Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:15 Wisdom and Folly

Here we start of hearing of a little city being under siege by a far larger power. With the attack mounted, the larger force sought to starve out the smaller city, but the small city had a wise man within it’s walls. The man was wise, but he was also poor. You would think that for saving the city the man would have been given riches and titles, but he was given nothing. Absolutely nothing. It does not even say that they outstretched gratitude towards him. Which leads the Preach to notice a few things.

Wisdom is better than strength. The greater power would have prevailed, but the wise man outsmarted the strength of the attackers. As strong as they were, and superior as their weaponry was, they could not best the intelligent man. It is better to be wise than it is to have strength.

Words of a wise man are better than those of a fool. The city had a leader, but that leader did not have the answers. The city had rich men within its walls. Men who held political power over others, but they were no use in the siege. The poor but wise man was the hero of the century. It is better to hear a few quiet words from a wise man than it is to waste hours in the company of fools.

-Ever spend a bunch of time with someone and you feel like half your brain cells have died? Have you ever spent time with someone, even just a little while, and you feel absolutely refreshed? The fool can never cease to bring you down, but the wise will always enrich you.

*And remember. Money and material gain does not always mean a man has wisdom. Poverty does not always mean that a man lacks wisdom. Jesus was the wisest to ever live, but He had very little that He amassed here on earth. Everything He had built up was waiting on Him in heaven. That is what is truly important, and that is where true wisdom lies.

9:18 - Just as one wise man did well within the city in the time before, one fool can ruin many things. A bad CEO can ruin a business, a bad guide can derail the company of travelers, a terrible father can destroy a home. A poor decision can upend lives. Yours or even others.

(“Why don’t we just get in the running car?”)

Chapter 10

Poor decisions ruin a reputation. Just like the embalmer here who had expensive spices to cover up the stench of dead people, but he allowed dead fly’s to rot in his perfume. Which made it stink and defeated the purpose of the spices entirely, and that was his entire business. He made dead people be presentable. He had lost his worth by making a poor decision.

In the Preachers culture the right hand is associated with honor while the left is with dishonor. To go to the right was righteous, but to the left was dishonorable. The good man walks to the right, and the foolish to the left. Have you ever known of someone that perpetuated stupidity? As if everything that they do is ignorant. Their talk, the way they carry themselves, the decisions that they make. You can look at them and tell that they are not destined for much. Have you ever met someone that you just wanted to shut them up every time they spoke? That is the tell tell marks of a foolish man.

Sometimes we have to deal with stupidity though. Do not lose your cool. The calmer mind prevails, even if it seems you lost the battle. Ignorant people will never win over a level head.

Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Even if you are in a place of authority some day. Keeping calm will always prevail.

What do you do when your nations leadership is made up of fools? A fool gravitates fools around them. In leadership, having a fool at the head can be horrendous, but what do we do? God is our leader. We turn to Him first and foremost. God will never lead us astray. We can lean into Him whenever the world is going chaotic.

Fools ruin society. Think about our current state of things here in America. Foolish people are running it across the board. They are surrounded by foolish people and they all have foolish ideas. But they do not care. Not because they are emotionless, but because they think they are right. That is why they keep pushing on with their ways. Foolishly.

On the flip side, wisdom promotes success. We have all seen it in our own lives. Both the foolish and the wise survive, they live lives, and they seem to make ways in society. You notice that wise, honorable men seem to be blessed. Blessed by God, and others that are Godly. Even those that are not of God give the wise man praise. But the fool always has life working against him. He may seem to succeed, but it is only because foolishness holds them up. This cannot go on forever.

A fool will make himself known. A wise man will separate himself naturally from those who are foolish. It is not hard to discern the wise from the ignorant. Their works will do it themselves. So what will you be? Will your words and your actions portray you to be a wise man, or will they portray you to be the village fool? And remember. Just because you succeed does not mean you are wise, and just because you fail does not mean you are a fool. Biblical wisdom goes far deeper than surface level, and so does foolishness. The choice is yours as to which you will be.