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Ecclesiastes 10 – Text and Notes
Proverbs
1 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. [The amount of perfume is greater than the amount of flies, but the effect of the flies is greater than the effect of the perfume. Likewise, it takes years to build up a good reputation and only a few seconds to tear it all down. If we take the application wider than just one person, we see the same truth taught in the previous verse: one sinner destroys much good (9:18)]
2 A wise man’s heart [intelligence, conscience, desire, will, purpose, etc.] directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. [While there are always exceptions, generally people make decisions based upon the type of person they are (Mt.7:20). If we constantly find ourselves making the wrong decisions, then we need to make a reevaluation of ourselves. Maybe we are not as smart or spiritual as we think!]
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool [Moffatt rendered this: “Even on a walk the fool shows lack of sense, for he calls everyone a fool.”]. [You may fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.] [Coffman has this comment: This reminds this writer of a traffic sign on a very dangerous curve on an old Tennessee highway many years ago. It read, “Slow Down!” “You Might Meet Another Fool.”]
4 If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses [I assume this great offense is the ruler’s. And yet we can also learn that when we make a mistake – and especially when innocent – and others show their (rightful) anger, our response can help overcome our initial error.]. [Overreacting to someone overreacting leads to more overreacting.]
Life Is Not Always Fair
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler—[A valuable lesson for all of us is that the more responsibility we have the more effect and influence, both good and bad, we have.]
6 folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.
7 I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land. [Whether in a democracy, monarchy, or whatever types of government people live under, not all rulers rule wisely. Nepotism, greed and other personal failings cause life to be unfair as the unqualified get promoted and the qualified get left behind. If life is not fair – then life under the sun is not fair. Therefore do not live life only under the sun.]
Proverbs
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it [Is this warning against bad luck about literally falling into a pit? Or is the pit not literal? Could the pit here be a trap that someone sets for another only to fall into it themselves? Haman’s trap for Mordecai is a perfect example of this latter meaning. Because of the following proverbs (vv.8-10), I think the pit is literal.], and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. [When we work, whether digging pits, breaking down walls, quarrying stone, or splitting logs, there is always the possibility that something unplanned will occur: 1) we need to be ready for the unexpected; 2) we can’t let possibilities create inaction. Life is filled with risk and danger.]
10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. [“Work smarter, not harder.” Preparation before endeavoring and Observation while working saves time and effort.]
11 If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. [Huuh? Know what you are doing before you do! Preparation can actually save your life.]
Thoughts about Fools
12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; [Wise people help themselves and others; fools can destroy others, but in the process destroy themselves too. If you know of something good to say, don’t keep it to yourself. Likewise, sometimes we just need to keep our mouths shut.]
13 the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness.
14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him? [Too many brag they know exactly what will happen, but they don’t. That is why it is dangerous to give advice unless asked.]
15 The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. [Cf. v.10]
16 Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. [If the most important consideration of a ruler or boss is his own pleasures, then trouble will ensue.]
17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time–for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.
19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything [Extended Notes]
20 Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
(NAS95)
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