Ecclesiastes
10: A Little Folly is Dangerous
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Overview.
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In this chapter Solomon mentions the word “Folly” nine
times. Keeping this in mind, Solomon is
reminding us how important wisdom is and he warns us of the danger of
folly. He begins this chapter by
stating that folly creates problem for those who commit it. He draws the conclusion that wise people
will stay away from folly.
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What makes a person foolish or wise? It all depends upon the intentions of a
person’s heart. Solomon is not speaking
of a person’s physical heart, but a person’s attitude towards life, the things
that govern us in the “issues of life”.
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During Jewish times, the right hand signified power and honor,
while the left hand represented weakness and rejection. (Matthew 25:33-41)
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Many people considered the left hand to be unlucky. The fool does not have a heart, which allows
him to drift towards that which is wrong (“the left’) and he gets into trouble.
(Ecclesiastes 2:11)
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People will try to correct the fool, but the fool refuses to
listen Solomon apples this principle to
four different types of fools.
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Breakdown
of Verses.
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Verses
10:4-7 (1) The Foolish Ruler.
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The ruler of a nation is one person who needs wisdom. When Solomon was asked by God, what gift he
wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom. (I
Kings 3:3-28).
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Former President Lyndon B. Johnson said: “A president’s
hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right.” This is something that requires wisdom.
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Verse 4: A Proud
Ruler.
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A proud Ruler can say and do foolish things that could cause
him to lose respect of his associates.
Solomon portrays a proud ruler who is easily angered and takes out his
anger out on the people around him. If
a man cannot control himself, how can he control others? (Proverbs 16:32, Proverbs 25:28)
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The worst thing a servant could do is act foolish. The servant should seek to control himself,
stay where they are, and try to bring peace.
(Proverbs 25:15, Proverbs 16:14)
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There is a righteous anger that needs to be displayed at
times. Even though it is called
“righteous anger”, it is still righteous.
It can be easy to disguise our holy zeal for God by venting out our
jealousy and anger. Not everyone is
motivated by love for God’s Word. Their
zeal could be a mask covering hidden anger or jealousy.
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This proverb has implications for the employee/employer
relationship. Employees should ride out
the temper tantrums of their employer.
If we quietly do our work and we don’t get upset at our employer, the
employer will probably get over his or her anger and calm down.
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Verses 5 - 7: A
Pliable Ruler.
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A Ruler could also be considered foolish if he was too
pliable. If he lacks character and
courage, it is likely he will put fools in high places and the qualified people
in low positions. The servant will be
riding the horse while the nobleman will be walking instead. Having incompetent people advising a ruler
will lead to the nation being governed wisely.
(Proverbs 19:10, Proverbs 30:21-22)
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Rehoboam, who was the son of Solomon, led the Kingdom to be
split into 2 because of his pride and being unyielding. Rehoboam listened to the advice of his
youthful friends instead of the advice of the wise counselors. He put his young friends on the horses and
he made the elders walk. There were
many other kings after Rehoboam who were pliable and ruled only as a
figurehead. The best rulers are
tenderhearted and tough minded, they put their best people on horses and they
don’t apologize for it.
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By describing the circumstances that aren’t fair or don’t make
sense, Solomon is saying that wisdom alone can’t bring justice. Solomon continues to bring his conclusion
that everything we have, from wisdom to riches, is nothing without God. But, when God uses what little we have, it
becomes all we could ever want or need.
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Verses
10:8-11 (2) The Foolish Workers.
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In Warren Wiersbe's book, “Be Satisfied”, he mentions that
many scholars have studied these verses and they are unsure as to the point
that Solomon is trying to state. Is he
suggesting every job has occupational hazards?
If so, what lesson is he trying to teach and why did he use 3 verses to
state something that would appear to be obvious, since Solomon’s theme for this
chapter is Folly. Solomon would not be
teaching that hard work would be foolish as you will get injured. Solomon has stated previously the importance
to hard labor and the joy it can bring.
Why would he contradict himself in 3 verses?
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Wiersbe suggests Solomon was teaching people who attempted to
do their work and they suffered because they worked foolishly. Solomon describes a man who dug a deep pit,
but only to see himself fall into it.
Why? This man failed to take the
necessary precautions because he lacked wisdom. Wiersbe suggests that Scripture frequently
uses this as a picture for just retribution, but Solomon sees a different
lesson in the following verses. (Psalm
7:15, Psalm 9:15-16, Psalm 10-2, Psalm 35:8, Psalm 57:6, Proverbs 26:27,
Proverbs 28;10)
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Another man breaks through a hedge, only to be bitten by a
serpent. Since serpents like to find
hidden crevices and corners to rest, the man should had been more careful. He did not look ahead because he was
overconfident.
