Ecclesiastes 10 How Can I Soar Like An Eagle When I Am Surrounded By Turkeys

Ecclesiastes 10  Foolishness

How can I soar like an eagle when I am surrounded by turkeys?   Or when I am a turkey!

Ray Stedman wrote "Wisdom, however, will not help you avoid all the hurt and pain of life. Many people make the mistake of thinking that wisdom will deliver them from all pressure and struggle, but it will not. We learn in this book that struggle, pain, pressure and sorrow all are part of the learning process. But by discovering and obeying the wisdom of God your life will not be rendered bitter, angry and resentful by such pain. You will not find yourself plunged into a morass of self-pity and depression; you will not find your life ravaged and torn apart, all your dreams collapsed at your feet. The wisdom of God will lead you into fullness and liberty and inward peace in the midst of the pressures and dangers of life. That is the message of the book of Ecclesiastes, as it is the message of the whole Bible." The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Eccl 9:17

If wisdom is your highest reference point, then you see foolishness as the bane of existence. Solomon saw it everywhere, and it galled him. In his three books he uses the words fool, fools, foolish, and folly a staggering total of 128 times. In Ecclesiastes 10, he uses these words nine times. The word fool occurs in verses 2, 3, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Prov 17:12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.

Solomon warns of foolishness in little things, in leadership, in labor, and in language.

FOOLISHNESS IN LITTLE THINGS

Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.

3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

Solomon uses a rather unusual illustration about perfume. The wealthy king had access to the rarest and costliest perfumes of his day. In Proverbs 7:17 he speaks of the seductive power of perfume in the arsenal of the prostitute. In Proverbs 27:9, he notes the legitimate power of perfume and ointment to delight the heart. Twice in Song of Solomon, he mentions perfume's power to enhance a married couple's relationship. But without question, his strangest reference to perfume is this one: "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" (Ecclesiastes 10:1).

Suppose you purchased a small vial of expensive perfume, took it home, and put it in a safe spot. Sometime later, you opened the vial and discovered a dead horsefly floating on top. The insect, now partially decayed, had putrefied the precious perfume. This is the source of the well-known phrase, a fly in the ointment. It's Solomon's vivid way of illustrating how a tiny bit of foolishness can destroy the powerful fragrance of a person's dignity and reputation.

 

A tiny bit of foolishness can spread fast and destroy a reputation.

Look at how a tiny bit of foolishness spread so fast in Agriculture: I asked  my brother-in-law about some beautiful flowers he was growing on his farm. He laughed and told me that what I took to be flowers were weeds.  Really destructive weeds.

The Scotch thistle   Once a sleeping party of Scots warriors were saved from ambush by an invading Norse army when one of the enemies trod on the spiky plant. His anguished cry roused the slumbering warriors who duly vanquished the invader and adopted the thistle as their national symbol. Scotch thistle were probably introduced from Europe in the early 1800s as ornamental plants.  It was a Presbyterian thing.  And now it has invaded much of NSW farm land.

 

Patterson's Curse is an annual plant native to the Mediterranean region. It is a classic 'garden thug' having been introduced via mail order gardening catalogues in the 1840s, then rapidly invading agricultural land. It is poisonous to grazing animals. It is supposedly named after the Paterson family of Cumberoona, New South Wales, who planted it in their garden in the 1880s. Paterson's curse now covers millions of hectares of land in southern Australia (from WA to northern New South Wales) and is estimated to cost Australian sheep and cattle producers $250 million annually through lost productivity in pastures, control costs, and wool contamination. It is highly competitive in pastures, replacing desirable plants without contributing to forage value.

 

Solomon adds an interesting thought to his reasoning: "A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left" (Ecclesiastes 10:2). Now, this has nothing to do with being right-handed or left-handed. In biblical times, a person's right hand was perceived to be the place of power. The adviser who stood or sat to the king's right was his most trusted official.

Obedience in little things implies that we're standing in a place of wisdom and power. When we keep slipping up in little things, it indicates we're standing in a place of foolishness, and our power and influence are diluted.

 

FOOLISHNESS IN LEADERSHIP

EGO-DRIVEN LEADERS

4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

As messengers of death is the king's wrath,  But a wise man will appease it. (Proverbs 16:14)

By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone. (Proverbs 25:15)

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

 The apostle Paul says much the same thing in Romans 12:18: "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."

