Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

Main Theme: God is teaching us that God’s people must look to the One who can make right all the wrong of this mixed up world that often does not turn out as we think it should.

Introduction: Turn with me in your bibles this evening to Ecclesiastes 10 as we continue to get closer and closer to the end of this book. Tonight, we come to a series of proverbs. We have seen sections like this throughout the book. This particular chapter seems to be a selection of various proverbs, wise sayings, that do not seemly have any rhyme or reason to them except that there are some various themes that flow at various parts in this chapter. For example, We see the themes of wisdom and folly come up against in this chapter. These have been themes we have seen before in this book. We also see the theme of leadership in this chapter with the discussion of kings and rulers at various times. Yet at the same time we also see what appear to be random pieces of wisdom that do not seem to have anything to do with those themes.

There are commentators of this book that don’t really know what to do with it. I have one commentary that just simply doesn’t have anything to saw about this chapter at all. I do not think that is an option for us who believe that every word of the Scriptures are given to us as God-breathed words. And more than that, we believe they are words that point us to Christ.

There are other commentators of this chapter who want to make a lot of the individual wisdom of the proverbs themselves. While I think that is wise from the book of Proverbs and other places in Scripture, I remind you that the Teacher of this book likes to throw out a Proverb and then give the counter to it. If you read it as you would Proverbs, you are going to end up with some strange ideas of what God is trying to tell us.

So, the question is, what do we do with this chapter? It seems like we have to ask that question all the time. I think the focus is not so much on the details of what is being as much as it is on how these things are said and what the Teacher is doing in giving this information. Instead of looking at the details of the chapter, I think it is best to look at the structure itself and find out what is common as we look at the structure. You may have no idea of what I’m talking about and that’s okay. The best thing for us to do is get into the text and deal with it as it comes. Let’s do that!

There are four parts to this chapter and then we will draw a conclusion to see what God is teaching us in this Scripture.

First, foolishness is powerful and shows itself in life, sometimes in strange places.

Ecclesiastes 10:1–4 NIV

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.

Dead flies

We start off with a proverb in vs. 1 about dead flies and perfume or ointment. The idea is that if a fly gets into an expensive perfume and dies, then though small, it will cause all of the perfume to be ruined. This certainly goes along with the statement made in the previous verse we looked at a couple of weeks ago in vs. 18 where it reads, “one sinner destroys much good.”

Outweighs

But instead of looking at this in the traditional fashion, the Teacher subverts or rebuts the traditional wisdom with a conclusion that is not expected. His conclusion at the end of vs. 1 is, “so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” His conclusion is not to talk about being careful not to allow folly to destroy that which is good. Instead, the Teacher turns this to talk about the vulnerabilities of wisdom. He’s basically saying that folly or foolishness is more powerful or stronger than wisdom. Surely, that is not true, but you can see where someone would come to that conclusion. But they would only come to that conclusion if they didn’t understand that sometimes it seems like foolishness has such power. Yet, in the long run, in the fullness of life, and in God’s economy wisdom is always better and more powerful than folly. One question we need to start thinking about is why would the Teacher bring up a what he surely knows is a faulty conclusion? Is there a reason?

Leanings

In vs. 2, we see another related but separate proverb. It says, “The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. Now, I know what most of you are thinking. You are thinking about politics in the 21st Century and that only fools are leftists. That can be argued, but that is not what is spoken of here. I think most likely “right” is seen as wise because most people were right handed. Right-handedness was seen as good and being left-handed was seen as being underhanded or sneaky. One of the few Latin words I remember from taking two years of Latin is the word “sinistra,” which means “left-handed.”

What is the teachers point? Well, he is saying that those who are wise “incline” themselves in that direction. Also, those who are foolish tend to “incline” themselves in that direction. So, the hearts of the wise and foolish are opposed to one another. This will be displayed in what they say and what they do. Look at vs. 3 for an example. “Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are.” What the Teacher means is that the foolish man can’t hide his stupidity even when he is doing something as mundane as walking along the side of a road. It comes out of you in whatever you do.

Ruler’s anger

In vs. 4, we read about a ruler’s anger against you. It is a proverb that says to do your job, stay at your post, and often doing so will resolve the ruler’s anger against you. The ruler here is not necessarily a king, although it certainly could be. The idea is a good one, isn’t it? Do you job and the bosses or ruler’s anger will often subside, offenses will be laid to rest. I think the reason this is here is to show the opposite side of vs. 2-3. Who is the wise one in vs. 4? It seems like the servant is the right one, the wise one if he does his job and stays at his post. But who is the irrational, foolish one? The ruler, right? Societal norms would tell us that usually the ruler is the wise one and the servant is more foolish. That’s why he’s not ruling. He doesn’t have the wisdom. But we know it doesn’t always turn out that way.

