Ecclesiastes 9:10-10:7 Wisdom and its Vessel & Destruction of Dignified Folly

Ecclesiastes 9:10–18 (NKJV)

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Being thorough in one’s work, and not doing things in a neglecful way.

There is no second chances ones you die, so do it with all your might the scripture says.

11 I returned and saw under the sun that— The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.

Ultimately swiftness does not gaurantee a win in the race, nor strength victory in the battle. Nor wisdom gaurantee fullness of bread, nor skill gaurantee favor.

“Times and chance happens to them all” another way of saying that God is the one that has the ultimate say, he is the one who is ultimately in control.

He determines wether your swiftness will make you succesful in the race or you stregth will bring you victory in the battle, or that you skill will bring your favor.

Psalms 31:15 “15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.”

Esther as an example,

The king of Medes and persia, was upset about his wife’s , queen vashti disobedience,

The counselors advice him to remove her and place another person as queen in her place.

Young women who were beutiful were sought out from all parts of his kindgom( 127 provinces from India all the way to Ethiopia)

Whoever pleased him would be his queen.

Esther was beutiful but she was not the most beutifal of all the women who were brought to him,

Es 2:17 “17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.”

God’s eyes was upon esther, he had a plan for her.

So don’t be intimidated by other people who might be smarter than you, better than you in skill , Ultimately God is in control.

Neither be proud and arrogant in your wisdom or skill or riches or stregth, because God can turn it into nothing.

Proverbs 21:31 “31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance (victory) is of the Lord.”

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me:

14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it.

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

16 Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.

17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.”

Firstly we see the supremacy of wsidom over strength.

The city with few people who were beseiged by a great King with a great army managed to overcome the siege and the city was delivered because they had wisdom on their side.

However, what amazed solomon is that the wisdom that delivered this city was not found among it’s princes or the king himslef but in the mouth of a poor man.

Principle taught

Becareful that you don’t Despise wisdom because of the contemptable state of the vessel by which is is transmitted.

It is imperitive that we take heed of this, especially as we live in a culture which places value is on superficial things.

Value is places on looks, elequency , Charisma instead of content of character, the substance of wisdom.

It does not matter if someone is foolish and lacks wisdom, if he has the lookd and a charisma we will listen.

The Apostle Paul speaking Wisdom to King Agrippa and his companions.

God had chosen Paul to be his Vessel to bring the wisdom of the Gospel to the gentiles and to Kings.

Acts 25:23 NKJV

23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.

Agrippa came with great Pomp (splended display) but the pomp of the vessel through whom the spiritual wisdom would be transmitted was chains.

We must be people who are not superficial, in the sense that we focus on the cover instead of the content. We value the cover of a thing instead of the conent of a thing .

If you tend to be someone who values cover of a thing instead of the content you will miss God big time.

Ecclesiastes 10:1–7 (NKJV)

1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left.

Right hand is the hand that is most used and the left hand is the negelected hand

We tend to relegate duties that are important to the right hand and the rest or unimportant things to the left hand.

A wiseman will put was is important on his right hand but a fool on his left.

The Wise focus and sets his mind on the important things in life while the fool on the unimportant things in life.

3 Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post; For conciliation pacifies great offenses.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler:

6 Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place.

7 I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants.

We are living in a society and times where folly is placed in the seat of diginity.

Those who perpetuate and promote folly are placed in a pedestal and those who speak againts folly are despised and are seen as contemptable.

One of the biggest folly is the belief that there is no God.

Psalms 14:1 “1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.”

When the fools that utters such folly are exalted and highly esteemed in society, then all manner of follies become acceptable and the norm in society.

Therefore evil has become a joke,

Proverbs 10:23 “23 To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.”

Proverbs 14:9 “9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.”

They mockering of sin, they make jokes about sin. Becuase folly is set in a place of dignity.

Sin has become something trivial, folly has been exalted.

Folly has become something that is to be liked and to be shared.

It is not okay to be foolish and behave foolishly even if it is popular

Foolishness is never okay

Proverbs 9:6 “6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 24:9 “9 The devising [works] of foolishness is sin, And the scoffer is an abomination to men.”

Foolishness is a precussor to sin.

The Porduct of folly is immaturity.

Why is it that in our time today people are so immature regardless of the age.

Folly and maturity is connected.

Proverbs 22:15 “15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.”

The only way to bring a child to maturity is to keep in check folly through the rod of descipline.

Hence the reason why once in a while God bring into the life of human race the rod of hardhsip and dicfficulty to keep folly in check.

When you remove the rod of discpline from the lives of people then you will produce a people that exalt folly.

In places where there is no hardship and difficulty, and people are living comfortablly for an extended period of time you see folly exalted.

I fear for people because of what the scripture says about fools

Proverbs 19:29 “29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.”

Proverbs 26:3 “3 A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back.”

Sadly the only way to get folly far from a fools i through a rod on his back.