Bad ego driven leaders vanish all over the world.. some in blood.. Pol Pot, Hitler, (listen Putin and Xi Jingping and the ayatollah). Sadly it is often the ego driven ones that get in!

LAZY LEADERS

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler:6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.7 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

It happens all the time in our society that seasoned veterans—those who have served for years with loyalty—are passed over. Has it happened to you? Have you been in an environment where the most qualified people were replaced or sidelined, while unqualified people assumed the reigns? You could see disaster in the making, yet there was little you could do about it.

 

INCOMPETENT LEADERS    ECCLESIASTES 10:16–17

16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!

17 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!

Solomon speaks of inexperienced leaders who acquire office by the help of family and friends. Their leadership is orchestrated, arranged, or negotiated. They often haven't a clue as to what they're doing; consequently, they do little at all. In the morning, when they should be caring for the matters of work, home, state, or government, they're feasting and drinking, enjoying the perks of their roles without investing the passion or perseverance needed for success. Woe to you when your king is childish, wrote Solomon, and when your leader is immature.

How do these folks get into leadership?

18 Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.

Next week we are going to take a closer look at how to sit under a difficult ruler, and how to be a better leader.

 

FOOLISHNESS IN LABOR ECCLESIASTES 10:8–10

8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.

9He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.

10If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength,

but wisdom helps one to succeed.

11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.

 

I remember years ago there was a very proud and somewhat abusive pastor at a local church. One day the funeral director called me aside.  Did you hear what happened to Rev..?

I said "no", He said, "the Rev  was doing a funeral last week and there was only one person in attendance, and so and so slipped in the snow and fell into the grave. He had all his robes on and came out of it covered in mud!"   I promised not to tell anyone. He said, "No, tell everyone. That's why I am telling you!"

While Solomon is in outdoor-project mode, he moves to a second example: knocking out a section of wall. The worker forgets that snakes love to live in the cold caverns of walls, and when he reaches into the wall he just breached, he is bitten by a snake. Serpents of one sort or another are always lurking nearby, and the wise laborer keeps an eye out for them.

A third man labors in a stone quarry. He becomes careless and brings a great stone down on himself.

Our fourth witless worker is splitting wood. He, too, becomes careless, and someone is hurt.

 

FOOLISHNESS IN LANGUAGE

Tongue Lips words mentioned over 150 times by Solomon.

Prov 18:2  A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Luke 6:43 "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

What's down in the well comes up in the bucket.

 

The Untamed Tongue

11If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.

NKJV  A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different.

 

The Unkind Tongue

12 The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.

Proverbs 10:32, which says, "The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse."

Prov 6: ¹² A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, ¹³ winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, ¹⁴ with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; ¹⁵ therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

 

The Uncontrolled Tongue

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.

14 A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?

Proverbs 10:19 tells us, "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise."

Beneath this stone, a lump of clay, Lies Arrabella Young,
Who on the 24th of May Began to hold her tongue.

 

An Unreasonable Tongue

15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.

 

An Unfaithful Tongue

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.

This is the origin of the little expression: "A little bird told me." Birds don't talk, of course, but Solomon is reminding us with this illustration that a wise person doesn't say something in private that he wouldn't want someone to hear in public.  Anarchy is worse than bad government. Insurrection kills.

Well, what do you do with a fool?

Prov 26: 1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.

⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

⁷ Like a lame man's legs, which hang useless, is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honor to a fool.

⁹ Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

¹¹ Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

 

Proverbs 14:7  Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

Prov 29: ⁹ If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet. ¹⁰ Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.

¹¹ A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

 

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good morals."  Isolation 

Prov 23:9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

Titus 3: ⁹ But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.¹⁰ As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,¹¹ knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. 

2 Tim 2: 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.²⁴ And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

The removal of important people from a fool's life may be the shocking experience needed for him or her to listen to God's voice and finally realize the consequences of reckless attitudes and actions. If God hasn't used your presence in a fool's life to get through to him or her, perhaps He wants to use your absence instead

 

Teach me Thy way, O Lord, teach me Thy way!
Thy guiding grace afford, teach me Thy way!
Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight;
Lead me with heav'nly light, teach me Thy way!