So we're back in Ecclesiastes, and I am all out
of segues. I don't have a way to bring into Ecclesiastes
again. We're just going to continue learning
from Solomon. Here's the thing. If you've missed.
The other sermons in this series from Ecclesiastes,
I would encourage you to go back and listen,
not just so that you hear my voice. That's not
the aim. No shameless self -promotion here. The
goal is that you would dive into God's word and
understand it more. It's a hard book. So the
prayer is that this sermon series is helping
to understand wisdom literature in a way that
maybe you haven't before or to encourage things
you've already seen. Now last time we wrapped
up with chapter 9 and the theme that you all
remember perfectly was wisdom amidst uncertainty.
That's a joke. You don't have to remember everything
perfectly after Christmas and holidays and all
that. Are we awake? Okay, go Patriots. I got
you awake too. Okay, there we go. At the end
of chapter 9, if you have your Bibles open to
Ecclesiastes chapter 10, he says one sinner destroys
much good. That is the segue. for Ecclesiastes
chapter 10. Today, we're going to see wisdom
clearly contrasted with folly. And I pray that
you're going to see two portraits today, the
portrait of the wise person and the portrait
of the fool. The question is, which will you
be? So go ahead, if you haven't, turn your Bibles
to Ecclesiastes chapter 10, and let's go ahead
and stand for the reading of the word. This chapter
contains more proverbial sayings than any we've
been in so far. And it means some will be easy
to understand. Others will need careful consideration.
But you can follow along and listen as I read
all of Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Beginning in
verse 1. Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink.
So a little simple -minded folly is weightier
than wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart directs
him toward the right. But the foolish man's heart
directs him toward the left. Even when the simple
-minded fool walks along the road, his heart
lacks wisdom. And he says to all that he's a
simple -minded fool. If the ruler's temper rises
against you, do not abandon your position because
calmness causes great offenses to be abandoned.
There is an evil I have seen under the sun like
a mistake which goes forth from the one in power.
Folly is set in many high exalted places while
rich men sit in humble places. I have seen slaves
riding on horses and princes walking like slaves
on the land. He who digs a pit may fall into
it and a serpent may bite him who breaks through
a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by
them and he who splits logs may be endangered
by them. 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. If the serpent
bites before being charmed, there is no advantage
for the charmer. Words from the mouth of a wise
man are gracious, but the lips of a fool swallow
him up. The beginning of the words of his mouth
is simple -minded folly and the end of what comes
from his mouth is evil madness. Yet the simple
-minded fool multiplies his words. No man knows
what will happen and who can tell him what will
come after him. The labor of a fool so wearies
him that he does not even know how to go to a
city. Woe to you, O land, whose king is a young
man and whose princes eat in the morning. Blessed
are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and
whose princes eat at the appropriate time for
might and not for drinking. Through indolence
the beams sag, and through slack hands the house
leaks. Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine
makes life glad, and money is the answer to everything.
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 sky will bring
the sound, and the winged creature will tell
the matter. Amen. You may be seated. Super easy
passage today. I know it's a lot. I know it's
a lot. And it may seem disconnected, but we're
going to work our way through it. I think there
is a consistent theme of wisdom versus folly
that Solomon has here. Let's get our bearings
straight, though, before we dive into the specifics.
If you remember, looking at the chapter or the
book outline here. Got it. It clicked. We are
in the third section. The Prescription for Living
with Vanity. And we're in chapter 10 with the
theme today of wisdom versus folly. So there
are going to be practical encouragements today
as we wrestle with his observations. And if you
think about the argument he's building, right
before in chapter 9, last time, we dealt with
the unexpected, the disappointments in life,
when things don't go the way we want them to.
And Solomon showed us there's a way to respond
in humble dependence, recognizing God amidst.
all the uncertainties of life. Now in chapter
10, he's bringing us Proverbs, proverbial sayings,
and he's going to paint these two portraits,
the wise man and the fool. You may wonder, why
does he paint a portrait with words? Why is that
helpful to us? Well, these portraits, they're
intended to help us look in the mirror of God's
word, to know ourselves accurately, to know ourselves
honestly. Such writing like this, it disrobes
us. We have these veiled attempts at hiding who
we really are, but God's word exposes us. It's
uncomfortable because we're prideful, are we
not? We are often much more like the evil queen.
We want the mirror, mirror on the wall to tell
us that we are the fairest of them all, right?
God's word doesn't function like that. God's
word doesn't affirm us for being who we are.
God's word exposes us. God's word calls us toward
an accurate self -assessment. But God's word
doesn't just leave us with a broken mess that
we find. God's word draws us toward Christ. And
through the sacred writings, we see the Savior,
not just the one who covers our imperfections,
but the one who makes our aroma better than any
perfume that we could imagine. Now, I see the
passage broken down like this. It's a lot, I
know. Eight -ish sections there. We're going
to work through each one. Not very long, but
we're going to work through each one. So I don't
need to name them right now. We'll come back
to them. Now, I know that's a lot. As you keep
your Bibles open today, I'm going to have several
passages that reference other parts of Scripture.
You don't need to go there, not because God's
Word is important. It is important. I'd say stick
in Ecclesiastes 10. The Scriptures will be on
the screen for you. Stick in chapter 10 so this
theme of wisdom versus folly can be very clear.
