Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ec 10:1 and following. Indeed, let’s be careful with this warning sign in v. 8: “Whoever knocks over a fence, a snake bites him”. God has put protective barriers around each of us (e.g. the authority of our parents or educators). He knows Him what is on the other side of the fence. We sometimes realize that these are benefits, and that He deprives us of them. Of course not! What He wants to avoid us is a dangerous bite. The snake is watching and it does not take a wide breach to allow it to sneak in. A little sin, “a little foolishness” (v. 1), is enough to compromise the testimony of the child of God (1 Cor 5:6-8) and replace the fragrance of Christ with the evil smell of corruption (Gal 6:7-10). The lack of meaning in those who govern is especially detestable (v. 5…). It has consequences for all who are subject to them, whether they are victims or follow this bad example (e.g., 2 Kings 21:9-16). But this is not a reason to say, or even to think, of the evil of the authorities (v. 20). On the contrary, our duty as Christians is to pray for them (1 Tim 2:1-8). V. 12 reminds us of Christ, the Wise man par excellence. “All… were astonished at the words of grace that came out of his mouth” (Luke 4:16-24).
It should be noted that the subject proper of Ecclesiastes endswith chapter 9 and arrives at its Conclusions only in chapter 12. The final finding of chapter 9 is that the poor and wise man who delivered greatly was rejected and no one remembered him. As this is in agreement with the sadness of the Preacher, but also with the whole plan of the work that does not make us enter the future. The consequences of the rejection of the poor man, which for us Christians are the eternal consequences of Christ’s work, are ignored here. Chapters 10 and 11 take up in a very special way, the proverbial form, already so evident from chapter 4:5 to chapter 7. This form dominates entirely here to bring us back to the sentence that “all that happens is vanity” (11:8, 10). The special lesson of these two chapters is that there is a teaching of wisdom for practical life, a teaching that is not neglected without running serious risks.
Chapter 10 relates in particular to the character of kings and those who are elevated in dignity. Wisdom takes the measure of their moral value while keeping everyone in their place vis-à-vis their authority. “Dead flies make you smell bad, they ferment the perfumer’s oil; thus does a little folly towards the one who is esteemed for his wisdom and glory”. All it takes is a little madness, a seemingly insignificant lack of wisdom, to deprive all the character of the one who was renowned until then for his wisdom in the direction of men. This remark has always been the case. The career of a man in power collapses and arouses disgust as a result of some reckless decision, contrary to his usual wisdom and good fame. A whole glorious life is thus reduced to nothing and considered useless.
“The heart of the wise is to his right, and the heart of the fool to his left; and even, when the fool walks in the way, he lacks meaning, and he tells everyone that he is a fool.” The wise man has the heart placed where he is not usually – to his right, so that action immediately follows the decisions that the heart has dictated; while the one who lacks wisdom holds his heart where he is naturally, does not give his thoughts a useful purpose by making his heart the motive of his actions. Even his habitual conduct, conducted easily for all men, betrays the same inconsistency and publicly proves his folly.
Now wisdom is addressed to his child to prescribe the appropriate attitude in the presence of authority: “If the spirit of the governor rises against you, do not leave your place; for meekness soothes great sins.” Here, it is the governor who is wrong, as is usually the case in this whole chapter. The cause of his irritation is not mentioned, but it is presented to us as a very bad thing in the presence of which the child of wisdom has an attitude to take. Will it be indignation against injustice, the claim of one’s rights against the one who tramples on them? On the contrary, only two things are needed. 1° To keep one’s place of respectful submission before an authority whose acts are called “great sins”. 2° Show gentleness, that state of mind that does not insist on one’s rights, but abandons them to the hands of the one who harms us. Nothing further represses the manifestations of evil nature. The Christian himself thus collects coals of fire on the heads of those who wish him harm.
“There is an evil that I saw under the sun, as a mistake coming from the governor: the lack of meaning is placed in high dignities, and the rich are sitting in a low position. I saw slaves on horses, and princes walking the earth like slaves.” Here evil is again on the side of the one who governs. He does not know or does not want to choose the dignitaries who would be according to the English proverb: “The right man in the right place”. The high places are entrusted to the incapable and the governor acts as he pleases either for lack of knowledge of men, or for favoritism, or for any other cause. The result is that those who, by their position of fortune, would be more capable of selflessness in the conduct of business are “sitting in a low position”; and that the roles are reversed: servants show their pride and authority; princes have lost the rank where they could be useful and lead others.