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Solomon also writes about other men who are injured in the
quarries as they cut stones. He also
writes of workers being injured in the forest who are splitting logs.
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Verse 10: Trying to do
anything without the necessary skills or tools is like chopping wood with a
dull axe. If your tool is dull, you
should sharpen it to do a better job.
Similarly, if you lack skills, you should sharpen them through practice
and training. In each situation,
sharpening the axe means recognizing where a problem exists, acquiring or
honing the skills (or tools) to do the job better, and then going out and doing
it. Find the area in your life where
your “axe” is dull and sharpen your skills so you can be more effective for
God’s work.
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We can relate to this through the slogan: “Don’t work harder,
work smarter.”
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Charming snakes was a popular form of entertainment during
Biblical times. Since snakes have no external
ears, they pick up sounds through the bone structure of their head. Not only was the charmer playing music, it
was his disciplined actions of swaying and staring that kept the serpent under
control. It was indeed an art.
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Solomon describes a charmer who was bitten by a snake before
it was charmed. Not only was the man
risking his life, but more than likely he would not receive anything for his
performance. The crowd would likely
laugh at him. Because the charmer was
only interested in collecting his money in a hurry and move to another
location, he would rush through his act and be foolish to act as though the
snake was charmed. The more shows he
could perform, the more money he could make.
By being foolish, he now had no money for his work.
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Some charmers would travel with a mongoose to avoid being
bitten during their performance. The
mongoose would be cued when to attack.
If the mongoose missed his cue, the charmer would be attacked, which
resulted in the end of the show.
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The common theme between the two different charmers is
presumption. They both were
over-confident and they both ended up hurting themselves or by making their job
harder.
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Verses
10-12-15 (3) Foolish Talkers
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The Book of Proverbs contains many writings about the
fool. Here Solomon points out four
characteristics of their words.
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(1) Verse 12 - Destructive:
The wise person will be gracious in his words, words that will be suited
to the listeners and the occasion.
Jesus always knew of the right words to say, whether they were in a
personal conversation or public ministry.
We should try to emulate Jesus instead being like the fool who blurts
out whatever is on his mind. The fool
does not consider who may be hurt by his words. In the end, the fool is the one is hurt by
his own words. (Proverbs 10:32,
Proverbs 25:11, Isaiah 50:4, Ecclesiastes 10:12)
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In the Bible, destructive words are described as weapons to
war and a poisonous beast. Even though
the intent is to hurt others by lies, slander, and angry words, they only hurt
is to the person who speaks such words.
(Proverbs 25:18, James 3:5-8, Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 21:23)
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(2) Verse 13 - Unreasonable:
When a fool talks and he doesn’t make sense, the longer he talks, the
crazier his words become. (Ecclesiastes
5;3, Titus 1:10)
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Have you run into people who will talk anything that is bought
up as though they are the leading expert on that subject? The Jewish author Shalom Aleichem said: “You
can tell when a fool speaks: He grinds mush and produces little.”
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(3) Verse 14a - Uncontrolled: The full is full of words
without realizing he is saying nothing.
The person who can control his tongue is more likely to be able to
discipline the entire body. (Proverbs
10:19, James 3:1-2, Matthew 5:37)
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(4) Verse 14b-15 - Boastful:
Foolish people will talk about the future as if they know it all or they
are in control of what will happen.
Solomon has mentioned several times about a man’s ignorance of the
future, something a wise person will accept, whereas a fool will reject. (Proverbs 27:1, Ecclesiastes 3:22,
Ecclesiastes 6:12, Ecclesiastes 8:7, Ecclesiastes 9:12, James 4:13-17)
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Solomon uses a bit of humor here. The fool boasts about his future plans and
as he tires the people with his talk, he cannot find his way back into the
city.
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In Biblical times, the roads to cities were all marked to aid
the traveler in finding his destination.
The fool was busy talking about the futures that he gets lost in the
present times.
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Verses
16-20 (4) Foolish Officers
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Solomon already addressed the foolish Ruler. Now he looks at the folly of the officials
who worked under foolish rulers. The very people who were a part of the
Kingdom’s “machinery”. Here Solomon
describes four of their characteristics.