The cross -references will be on the screen.
And remember, wisdom literature isn't intended
for you to get everything. Wisdom literature,
you're going to get bits and pieces, and that's
okay. It's going to wound you today, and it'll
wound you tomorrow, and it'll wound you next
year. The wounds will be there. So don't worry
about getting all of it. Just allow some of the
things to stick with you this morning. Come back
in the passage later this week. Come back and
listen later. See what else you can glean from
Solomon. Here's another look at the passage,
another way you could break it down. Wisdom versus
folly. It's more simple this way. You see about
a third of the verses in the chapter deal positively
with showcasing wisdom, while the other two thirds
focus on identifying folly. So that's why the
portrait really is clear here between the fool
and the wise man. And it's interesting. He spends
a lot more time talking about the fool than he
does the wise man. And we'll try to understand
that by the end. So let's begin first with the
weight of folly. We're going to see what the
Lord has to teach us. Now this is directly connected
with verse 18, previous chapter. He transitions
from one thought to the next, but it's the same
connected thought. One sinner destroys much good.
Now in Solomon's day. perfume was made in these
stone vases. You see a picture on the screen.
They put in a bunch of spices and herbs and florals
and all these lovely smelling things. And even
they put fat or oil with it to let it permeate.
All those good smelling things over time, whether
through a steeping process, sometimes they would
heat it up as well to get all of the delicious
smelling things out of there. Over time, it would
become this wonderful scent, this aroma that
people wanted because everything was smelly back
then. It's not like today. Today, everything
smells good. Back then, things didn't smell good.
This was a special thing. Now, if it was stored
correctly, it would be sealed in those smaller
alabaster flasks. You see a picture of what an
alabaster flask would look like. And that's so
it wouldn't go rancid. Because you can imagine
the fat or the oil could go rancid very quickly
if left open. So you'd have to seal it. All that
process, it was slow. It required patience and
attention to detail. So when Solomon speaks of
these dead flies making the perfumer's oil stink,
he's pointing out if you miss something really
small, I mean, flies aren't that big, right?
They're not that big. But if you miss small things,
they could be very destructive to your end product.
That's what he's pointing out. That's the observation.
All your work to make something lovely can be
destroyed by something so small. And so it is
with wisdom and with honor. A little folly, a
little foolishness. A little slander, a little
gossip, the little lies, the innuendos, the verbal
attacks, all of those things can ruin a person's
character just a little bit. An Old Testament
scholar said of this passage, it can take far
less to ruin something than it takes to create
it. And wouldn't Solomon have that in mind with
his father David, the man who is after God's
own heart? yet had a massive indiscretion, prideful
sin with Solomon's mother Bathsheba, and that
brought about great shame for the family, surely
even the removal of the opportunity to build
the temple. It took that away from David and
marred his legacy to a degree. The man who slayed
a giant was nearly slayed by his own sin. That's
the reality. A life of so much faithfulness stained
by egregious sin. So the wise person, needs to
hear this and take note. Even small bits of folly,
the little flies of death, can have disastrous
effects in the life of a seemingly wise person.
Those little flies can spoil a life of fragrant
offering to the Lord. A little folly is heavier
than we think. Now he continues by explaining
to us the way of folly. Throughout the ancient
Near East, the right hand, The right hand is
the place of power and honor, even a blessing
and salvation, consistently through God's word.
We're gonna do some rapid fire scriptures here
so you can see the theme. Matthew 25, the separation
of the sheep and the goats. The sheep who are
known to the father, they're placed to the right.
And the goats are placed to the left. The right
receive life everlasting, the left do not. The
right is where you wanna go. Isaiah 41 tells
us that God will uphold his people with his righteous,
Right hand. Beyond this, most prominent in the
New Testament are depictions of where Jesus sits.
Where does Jesus sit? At the right hand of the
Father. Hebrews 1 tells us that Christ, the Son
of God, the exact imprint and representation
of the nature of God, after he accomplished the
work of the cross, sat down at the right hand
of the Most High. 1 Peter tells us that Christ
is at the right hand of God. Ephesians 1, Christ
was raised to glory by God himself and seated
at his right hand. Now there are more. There
are more than that. But I wanted to show you
that scripture makes this the norm. That the
right, it's right. It's the right way. Doesn't
that make it easier? It's not confusing. The
right is right. Now to be fair, if you're left
-handed, it's not evil. I don't think it's evil.
You should know, though, that the English word
for sinister comes from the Latin word for left
hand. Take it or leave it. Take it or leave it.
All right. All of that, all of that serves to
underline a point. It was commonly understood
in Solomon's day. The right hand goes towards
strength. It goes towards blessing. It goes towards
honor. And it even goes towards. So the way of
the right, it evidences skill and strength and
determination and hopefulness. That's the way
of the right. The way of the left, it signifies
a lack of skill, an inclination towards opposite
things like weakness and slothfulness, and it
ends in damnation, not salvation. That's what
scripture shows us. And so the fool is not inclined
to goodness. He's not inclined towards the way
of the right, and his whole life shows it. That
doesn't mean the wise man never encounters difficulty.