Application

There are definitely specific applications that can be made from these proverbs. For example, if we take the opposite approach of the Teacher, we would conclude that all need to be warned of the power of foolishness. Even from the rebuttal, opposition view of the Teacher we could say that even though it may seem like foolishness will prevail, wisdom will generally be best in the long run. We could conclude rightly that your wisdom or folly will be easily seen. Just give it long enough, and it will be known. But again, I draw you back to look broader. We need to ask the question, is there some reason for the Teacher to change up and compromise good simple wisdom?

Second, however you think the world should work is not often how it functions.

Ecclesiastes 10:5–7 NIV

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.

In vs. 5, the Teacher tells us that there is an evil under the sun that he is going to tell us about. He says that it is an error that arises from a ruler. This connects it with the previous verse, even though he is moving forward to something a bit different. In vs. 6, we are told what the evil is. “Fools are put in many high positions.” This is an evil, isn’t it? How many fools are serving in high positions in the past or even in today’s time? Too many to count!

So, let me ask you, what would you expect to come next? “Fools are placed in many high positions...” and then what? I would say probably something like, “while the wise occupy the low positions.” Right? Something like that? But that is not what is said, look! “While the rich occupy the low ones.” What? Again, the Teacher seems to be throwing a wrench in the practical wisdom of the time. Certainly, the rich cannot be synonomous with “wise.” Usually, the rich are those who are not wise. I think that the Teacher is showing that you may think the world should work a particular way, but sometimes it doesn’t. He illustrates this injustice when he says in vs. 7 that he has seen slaves on horseback while princes go on foot like slaves. Obviously, the world doesn’t always work as we think it should.

Third, the fool usually gets what he deserves until he does not.

Ecclesiastes 10:8–14 NIV

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?

In vs. 8, we see two examples of things that symbolize doing something devious and getting what you deserve from them. The first is digging a pit. The person who digs it falls into it. The second is breaking through a wall. The result is a snake bits them on the other side.

But then in vs. 9, we see two actions where people are doing something constructive, quarrying rock and splitting logs. What would we expect the outcome to be? We would expect a good outcome, right? But the Teacher says otherwise. In these cases, the person quarrying rock gets hurt and the person splitting logs is endangered by them. How is that? If you have ever cut wood with an ax, then you have probably had a close call when you missed and almost hit a foot or split a shin or something like that. The point is that there is not a good outcome.

In vs. 10, the Teacher explains further. If the ax is dull, what should you do? Sharpen the ax, right? But that is not what the Teacher says. He says you need more strength. He says that you need more skill.

Vs. 11 shows another irony. What use is a snake charmer if he gets bit before he can charm the snake? He’s not much of a charmer! Again, life doesn’t turn out as you would expect.

Now look at vs. 12. We deal with a another subject with the same irony. Vs. 12 and 13 seem obviously right. What would you expect? You would expect that the fool would reap the rewards of foolish lips, but what is the response of the Teacher? He says that “no one knows what is coming—who can tell someone else what will happen after them?” In other words, you may have a person who speaks foolishly, but who is to say whether they will “get what they deserve.” Maybe they will end up as the ruler of a nation? Who knows!

The point seems to be that we really don’t know what is going to happen. We may think those doing right will get reward but they don’t always. Or you may think the foolish will reap their own foolishness, but that doesn’t always happen either.

Fourth, you may think you know who should rule but you never know for sure.

Ecclesiastes 10:15–20 NIV

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 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.

Vs. 15- You don’t want a fool in charge.

Vs. 16- You don’t want a servant (or youth) with no experience put in as a king. To do so would lead to “princes feasting in the morning.” In other words, they are partying at all hours, even into the morning hours. So, who do you need?

In vs. 17 we see another curve ball. We would expect him to say someone wise is who we need. Instead, he says we need someone of noble birth, someone who has a lot of money and family power. What? That can’t be right.

Vs. 18 is traditional wisdom.

Vs. 19-20, twist in another direction. The references to laughter and being merry sound like the carpe diem passages, but it doesn’t conclude like the others. Instead, it says that money is the answer for everything. Surely, that’s not right! And vs. 19 informs vs. 20. If money is the answer to everything, then you better make sure that you stay in close with the king. Don’t every let anything out of your mouth that would endanger your money flow. Surely, the idolatry shown here with money is not correct!

Finally, what are we to do with this information?

A main idea

We have seen this over and over since we moved into the second part of this book in chapter 7. We have seen good wisdom rebutted. We have seen the vulnerabilities pointed out in traditional wisdom. We have also seen God’s wisdom subverted so that other options are presented as right instead of wise and foolish, good or bad. And as we get closer and close to the end of this book and its climax, we see here in this chapter a conglomeration of subverted and rebutted proverbs. We are seeing over and over traditional wisdom shown to not always be the case or flipped to make it mean something else. So, what we have mentioned several times and pointed out on several occasions, now we delve into deeply. We come to this conclusion: Life is not as simple as we often try to make it out to be, but we cannot deny that there is a true wisdom and there is definite foolishness, therefore trust the sovereign God of all wisdom.

