Ecclesiastes 10:12-20 11:1-6

Ecclesiastes 10

10:1-11 10:12-20 11:1-10

Verses 12 through 15 go back to proverbs on general wisdom and foolishness

12-13

Ecclesiastes 10:12–13 “The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.”

In verse 12 the word favor can also translated as grace, a wise man obeys God but the fool denies God and is consumed, in Hell. Verse 13 go on to describe the words of this fool from beginning to end are all evil madness, and from a fools words spring calamity and destruction.

14-15

Ecclesiastes 10:14–15 “A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.”

A fool will sometimes talk endlessly about things he does not know or what will be in the future. Even the simplest tasks a fool will make harder for themselves and wear themselves out with all of their useless toiling. Even a task as simple as getting to the nearest city is difficult and taxing for the fool who wanders here and there and gets lost. Or this kind of fool is someone who would get lost if put on an escalator. A foolish person cannot even locate the city nearest him, how could he locate God?

Verses 16 through 20 once again return back to wisdom and folly about rulers and a parting bit of wisdom in verse 20 about guarding your thoughts and what you say about your rulers.

16-17

Ecclesiastes 10:16–17 “Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!”

The mention of the king being a child is less about the age of the ruler, as wisdom can and is granted to some that are young, but more if your king or ruler is child like in their behavior. Always partying from the morning to the night instead of actually ruling the land.

Isaiah and Amos spoke of the rulers in 16a

Isaiah 5:11 “Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!”

Isaiah 5:22 “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,”

Amos 6:4–7 ““Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.””

Isaiah 28:7–8 “These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment. For all tables are full of filthy vomit, with no space left.”

The land that its rulers are responsible and wise are much happier and more prosperous.

Verses 18 and 19 go back to the childish rulers and the consequences that can come from it.

18-19

Ecclesiastes 10:18–19 “Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.”

If routine maintenance to a house is not done because of slothfulness and always wanting to be partying eventually there will not be a house left, the roof will start to leak and then everything will cave in on itself. When we look at verse 19 we must be careful in interpreting what it says in the context of the discussion around it. The unscrupulous can take this verse especially the last part of the verse very out of context, much like Luke 11:9–10 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Solomon here is talking about foolish childlike rulers and the way they think, that eating and drinking for the pure enjoyment of it all the time, partying, is the way to live and that anything they come across any trouble or problem can be solved with money. Is money useful, yes. Is having money evil, no, as long as your entire purpose is not the gaining of wealth and possessions. But is money the ultimate answer for every problem, absolutely not, and while it may be able to buy temporal and temporary earthly pleasures, money will not buy true happiness and certainly not wisdom or salvation.

We end chapter 20 with a last bit of wisdom on rulers in the context of guarding your thoughts and speech about and on your rulers.

20

Ecclesiastes 10:20 “Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.”

God has put all earthly rulers in power for his purpose and ultimately for his glory. We as a general rule should not grumble about anyone but especially those whom God has put in power. The truth will always com forth and what you whisper in the dark will be brough to light.

Luke 12:3 “Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”

Guard your thoughts, speech, and actions, you never know who will hear you and report back to whom you have grumbled against.

11:1-2

Ecclesiastes 11:1–2 “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.”

Nothing ventured nothing gained

The bread cast upon the waters representing sea trade

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Also to give generously to many.

3-4

Ecclesiastes 11:3–4 “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”

5-6

Ecclesiastes 11:5–6 “As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”