Solomon's already covered that. When he goes
to the right, you're not guaranteed. Everything
goes perfect. But the manner in which the wise
man approaches life under the sun, it is drastically
different than the fool. It's as obvious as how
somebody walks that they are a fool. Like a peacock
strut. Like a gangster lean. I went there. Like
a runway model and their self -obsession. See,
I cover everyone. The fool practically proclaims
to everyone that they're foolish by their actions
and by their words. Folly is a heart problem,
not a practical one. Now the LSB, it says here
in verse three, the fool's heart is lacking wisdom.
Not all your translations may say that, but I
think that translation is helpful because in
the original Hebrew, it reads just that the fool's
heart lacks. That's what the original Hebrew
says. He lacks, his heart lacks. But I think
the context gives us clarity because some of
your translations may say he lacks sense. I don't
think he just lacks sense. He lacks knowing God.
So yes, he does lack any good sense, but his
main problem is foolishness. Foolishness. So
what he lacks and what he needs is a heart of
wisdom. The fool can't rightly prioritize godly
things. He can't pursue good convictions to inform
his decisions. He's desperate, but he doesn't
even know it. He's ignorant of the destruction
that he brings into his life and to the life
of others. The way of folly flows from the heart.
All right, now we've covered two themes already.
See, we're moving. We can do it. Hang in there.
We have some more wisdom. Now, Solomon's going
to seem to pivot. If you're reading, you may
think he's pivoting here, but trust me, he's
not. It's more of the same, but just from a unique
vantage point. Remember, Solomon was a king,
and as a king, he knew what it took to govern,
what it took to be wise. He would discern between
good leaders and bad ones, and not all of the
leaders he worked with were great. He knew how
to navigate tricky situations with leaders. And
in verse 4, he presents a situation where this
ruler is upset with a person. Now, we've been
in situations like that, have we not? You've
been in trouble with an authority. And when you're
a kid and you break something, you hear the crash
like, oh, I don't want them to find out, right?
Been in trouble with the teacher, even if it
was another student talking, you know, they just
catch you when you're talking. Like, why? Why
do those catch me? I never catch them. What about
being in trouble with a boss? Work isn't done
according to the standard. I mean, you name it.
We know what it's like to live under authority.
The psalm is giving us wisdom to navigate such
situations, but there are some presuppositions
here we'll get to. He says generally, rather
than running away from the conflict or getting
defensive, he cautions us towards calmness. In
this scenario, though, here's some of the presupposition.
The person is supposed to be going towards the
right. So this is not advice if you're being
foolish. This is advice if you're going a good
way, the way of wisdom. The advice is somebody's
pursuing something good, but the person in authority,
they don't see it. So if you are going a good
way and the person in authority is angry at you,
they don't see it. That's the advice here in
this situation. Solomon says, if you find yourself
in that situation, do not be quick to leave your
position because you're pursuing something good.
So don't abandon it. Instead, be calm, be healing
with your disposition. Didn't we see a version
of this with Esther and with Mordecai? They didn't
jump to fear and to chaos when they heard of
the wicked Haman's plot. Boo, hiss. Rather, with
measured calmness, yes, with resolute trust,
surely with some fear, Esther sought to entreat
the king to a favorable position for God's people.
Wisdom is not a yes man in the face of evil or
of error. Even if authorities are wickedly upset
at your position, which is good, if you're holding
on to something good, don't abandon it just so
that you can get treated well. Believers don't
fear man, they please God. We hold on to goodness
with composure and integrity. You think of this
principle out of Proverbs 25. When one is slow
to anger, a ruler may be persuaded. A soft tongue
breaks bone. Kind of messes with your mind. Think
of Daniel. He served in a corrupt government.
He was under constant threat. Yet he held to
truth and dignity even under his perceived offenses.
Such a disposition might even grant us opportunities
to be reconciled with foolish rulers. The reign
of folly continues as you look down in verse
6. Look at verse 6 in your Bible. Is it true?
Have you seen it? Haven't you seen that incompetence
sometimes seems like a prerequisite for positions
of power and authority? Didn't know that was
on the job description. But it's part of the
fall. Don't be surprised that people in authority
are incompetent. Foolish people love yes men.
They love them. And they often appoint people
like that to positions of authority, even though
it has disastrous effects on a large group of
people. And don't miss verse 7, his commentary
about slaves riding on horseback. That's a position
of power and authority. Remember, Haman wanted
to ride out on horseback, on the king's horse.
Now, this is more biting than it seems. Sometimes
people think in their authority that they're
actually high and lofty. This is wisdom here.
They don't realize that they are a slave to the
authority who put them in such a place. That's
the plight of the yes man. They have to agree
even when they know it's wrong or foolish because
they are a slave to their own desire for people's
affection, their approval, their honor. Meanwhile,
true nobility, those who wisely seek to honor
the Lord, they don't esteem themselves. They
sit in humble places and they appear to others
in a meager estate. People don't often look at
the humble and faithful, we'll call them pastors
and elders, for example, be a little self -serving
for a moment, and think, man, I want to live
like that. I want to go serve people. No, they
often don't look at the simple life of a Christ
follower and think, I want humility, and that
just sounds lovely, just serving other people.
They don't look at the son of a carpenter and
think, surely that's the son of God. The true
king wasn't honored as such. People, we know
this, often look at the celebrities, the influencers,
the rich, and they think, I wish my life could
be something like that. They don't realize that
true freedom, it doesn't come with these public
accolades. True freedom comes with an inward
renewal from the Lord. That's where freedom is.
Now, all governments, they're full of fools.
I said it out loud. All governments, not just
ours, all of them, and all means all in the Greek.
Governments, they don't know wisdom. Believers
do. They don't know history or a proper sense
of duty which ought to be pursued in such roles.
But Solomon's saying that's reality. We know
that wisdom doesn't demand lofty positions. Even
though it's often disregarded by people, people
don't chase wisdom. So folly reigns. Folly reigns
in high places, among rulers and authorities.
It's everywhere. So be watchful. Wisdom is immensely
practical, though, even in daily life, from the
very tippy top of government all the way down
to how you work in your daily life. So here's
some more Proverbs about serpents and stones
and success. The contrast of wisdom and folly
is seen when somebody considers risk. When you
consider risk and you count the cost, you pursue
something towards success, even though you might
fail. Now, wisdom is not armchair knowledge.
Wisdom preserves and it pursues safety in practical
matters. We are to apply wisdom in daily tasks
so that it might go well for us, that we may
live longer and enjoy what God has for us under
the sun. So here, if you dig a pit, you might
fall in it. Guys, it sounds silly, right? It's
supposed to. He's saying, look, the fool can
bring calamity on his head even doing a normal
thing because they don't count the cost. They
don't treat things wisely. They can't even dig
a pit without falling into it. Breaking through
a wall, that may be a little less common for
us, but it was very common in the day. Demolition
was common, common in the ancient Near East.
That's why there's so many tells. You can get
nerdy with Jeff about that, why cities built
upon cities. Here's what the fool does, or really
doesn't do. The fool doesn't check. He doesn't
check. The fool isn't cautious. He just rushes
headfirst into situations without any consideration
of the potential impact of their choice. They
don't want to be slowed down. That might be weak
or they might be seen as ineffective. So they
bulldoze their way through life. Wisdom approaches
life differently. Wisdom considers the dangers
and the pitfalls that life brings. Wisdom doesn't
see himself as invincible, nor as ineffective,
but as limited. Mankind is limited, are we not?
Are we all powerful? Are we all knowing? No.
We're not. God is. The wise man knows that. He
knows that risk is involved with certain activities
like quarrying stones or splitting logs. It doesn't
mean that he can't do or shouldn't do such normative
things, just that there's danger involved. He
should be careful. Many of you know gun safety
in here. You know that whether a gun is loaded
or not, has a safety on or not, that we don't
point firearms at people unless there is an intent
to use it. Think about self -defense and law
enforcement and military. And the wise person
knows it's not the lack of ammunition or the
safety mechanism that makes a firearm safe. It's
the person wielding it and their capacity to
adhere to good principles that makes the situation
safe. Some activities, they bring inherent risk.
The wise person considers that and responds with
principles to pursue the good of all people.
Verse 10, it's an obvious, obvious principle
here. The dull axe requires more strength or
force to do his job. You kind of go like, duh.
Tell me something I didn't know. Foolishness,
though, seeks to press forward with personal
strength, to strike harder and harder, believing
that pausing to sharpen the axe is not necessary.
The fool doesn't use the tools the way they're
intended. The wise person uses tools in a proper
manner. The wise person isn't fearful of the
opinions of others if he pauses to sharpen the
ax because he knows the result of that work is
less burdensome, more efficient, and probably
has less risk of injury. The fool doesn't know
how to manage himself, doesn't know how to manage
others, and doesn't know the tools of the trade.
That's the fool. You've heard sayings like this.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Measure twice,
cut once. I got more for you here. Haste makes
waste. That was a new one for me. I didn't know
that one. Here's one for those of you who grew
up with martial arts. Precision beats power and
timing beats speed. Commonly taught. The shortest
way is often the longest way around. Shortcuts
don't work. The man who moves a mountain begins
by carrying away small stones. Better a diamond
with a flaw than a pebble without. Sounds fun.
Wisdom isn't looking for a shortcut. Wisdom isn't
looking for self -exaltation. Wisdom is looking
for good completion, for efficiency, for safety,
for accuracy, for replication, for endurance.
That's what wisdom pursues. Wisdom knows that
folly makes things harder in the long run, even
if you have the strength to wield the axe. It's
not about working harder, but smarter, really
we should say, wiser. The snake charmer has one
purpose, to keep the snake from striking and
biting, right? So if the snake bites the charmer
before he does the job, there's no advantage,
there's no blessing for him. He failed before
it even started. Now, the charmer may look the
part, right? He's dressed in the garb. You've
all seen the movies, right? Or Aladdin. I think
it's in there. They dress fancy. They may act
like they can do this great thing. But if they
get bitten before they even begin the charming,
he looks the fool, does he not? He doesn't know
what he's doing. He can't even charm. Isn't he
supposed to be a snake charmer? It also may be
an indictment against snake charming. Have you
heard the saying, play stupid games, get stupid
prizes? There are some activities that are normative.
Others may be unnecessary. I'll let you figure
out where snake charming fits. If serious risk
is involved in the unnecessary task, don't do
it. There's a wise way to work. And foolish people
make it known even in what they do that they
are fools. But like any good clickbait, there's
more beyond the actions of the fool. Foolish
toil. Now there are so many scriptures throughout
God's word that encourage us about our words.
Lips of the righteous know what is acceptable.
The mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. There's
one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword.
The tongue of the wise brings healing. Gentle
answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs
up anger. A tongue that brings healing is a tree
of life. Perversion in it breaks the spirit.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb sweet to the soul.
and healing to the bones. My favorite explanation
from Christ himself, for the mouth speaks out
of that which fills the heart. We talked about
actions, now we're talking about words. Words
do matter, mostly because of where they come
from, and that's what Jesus emphasized in Matthew
chapter 12. Beyond where they come from, words
can produce all kinds of things. They can be
used to bring healing. They can be used to give
life, to turn away wrath. They can be used to
tear down. to stir up strife, to wound, and even
to kill. Now the wise man's words out of Ecclesiastes
10 are first, gracious. Gracious. Literally,
they give grace to the hearer. So saying whatever
is on your mind, that's neither gracious, I definitely
guarantee it's not wise. Wisdom encourages restraint
and good judgment for the timing, the tone, the
message of our words. but the fool is consumed
by their words. Not just destructive in nature,
but look at verse 12, the second half, self -destructive.
Self -destructive. The fool's words hurt others,
but he hurts himself and gets himself into trouble.
The words of the fool are fallier. Literally,
it means stupid. We're not even allowed to say
that in our house. But it means stupid, of no
worth, of no merit. It's pointless. As they continue,
those words, though, become something else. They
become evil madness or wicked insanity, evil
craziness. Now, words should not be a substitute
for thinking. The fool loves the sound of their
voice, not the wisdom of the Lord applied in
their life. They have opinions on everything,
and they want others to know all of their opinions.
As the fool spouts what he does not know, He
spews lies about things he cannot know. Verse
14 shows the endless multiplication of the fool's
words bring him to the height of his folly. Think
about it. Can anyone claim to know the future?
You have people betting today, right? Who's going
to win, over, under, all that, sure. We can talk
about gambling for another time. But you know
that there are people who think they can predict
the future. That's the height of folly. That's
what God's word says. Because no one knows what
is to come except who? The Lord God. The Lord
God Almighty. And the fool brings him to that
end. In all his words, though, he wearies himself.
Proverbs 10, 19. It's not on the screen, but
you should know it. Where there are many words,
transgression is unavoidable. That's the reality.
The wise man holds back his lips. You've heard
this saying, maybe? the fool could get lost in
an escalator? Think about that. Escalator only
goes one way. How do you get lost on that? It
moves for you, you know? Think about it, though.
God's word says the fool can't even find his
way to the town. He can't give simple directions
to things that are plainly obvious. Look, the
town, it's right there. But he gets lost. Oh,
that reminds me, you know, this thing over here.
Have I ever told you the story about how I got
lost at other times? It's clear his abundant
words lead towards transgression. A folly claims
to know all kinds of things. Wisdom pursues the
explanation of certain things and humility with
many things. Okay, take a breath. Two -thirds
of the way. We're going to get there. See, we're
doing okay on time. Are you seeing the contrast
of wisdom and folly? Are you seeing the portrait
being painted? Have you been stung by anything
so far? Do you see yourself? Or has something
been made more clear for you? I hope so. I hope
you're thinking about this for you. Not just
thinking about it for somebody else. Not somebody
in your mind that you think is acting foolish.
But think about yourself. Are you seeing the
portraits? Do you find yourself there? There
are just three more vignettes to see them. So
let's continue. Here we go. Earlier in chapter
10, Solomon addressed wisdom and folly with regard
to foolish leaders. How to respond when you're
going a good way and the leader may not see that.
Now he's going to display some wisdom for and
about leaders. So here in verses 16 and 17, he's
going to provide the contrast of two lands. One
receives a woe or a pity, and the other receives
a blessing. So verse 16 shows the woe. The king
is a young man. Now, youthfulness, it's not always
a curse. For example, you might think of King
Josiah. He served honorably from the age of eight.
That's commendable. But childishness in leadership
is not helpful. You can have a young person who
serves beyond their years, but acting like a
child as a leader, that's not good. Very few
young men can lead well. Listen to that. We have
a lot of young men here. I don't see that to
be rude. As a young man who is leading myself,
I say that accurately. It's hard. We should take
it seriously, though. Young men who are here,
the call is still to lead. Just because it's
hard doesn't mean we don't do it. We should look
at the world and recognize not many want to be
leaders. Not many want to be an example. Not
many are willing to be a sacrifice so that others
can draw near to Christ. But all the men in here,
if you call upon the name of Christ, should be
pursuing that kind of life, to be a leader. God's
men are leaders. That's not in my notes. That
was just for you. Take it. People who lead in
childish and self -centered ways, they're not
a blessing. That's the truth. It's a curse on
the land who is governed by such people. Now,
King Solomon, he's not prideful about this. He
knows what it was like to be young, to struggle.
He said before he took the throne that he was
but a child. 1 Kings 3, 7. Now, Yahweh, my God,
you have made your slave a king and placed my
father David, yet I am but a little child. I
don't even know how to go out or come in. He
acknowledges the plight of youthfulness, the
difficulty, specifically that it lacks direction,
doesn't know how to go out or come in, doesn't
know where the city is. And he recognizes that's
the struggle. As for the princes eating in the
morning, that's a reference to those who spend
their time foolishly, the all -day partiers,
like the king of Babylon. Remember how long he
partied? For months, months with those princes
in Esther chapter one. Isaiah 5 says this, Woe
to those who rise early in the morning that they
may pursue strong drink, who stay up late in
the evening that wine may inflame them. This
indictment, it's against those who use their
position and their power for personal pleasure
and gluttony. It's an indictment. Woe to the
land and the people who have to put up with leaders
who get drunk anytime, but especially those who
get drunk early in the morning and all the way
until night. That's not going to end well. Now,
in contrast, the land and the people are blessed
when the king is noble. Noble. Not only because
of his lineage, but because he's been raised
with a sense of duty, a sense of responsibility.
This, again, is for the men in here. I think
it's for families, too, actually. You know, sometimes
we look down upon traditions. We struggle with
that sometimes. Sometimes the old ways, we don't
see the goodness that they instill. Sometimes
we don't see the patterns of behavior that those
old traditions encourage or the evil that they
help to restrain. Sometimes the old ways, they
did establish a proper understanding of one's
position, their responsibilities amidst a larger
community. Because today, our society, our culture
constantly teaches and focuses on self, personal
pleasure. personal exaltation, personal goals,
personal aims. You think about it. When you want
to go to college, they say, what do you want
to do? Everything's about you. God's word doesn't
say that. God's word says you were bought for
a price. You are not your own. That's what God's
word says. It's not that every tradition or every
old thing is wonderful and awesome, but we shouldn't
throw out everything. There was some goodness
to nobility. We should remember that as we're
forming our own families and our own traditions.
So princes, eating at the appropriate time, it
showcases working during the day. Eating or celebrating
at night, that's when it's appropriate. And their
purpose in doing so, eating and drinking and
celebrating, is not for drunkenness. It's for
strength. The land does well when their leader
is committed to good things, and Solomon said
that earlier. Don't mistake... That statement,
that the land does well, as a biblical endorsement
for any political alignment. You commend what's
commendable. We condemn the despicable, and we
do that all according to God's word. We don't
look for salvation in human leaders. Now, it
is good for everyone when all leaders rule well,
but the hope for all nations is not any government.
It's the true king, not any political party.
This side of glory until the true king, when
he reigns finally and fully, it's grace. It's
a grace when leaders have self -control. Don't
expect it. It's a grace. It's a grace when they
have discipline. It's a grace when they have
a commitment to their role for the good of the
people. It's a grace. Can I say that anymore?
It's not a right. Sometimes we act like it's
a right. What do we deserve? A broken, fallen
world. Anything beyond that is a grace. Let us
teach ourselves. It's a grace when leaders don't
pursue immaturity and don't pursue self -indulgence
and don't pursue drunkenness. It's a grace. We're
moving on. Foolish sloths, wisdom applied. This
part really applies as much to the, leader as
it does the regular person. You think about it,
laziness or slothfulness or indolence, as the
LSB renders it, I think the NAS as well. It's
another word for slothfulness. It always leads
to difficulty. As some of you may have thought
or may remember, Proverbs 24. There's a depiction
of a man in Proverbs 24. I'll put it on the screen
so you can see. His garden is unkept. His property
is falling apart. I'm not going to read the whole
thing. It's on the screen, but I underlined the
comparative statements for you. If you're not
careful, your roof will cave in on your head.
As burdensome as home maintenance is, and it
is sometimes, you know, the leaky pipes. And
yes, sometimes a roof literally does cave in,
right? We've talked about that with some of you
members recently. It's a metaphor for life, is
it not? You need to take care of things. Things
need to be maintained. If you don't change your
oil, if you don't get new tires, if you don't
clear the dryer vent sometime, if you don't water
your plants, Jeff knows this. He's the gardener.
You get the picture. Slothfulness is a form of
foolishness where a person does, they just don't
understand their own personal responsibility.
That's foolishness. And if you're able to care
for yourself, if you're able to care for you
and those around you, you should do so. Don't
expect others to do it for you. Otherwise, you're
going to experience the decay of everything around
you. Now, verse 19 in Ecclesiastes 10 is probably,
in my opinion, the most difficult verse in the
whole chapter because Solomon applies wisdom
without as much explanation here. But we need
to test it to affirm his veracity. He speaks
of bread and laughter. and wine, and they make
a glad life, and he says money is a solution.
That's the hard part. Now, overall, he's giving
us a better way forward than slothfulness. Slothfulness
is not the way forward. This is the way forward.
This is better. So it seems to really provide
a summary. Think of it like this. Work hard.
Provide bread and wine to your home. It will
nourish. It will bring gladness and celebrate.
And money is going to help you with many matters
in life. That's my summary. Let's test it. He
qualitatively teaches us that every one of those
things is good. Bread, wine, and even money in
this book. The first two, he said, are consistently
good throughout the letter. Just take a look
at how many times Solomon has said it is good
to eat and drink. Nothing better for a man than
to eat and drink. It is from God. Every man who
eats and drinks, it is the gift of God. Here
is what I've seen to be good, which is beautiful,
to eat, to drink, which has been given him, to
eat and to drink and to be merry, which God has
given him these things. Eat your bread in gladness.
Drink your wine with a merry heart. God has already
accepted your works. Throughout this letter,
he consistently references such things as eating
and drinking appropriately. Not for drunkenness,
but for gladness and thankfulness. And several
times he makes references to this qualitative
goodness of enjoying food and drink. I don't
think he's mocking a hedonistic lifestyle. Some
commentators do. Some have said that Solomon
is making the statement here in verse 10, 19,
tongue in cheek, that he's being sarcastic. Oh,
money's the answer to everything. Ha, ha, ha.
Do you? Do you think that Solomon's really like
that? Like, have you gotten that picture of him
throughout this whole time? That he just throws
something like, ha, ha, ha. I don't think so.
We have to read in context. Why would he, think
about it logically for a second. Why would he
affirm so many other times throughout the same
letter that these things are good and a gift
from God only to right now throw it all away?
Why? That's, can I say stupid? That's stupid.
That's bad exegesis. That's bad study. Because
you've got to use the author, not your opinion.
I know it's hard. I know it's hard to say that
money is the answer to everything. We're going
to have to unpack that. But it's not consistent
to just throw that out. It's not. I think Solomon
is giving us a very pointed statement, and it's
in the theme of Proverbs. That's what all these
sayings are. They're proverbial. They're truisms.
If you remember on the very front end, we discussed
the difference between proverb sayings and wisdom
literature overall, and that Ecclesiastes was
distinct because it dealt with the exceptions,
not with the rules, not with the norms. However,
here he is talking about the norms. It's not
a promise. You shouldn't make it an expectation
or even a rule, but it is a norm. So let's review
a couple things real quick that he said about
money. You may remember. In chapter 7, verse
12, he said, money is a shadow of protection
like wisdom. We covered that principle in the
sermon. You can go back and listen to it. Wisdom
is a shadow of protection. Money is a shadow
of protection. I think that's what he's referencing
here in Ecclesiastes 10. The way it reads in
Hebrew isn't that money is the answer, as in
the only answer, but that money answers all things,
all kinds of things. Think about that. When you're
hungry, does money help? When you need gas, do
you just get it with a smile? Not in California,
that's right. Are you housed right now? Do you
have a roof over your head? If you do, did you
or somebody use money to obtain that housing?
Can you go on a vacation without money? Does
helping others often require money? Here's the
thing. You can be content in poverty. I've seen
it. I know that we can do all things through
Christ who strengthens us to be rich or to be
poor. Solomon has pointed out actually in Ecclesiastes
5, it's on the screen, verse 10, you can have
money and be miserable. You can have wealth and
be awful because money doesn't satisfy. The goal
of money isn't to satisfy. But you have to realize
money is not the root of all evil. If you've
ever heard that preach, they lied to you. They
didn't preach the word of God. It's the root
of all kinds of evil. The root of all evil is
the prideful human heart. That's the root of
all evil. Money isn't salvation. But if you have
a choice between having money or not having money,
isn't the choice obvious? If you're honorable,
you obtain money through labor. You obtain money
through business. You obtain money through working
with your hands, not taking advantage of others,
not pursuing money at the expense of others,
but through faithful labor. And the wise man
pursues that as opposed to slothfulness. Because
slothfulness can lead to unnecessary abject poverty.
That's the lesson Solomon is teaching. Now, I've
seen very industrious people live in poverty
all around the world. I've seen it. The disposition
of wisdom is a blessing, though, whether you
earn much or little. The disposition of wisdom
is a blessing. We are called to pursue work faithfully.
And we are to receive whatever blessings come
with that work. And it seems to be indicative
of going to the right towards wisdom that God
may bless with finances. Not a promise, but a
norm. We come to the final verse of chapter 10.
Wise restraint. Or as another commentary called,
how Twitter began. Here, Solomon cautions a listener
about their own heart. You'll see it in a second.
Don't curse the king, don't curse the ruler,
don't curse the rich man or even your boss, even
quietly in private, even in your own thoughts.
Solomon gives the warning with some fanciful
thinking that a bird or a winged creature will
share the information because you know the previous
logo for Twitter as a little bird. That's not
on accident. Yeah, some of you know the sound.
Before it became X, whatever that means, it was
a blue little bird. And that platform and other
forms of social media have become cesspools of
vile thoughts against various rulers and rich
people of our day. Now, calling out imprudent
language, unkind words on social media, it doesn't
condone the lives of the people who are being
criticized. Not condoning it. But we need to
address the sinful heart. of complaining, the
sinful heart of ridicule, the hypocritical condemnation
often at times. And none of that means that the
person they're complaining about or speaking
about is inherently righteous. But can you argue
with what Jesus said? You don't have to argue
with me. Jesus said, it's not what comes out
of your mouth that's defiled, but that your heart,
your inner person, this is where evil thoughts
come from. But the things that proceed out of
the mouth come from the heart, Jesus says, and
those defile the man. For out of the heart come
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities,
thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the
things which defile a man. Friends, watch your
words. Watch your thoughts. Don't think that
sin done in private is going to remain there.
