The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
9:14-18, There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a
great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:[15]
Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the
city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.[16] Then said I, Wisdom
is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and
his words are not heard.[17] The words of wise men are heard in quiet
more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.[18]
Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth
much good. In this passage Solomon is talking about how difficult it
is for wisdom to take hold anywhere. Not many people have true wisdom, and if
someone shows up who does have it, such a person will easily be ignored or
dismissed or forgotten. That is what happened with the example of a poor wise
man that Solomon referred to. A strong army came against a city, but the wise
man came up with a way to deliver the city. What was the fate of that wise man
later: no man remembered that same poor
man. One thing this shows is that people are
not very appreciative or thankful. It also shows that people easily turn away
from the wisest among them, and tend to go back to their old ways of thinking.
They should have come to the conclusions that Solomon came to in verses 16, 17,
and 18: Wisdom is better than strength, The words of wise men
are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth
among fools, and Wisdom is better than weapons of war. Anyone can acquire weapons, but it takes wisdom to know
how, when, and where to use them. We have had leaders who were too hasty to use
weapons, and we have had leaders who were too reluctant to use them. Both were
unwise. Neither one had wisdom.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:1-3,
Dead
flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation
for wisdom and honour.[2] A wise man's heart
is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.[3] Yea also, when
he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth
him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. In verse one
Solomon teaches us how easy it is for wisdom to be ruined. Just a little
foolishness can ruin a lot of wisdom. The same principle is true about good and
evil. It says in Galatians 5:9, A little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Verse two is stating that a wise person always has his
wisdom available to use at his right hand. We have the saying about someones
right-hand-man, meaning that is how things get done. A fool does not have
wisdom, and so all that he has is his heart as a resource. The heart of man
without wisdom is not a good thing. The heart of man without wisdom is a source
of strong emotions that lead to poor decisions. It says in Genesis 6:5, And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. What problem does a fool have?
What makes him a fool? The lack of wisdom makes him a fool. A fool will do
foolish things and say foolish things, and therefore wherever a fool goes, he saith to every one that he is a fool.
Solomon has a few things to say about
people who are in positions of leadership. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
10:4-7, If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy
place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.[5]
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:[6] Folly is set in great
dignity, and the rich sit in low place.[7] I have seen servants upon
horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
We all live in various hierarchies. In the home the parents are over the
children. We have community leaders. We have leaders in our places of
employment. We have police officers and judges. We have national leaders over
us. We have the rich who are in positions of leadership. And of course, all of
us, including the leaders, have God over us. It is important in life to
understand where you are in any hierarchy. Know your place in that hierarchy.
If a leader gets angry with you, know your place in the hierarchy. There is a
time to yield to authority, and then they will be satisfied. That is what
Solomon was saying, leave not thy place;
for yielding pacifieth great offences. One of the things that Solomon noticed about leaders is
that like all humans they sometimes do not have the wisdom that they need for
their position. There are servants that have more wisdom than their masters.
That is why Solomon said in verse 7, I have
seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. So who really has the power, the
servant who is wise or the prince who is a fool?
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
10:8-10, He that diggeth a pit shall fall into
it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite
him.[9] Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt
therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be
endangered thereby.[10] If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the
edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
This is one of the basic laws of life of reaping what we sow or getting what we
deserve. Be careful what you do because it will have consequences. He that diggeth a pit shall fall
into it.
As it says in Galations 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
10:11-14, Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler
is no better.[12] The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the
lips of a fool will swallow up himself.[13] The beginning of the words
of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.[14]
A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall
be after him, who can tell him? The words of a fool are compared
to the words of a wise man. First the words of a fool are compared to a
serpent probably because how much the words of a fool can inflict pain. The
purpose of speech should never be to harm others, and it is a foolish person
who does not know this. At least some of the words of a foolish person do not
cause harm because some of his words are the words of a babbler: meaningless
noise. Of course, a fools speech not only can harm others, but his speech can
harm himself too. That is why Solomon said in verse 12, the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. We bring pain upon ourselves, and we bring negative
reactions simply by using foolish words instead of wise words. The words of a
fool are compared to a crazy person. his talk is
mischievous madness. As we have seen before,
a fool is also identified by the great number of words that he speaks. It says
in verse 14, A fool also is full of words. Christians are told in James 1:19, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. At
the end of Ecclesiastes 10:14, Solomon says about a fool, who can tell him? We
cannot tell what a fools words will bring. Whatever it is, it will not be
good.
