, wish to worship the
Creator.
Keep thy foot--In going to worship, go with considerate, circumspect,
reverent feeling. The allusion is to the taking off the shoes, or
sandals, in entering a temple
(Ex 3:5;
Jos 5:15,
which passages perhaps gave rise to the custom). WEISS needlessly reads, "Keep thy feast days"
(Ex 23:14, 17;
the three great feasts).
hear--rather, "To be ready (to draw nigh with the desire) to hear
(obey) is a better sacrifice than the offering of fools"
[HOLDEN]. (Vulgate; Syriac).
(Ps 51:16, 17;
Pr 21:3;
Jer 6:20; 7:21-23; 14:12;
Am 5:21-24).
The warning is against mere ceremonial self-righteousness, as in
Ec 7:12.
Obedience is the spirit of the law's requirements
(De 10:12).
Solomon sorrowfully looks back on his own neglect of this (compare
1Ki 8:63
with Ec 11:4, 6).
Positive precepts of God must be kept, but will not stand
instead of obedience to His moral precepts. The last provided no
sacrifice for wilful sin
(Nu 15:30, 31;
Heb 10:26-29).
JFB.
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