Too many supposed pastors and shepherds and Christian
leaders, they've fallen publicly. Other ones,
they think it's their responsibility to police
the behavior of those in authority. Like it's
their job because God's not doing it. Solomon
knew better. Jesus commanded better. And we need
to listen better. Who among us hasn't seen those
difficulties arise when you've shared something
in private and you only watch that thing get
shared with a person you didn't want to get shared
with? Doesn't that happen? That's called foolishness.
It does happen. You know, things said unkindly
in secret, they have a way of becoming not so
secret. That's the truth. It's interesting, though.
The opposite isn't nearly as true. How come words
said privately in righteousness about others
don't have a way of getting out? The curses we
speak in private have a way of ruining relationships.
Solomon calls us to think better, to speak better,
to think in blessed ways about others. It doesn't
fracture relationships. You're not doing harm
by doing that. It doesn't harm your testimony
to think well of others. 20 verses. A lot. What
a chapter. I hope that you see clearly the contrast
between those two portraits, the wise man and
the fool. You know, the fool, he chases his own
tail, vapidly seeking self -promotion, his own
words, toiling in vain, thinking he's accomplishing
something but not. And the wise man is steady,
pursuing good things, even in the face of difficulty
from authorities. And he applies wisdom for greater
success in anything he puts his hand to. Such
a distinction between wisdom and folly, though,
it's not to make an intellectual exercise. Wisdom
is not the same as intelligence. It's not the
same as understanding. Wisdom is who you know
impacting how you live. Think about that. Wisdom,
it's who you know impacting how you live. You
can't be wise if you don't know God. That's the
truth. You can't live well. If you don't know
God. Wisdom and folly, they're matters of life
and death. They are that important. The foolish
person, think about the end of it. The foolish
person only becomes more steadfast in their foolishness.
They ultimately become what scripture calls a
scoffer. One who mocks the wisdom of the Lord.
It is rare for a scoffer to be rescued. I'll
say that. Because they're too wise in their own
eyes. They believe their own wisdom to be sufficient.
for themselves. But friends, we don't need personal
wisdom. We need wisdom personified. As you think
about everything you heard today, I pray you
don't just think you need more knowledge to learn
more things. I pray that you'll think about the
one who offers wisdom unto eternity without price.
I pray that you think about the sacrifice of
Christ for sinners. That's what we should be
drawn to. When you consider a life well lived,
it's for his glory. In light of what he's done
to rescue, to redeem, to save. I'm going to put
two New Testament passages on the screen as we
close here. The first is out of Ephesians 5.
Paul says, therefore, look carefully how you
walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the
time because the days are evil. On account of
this, do not be foolish, but understand what
the will. of the Lord is. Believers are to walk
wisely. That's what we're called to, to not be
foolish. This is the briefest New Testament summary
of Ecclesiastes chapter 10. The next verses there,
they're select verses from a larger unit of thought
out of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, which just so
happens to be where we're going to be. I want
you to hear the consistent melody of Christ.
He is God's perfect wisdom. For the word of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
But to us who are being saved, it is the power
of God. Has not God made the foolish the wisdom
of the world? For indeed, Jews ask for signs,
Greeks for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified.
To Jews, a stumbling block. To Gentiles, foolishness.
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise. that no flesh may boast
before God, but by his doing, you are in Christ
Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. Friends, I
pray you don't miss that, that Christ is the
power of God, that Christ is the wisdom of God,
righteousness that's not our own, and redemption
paid for at the cross. These two portraits have
been painted, the wise and the foolish. Do you
see yourself? Do you see your shortcomings? Do
you see wisdom? And most importantly, do you
see Christ? Let's pray. Father, as we finish
the sermon this morning, we consider your word.
We recognize that wisdom literature doesn't always
leave us with the perfect point. We don't always
get to land the plane, but we recognize that
wisdom literature is from you. As much as we
may want the cookies on the low shelf, sometimes
you place them very high and you stretch us.
Sometimes you wound us, but we know that you're
helping us. Considering these things today, it
might be too much, but I pray there are some
things, some things that can stick with us. At
least would we consider the dead flies that stink
up our lives? The little bits of folly that maybe
we were blind to before this morning that we've
been convicted of today. The folly that robs
us of a relationship with you, with others. God,
we pray that you would help us understand wisdom
is more than knowledge. That wisdom is more than
intelligence. We do pray that we would see wisdom
as the personification of Christ. That's a hard
concept for us. But you say, you say in your
word, Christ became wisdom, perfect wisdom. Help
us understand what that means. That means it
must be good and a blessed thing to go his way,
to trust him, to obey him, to believe him. So
help us. Help us to pursue not just wisdom, but
to pursue Christ. We need your help. Help us
to walk carefully in this world. Help us to pursue
good for others, not just ourselves. Father,
we thank you for your infinite wisdom displayed
fully in Christ. We ask, help us know him better.
Help us know the Lamb of God, slain for sinners,
risen in glory, seated at the right hand, interceding.
Give us hearts to know you. Give us hearts to
follow your ways. We pray now. As we sing and
lift our voices to praise Christ, that we would
exalt his name for great things that he has done.
He has perfectly displayed you to us. May we
worship him now and forevermore. We pray this
in his name. Amen.