And so we see
in this passage that a lot of things were said about a fool and his speech. But
what is said about a wise person and his speech: just one thing. It says in
Ecclesiastes 10:12, The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious. The word
that is translated gracious comes from the basic Hebrew word that means
grace, charm, favor. It is found frequently in the Old Testament and is often
used just as it is in its first usage in Genesis 6:8 that says, But Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. If you view someone with grace, it means that
you find them charming and acceptable. If you speak to others or about others
with grace, then it means that your attitude is that you find that person
charming and acceptable. If you truly find someone charming and acceptable,
then you will use kind and favorable words when you speak to them or about
them. God loves everyone. Do you? That will be demonstrated by the graciousness
in your speech. Christians are told in Colossians 4:6, Let your
speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:15,
The
labour of the foolish wearieth
every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go
to the city. After talking about the words of a foolish person, Solomon
makes a statement about the work of a foolish person. As we would expect the
outcome is not too good. First Solomon says, The labour
of the foolish wearieth every one of them. What does it
mean to weary people by means of the work that you do? It probably means that
the quality of work is so poor that when interested parties see the results of
what a foolish person has done, the interested parties are exhausted just
looking at what was done. They cannot believe how bad it is. Maybe they realize
that someone else is going to have to fix it and re-do whatever was done. A
foolish person does not know how to talk, and a foolish person does not know
how to get a job done either. The problem of a foolish person is a lack of
knowledge of any kind. Solomon says at the end of verse 15 that a foolish
person cannot even find their way into the city. Evidently, they cannot follow
directions either.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes
10:16-19, Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes
eat in the morning![17] Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the
son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for
drunkenness![18] By much slothfulness the building decayeth;
and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth
through.[19] A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but
money answereth all things.
In verse 16 Solomon states that a country is in trouble where there are
problems with its leaders. One problem is when
thy king is a child. Wisdom is usually
associated with age. If you are a normal person, older should mean wiser. That
is one of the reasons to honor those who are older than you. If older means
wiser, then younger means: not so wise. A country needs the wisest people to be
its leaders because of the important decisions that will be made that will
affect everyones lives. Having a foolish person in a position of leadership
would be no different than having a child.
Another major problem with leaders is
that they might use their leadership as an opportunity to live in excess.
Instead of living for the people of the land, these bad leaders live for
themselves. Solomon uses the example of their eating habits. If you had wise
leaders, they would have their priorities right. They would not eat too much
nor drink too much. If you are a blessed nation, then this is what your leaders
would be like: thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for
drunkenness.
In verse 18 Solomon talks about the
importance of work. By much slothfulness the building decayeth;
and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth
through. We live in a world where things fall apart and run down. If
things are neglected, then they will fall apart for certain. The Bible is a
very practical book. Yes, it is spiritual, but it is also practical. Someone
said, Serving God is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration. Yes,
the Lord allows us to make our requests of Him, but then He expects us to do
our part. It says in Ecclesiastes 9:10, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. It also
says in Second Thessalonians 3:10-12, For even when we were with you, this
we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we
hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all,
but are busybodies. Now then that are such we command and exhort by our Lord
Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Ecclesiastes 10:19 is looking at life
from a practical standpoint once again. It says, A feast is
made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth
all things. Notice the last phrase, money answereth
all things. There is a practical value to money. Perhaps some people try to
become rich so they can compare themselves to others or live in luxury or some
other selfish purpose. But in serving God and our Lord Jesus Christ, money
should be always looked at from a practical viewpoint. What can I do with this
money? What does God want me to do with this money? What can I use this money
for so that the result would be to glorify the name of Christ? If God does give
you extra money, then He is also giving you a responsibility of how you are
going to use that money, and you will answer to Him for what you did with it.
Money can accomplish a lot, if it is used properly. It says in James 5:1-6, Go to now,
ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.[2]
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.[3] Your gold
and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you,
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for
the last days.[4] Behold, the hire of the labourers
who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered
into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.[5] Ye
have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your
hearts, as in a day of slaughter.[6] Ye have condemned and killed the
just; and he doth not resist you.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2015 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved