CAUTION OF THE FOOLISHNESS

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 / Keywords 10:12

Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.

10:1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,

    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,

    but the heart of the fool to the left.

3 Even as fools walk along the road,

    they lack sense

    and show everyone how stupid they are.

4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,

    do not leave your post;

    calmness can lay great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

    the sort of error that arises from a ruler:

6 Fools are put in many high positions,

    while the rich occupy the low ones.

7 I have seen slaves on horseback,

    while princes go on foot like slaves.

8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;

    whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;

    whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

10 If the ax is dull

    and its edge unsharpened,

more strength is needed,

    but skill will bring success.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,

    the charmer receives no fee.

12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,

    but fools are consumed by their own lips.

13 At the beginning their words are folly;

    at the end they are wicked madness—

14     and fools multiply words.

No one knows what is coming—

    who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

15 The toil of fools wearies them;

    they do not know the way to town.

16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a]

    and whose princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth

    and whose princes eat at a proper time—

    for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;

    because of idle hands, the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter,

    wine makes life merry,

    and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,

    or curse the rich in your bedroom,

because a bird in the sky may carry your words,

    and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Footnotes

a. Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child

 

1. While the teacher has made his point clear that wisdom alone cannot save us, folly, the lack of wisdom, can harm us greatly. It is not the intellectual level that makes one foolish, but the lack of the fear of the Lord (Proverb 1:7).

 

2. Foolishness can determine a person’s eternal destiny (2, Matt 25:33). Their earthly lives may also be ruined by their thoughtlessness (10,11), wicked words (12,13), and lack of direction (15). They may talk a lot because they think they know something without understanding the simple truth that no one can tell the future (14).

 

3. However, the most harm is done when the foolish are put in a leadership position (16). The king who lacks wisdom and does not guide the princes properly brings the kingdom into ruin (18, 1 Kings 16:33) as he depends on his worldly possessions (19) and puts the wrong people in ruling positions (6,7).

 

Prayer Father, thank you for providing the lamp to my feet through your words. Please help me gain wisdom as I seek and fear you. Be with those who are in leadership positions to fear you and to have the wisdom to manage what you have given them.

One Word Watch out for foolishness!