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(1) Verses 16 -17-> Indulgence: If the King is immature, the people he
chooses to be around him will reflect that immaturity and they will take
advantage of it. A true Nobleman will
surround himself with noble men who will put the good of the country and others
first. A true leader will use his
authority to build a nation. A mere
Office-Holder uses his nation to build his authority. They will use public funds for their own
selfish reasons including throwing parties and having a good time.
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When a nation is given immature leaders, it is a judgement
from God. This can also happen within a
church as well as a nation.
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The term elder implies maturity and experience in the
Christian life. It is wrong for a
believer to be thrust into leadership to soon.
(Titus 1:5, I Timothy 3:6)
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Age is no guarantee of maturity. (I Corinthians 3:1-4, Hebrews 5:11-14)
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Oswald Chambers was quoted as saying: “Spiritual maturity is
not reached by the passing of years, but by the obedience to the will of
God.” The important fact is to see that
maturity is more than age.
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In verse 16, Solomon suggests that this particular servant
became king with the help of his friends.
Now he was obligated to give them all jobs so that he could remain on
the throne. The King could not release
these officials because his security depended upon them. “To the victor belongs the spoils.”
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Verse 16 - 18: When
the Israelites had immature and irresponsible rulers, their nation fell. The books of I and II Kings describe the
decline of the Kingdoms, when the leaders were only concerned about
themselves. These verses pinpoint the
basic problems of these leaders - selfishness and laziness.
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(2) V
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erse 18 - Incompetence:
This foolish officer spends his time in enjoyment rather than
employment. This results in the
building and the organization falling apart.
There is a difference between a person who uses an office and a person
who merely holds an office. Immature
people ignore responsibilities and enjoy privileges. In contrast, a mature person sees
responsibilities as privileges and he uses them to help others.
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Woodrow Wilson wrote: “A friend of mine says that every man
who takes an office in Washington either grows or swells. When I give a man an office, I watch him
carefully to see whether he is swelling or growing.
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(3) Verse 19 - Indifference:
This verse reveals the philosophy of a foolish officer - “Eat all you can,
enjoy all you can, and get all you can.”
They do not reflect the responsibilities of their office or the needs of
the people. Many developing nations
have seen how it is to have an unscrupulous leader steal government funds in
order to build their own kingdoms.
Unfortunately this has also happened to some religious organizations.
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The courts may not catch up with these politicians, but God
will eventually judge them with a just judgement.
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Government leaders, businesses, families, and even churches
get trapped into thinking money is the answer to every problem. We throw money at our problems. But just as the thrill of wine is only
temporary, the soothing effect of the last purchase soon wears off and we have
to buy more. Scripture recognizes that
money is necessary for survival, but it warns against the love of money. (Matthew 6:24, I Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5)
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Money is dangerous because it deceives us into thinking that
wealth is the easiest way to get everything we want. The love of money is sinful because we trust
money rather than God to solve our problems.
Those who pursue its empty promises will one day discover they are
spiritually bankrupt.
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(4) Verse 20 - Indiscretion:
Solomon uses a familiar saying here: “A little bird told me …” You can picture a group of officers holding
a party in a private room without the King being present. Instead of praising the King, they curse
him. The party also would not include
the King’s close friends, so that word would not get back to the King. If anyone told the King what was said at the
party, the King would dismiss and punish anyone who spoke unkindly of him.
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Even though we may not respect the person in office, we must
respect the position he holds. (Romans
13:1-7, I Peter 2:13-17, Exodus 22:28).
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These officials would be very discrete when they cursed the
King. Anyone in the group could use it
to his advantage over his friend or he could report his findings to the King.
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The Statesman would say: “What is best for my country?” The Politician would say: “What is best for
my Party?” The Mere Office Holder would
say: “What is the safest and most profitable for me?’
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Conclusion.
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This completes Solomon’s discussion on life is not worth
living and the certainty of death.
(Ecclesiastes 2:12-23)
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Solomon has concluded that life is worth living even if death
is unavoidable and life is unpredictable.
(see Ecclesiastes 9) What we must
do is avoid folly and live by the wisdom of God.
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This chapter also ends his second discourse he showed us in
Chapters 1 and 2, where Solomon decides that life is really living after
all. The best thing we can do is trust
God, do God’s work, accept what God sends us, and enjoy each day of our lives
to the glory of God. (Ecclesiastes
3:12-15, 3:22, 5:18-20, 8:15, 9:7-10)
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What remains in Ecclesiastes is for the “Preacher” to conclude
his discourse with a practical applications, Chapters 11 and 12. Solomon will bring together all the various
strands of truth that he has woven into his sermon. Solomon will show us what God expects us to
do if we are to be satisfied in this life.