Let me see if I can show you how I get there from what we see in this chapter.

Two ways

There is no doubt that God lays out two ways for people to live. There is the godly and the ungodly. Put another way, there is wisdom and there is folly. We may say that there is right and there is wrong. This is often how wisdom literature is laid out. Let me give you some clear examples.

Proverbs 10:21 NIV

21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Proverbs 11:13 NIV

13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Proverbs 12:4 NIV

4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

Proverbs 19:16 NIV

16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.

Over and over again we see two options presented. Much of biblical wisdom is laid out in this fashion. You certain see it in other places in Scripture as well.

Psalm 1:1–2 NIV

1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

This is most definitely a valid way of showing wisdom as opposed to foolishness, and it is one that we often like. We like pithy sayings. Not only are they easy to remember, but they simplify things so that it is easy for us to understand.

For example, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.” This is not something that written in the Bible but a short saying that helps remind us that God loves us even while we are yet sinners. It also reminds us that we are to love people who are in sin.

Here’s another example from the Scriptures, one that you are probably very familiar with.

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

It’s simple, right? Teach your children God’s ways, and when they grow up they will will be Christians. That’s easy wisdom to remember.

All this is fine until you start applying these sayings more broadly. Is there truth in the idea that “God hates sin but loves the sinner?” The answer is “yes.” But there is more to it than that. It’s not the whole truth.

Psalm 5:4–5 NIV

4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong;

Psalm 11:5 NIV

5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.

These Scriptures seem to contradict the saying. It’s not that the saying is untrue. It’s just that it is misleading because it is too simple. If gives off the idea that God hates sin, which good. It gives the idea that God cares about sinners, which is true. Otherwise, Christ would not have come. But it fails to show that God doesn’t separate our sin from who we are. We are sinners! If God hates sin, then God also hates us. We are sinners committing sin. And God’s hate of that is shown to those who refuse salvation that He provides. Practically speaking, it just doesn’t teach enough.

What about the Scriptural example of Proverbs 22:6? Certainly it is true! And it is! But there are many, not most but many, who have tried to teach their children the truths of God’s Word only to have their children turn away from it when they are adults. But that doesn’t make the wisdom untrue. First, it demonstrates that it is general wisdom. It is not a promise. Generally speaking, it is true. It is much more likely that your child will come to Christ if you have raised him/her right. If you raise them as an atheist, it is extremely difficult for them to surrender to Christ. What we learn is that the wisdom is right and true, but when applied to real life, it is more complex than the saying can convey.

Teacher’s lesson

So, when the Teacher in this chapter gives us wisdom and then subverts it, inverts it, or gives an unexpected outcome, he seeking to show that we need to pay attention to the wisdom we are given. Make sure it is wisdom and not folly or foolishness. Because the world is very good at manipulating good wisdom and making it foolishness. The world likes to take the “two ways” of seeing the world and manipulating it to something that foolish.

ILL.- This is how we get really stupid ideas like, “Abortion is healthcare,” or “Euthanasia is dying with dignity.” God would say that killing children in the womb is evil. God would say that healthcare is good. So, the world just changes that to killing children in the womb is healthcare. But many times it is much more subtle than that. Many times you must delve into a subject in a deep way to see if it is wise or not. In fact, what you often have to do is to take something the world says is God and compare it to Scripture in an in depth way to see if it is true. And I think that is what the Teacher is showing here. Ultimately, you have to do this:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 NIV

13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Application

This is what I would tell you to take away from this text. Trust the sovereign God who created all things. Compare everything that the world says with what He has said. God gives us great wisdom in His Word. We can trust it. But we also need to have the understanding that when life comes along, applying that wisdom can be difficult. Even more than that, sometimes it is going to seem like God’s wisdom doesn’t work. But it is simply not true. Don’t by into the world’s changing of God’s wisdom to fit it. The world only knows what it can see, and it manipulates most of what it sees to fit its own purposes. Instead, trust the wisdom of God. In the long run, the big picture, wisdom and honor always outweigh foolishness.

And as the Scriptures tell us, the wisdom of God is foolishness to mankind. God used the foolishness of this world, a crucified Savior, to bring about salvation for all who believe. Jesus is why we trust the wisdom and sovereign hand of God. It is because we know whatever we see as wise, may not be. And whatever God says is wise, is wise! Jesus showed us that in a way that we could not see in any other way. Jesus is the wisdom we follow.