V. 8-15 leaves the subject of kings and governors, to show where man’s intentions and ways lead, in contrast to the wisdom, God’s gift. First, vs. 8, 9 deal with evil and good intentions in our actions towards our neighbor: “Whoever digs a pit falls into it, and who knocks down a fence, a snake bites him. Whoever stirs stones will be bruised, who splits wood puts himself in danger.” Digging a pit is preparing a trap. How often one is caught in the trap of trying to bring down others (Prov. 26:27). To overturn a fence is to remove the limits, a sneaky act by which it will one day be possible for the villain to encroach on the domain of his neighbor. The devil will take advantage of this to destroy the one who meditates to enlarge at the expense of others. – On the other hand, the intentions may be laudable, but the results depend on the materials used. The effort will not benefit others and will put us at risk.
“If the iron is blunt, and the one who uses it does not sharpen its edge, he will have efforts to make; but wisdom is profitable to bring success.” One may have in one’s hands a blunt instrument to use; it is not really useful and does not require effort to use it if the cutting edge has been sharpened. Can this proverb not be applied to the way the Word is used? Man’s reason and intelligence only blunt its edge; it is wisdom, the gift of the Spirit of God, that sharpens it, gives it its usefulness and makes it penetrate into consciousness.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The risks of the action:
- Small ailments, so called
Pr 6.10 A little sleep, a little drowsiness, A little crossing your hands to sleep!… Ec 10:1 Dead flies infect and ferment the perfumer’s oil; a little madness outweighs wisdom and glory. Song 2.13 The fig tree perfumes its fruits, and the flowering vines exhale their perfume. Get up, my friend, my beautiful, and come! 1 Cor 5.6 You are mistakenly glorifying yourself. Don’t you know that a little sourdough makes the whole dough rise?
- The madness of men, general references
Ps 49:14 This is their way, their folly, and those who follow them delight in their speeches. Pr 15:14 An intelligent heart seeks science, but the mouth of fools delights in madness. Pr 18:13 He who answers before listening makes an act of folly and gets confused. Pr 26:11 Like a dog that returns to what it vomited, thus is a fool who returns to its madness. Ec 10:1 Dead flies infect and ferment the perfumer’s oil; a little madness outweighs wisdom and glory.
- Future ignored, ignorance about the future
Ec 9:12 Nor does man know his time, like the fish that are caught in the fatal net, and the birds that are trapped; like them, the sons of man are embraced in the time of misfortune, when he suddenly falls upon them. Ec 10:14 The fool multiplies the words. Man does not know what will happen, and who will tell him what will be after him? Mt 24:43 I was a stranger, and you did not take me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Acts 20:22 And now behold, bound by the Spirit, I go to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me;
- Civic duties, respect for the authorities
Ec 10:20 Do not curse the king, even in your mind, and curse the rich in the room where you sleep; for the bird of the sky would take away your voice, the winged animal would publish your words. Acts 23:5 And Paul said: I did not know, brethren, that it was the high priest; for it is written: Thou shalt not speak badly of the head of thy people. Rom 13:1 Let every person be subject to the higher authorities; for there is no authority that does not come from God, and the authorities that exist have been instituted from God. 1 Pet 2:17 Honor everyone; love the brethren; fear God; honor the king.
From all the above, we note that itcannot be repeated enough that all these Proverbs have moral and spiritual significance and that their interpretation belongs to wisdom. Wisdom from above has given them to us by man and this same wisdom interprets them. We have an example of this here. “If the snake bites because there is no charm, the one who has a tongue is not better.” This proverb has to do with the language of man. She is a serpent who can only be prevented from biting by the power of the charmer, of the Spirit who holds her in bridle (Jacq. 3:8). “The words of the mouth of the wise are full of grace, but the lips of a fool engulf him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is madness, and the end of his speech is a bad misdirection. And the fool multiplies the words: man does not know what will happen; and what will be after him, who will declare it to him? The work of fools tires them, because they do not know how to go to the city.” This passage follows the thoughts we have discussed since v. 10. We find in it again all that the words of the wise have of salvation in contrast with the words of the fool who lead him to his loss; for they begin with madness and end with bewilderment. For the fool multiplies words, does not foresee events, ignores the future, does not even know the path that would lead him to the place where he would receive the knowledge he needs. The pain of inquiring is too heavy a task for him. Vs. 16, 17 take us back to the main topic of the chapter. They tell us about the misfortune caused by the government of an inexperienced king whose princes use their high position to satisfy their appetites. Then they present us with the happiness of a country ruled by a noble king whose princes think of repairing their forces only to use them for the good of the State. V. 18: 19: On the other hand, the inactivity of those who govern soon leads to the ruin of the house. The desire for material enjoyment makes them seek the money by which they are procured. However, the child of wisdom will never violate the precept of obedience due to the king and honor due to those who have the privilege of wealth. He will curse neither of them, for the noise would be easily divulged and would quickly reach the ears of the powerful. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow ” Exhortation to beneficence, activity and joy (Ec 11).
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.