WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.519 Take your Bibles or the pew Bibles there in front 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:14.460 of you and turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Ecclesiastes 00:00:14.460 --> 00:00:17.620 10 as we continue in our sermon series through 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:23.199 this book. As you turn there, let me say this 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:28.079 chapter is one of the more proverbial chapters 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:30.219 in Ecclesiastes. And what I mean by that, it 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:35.259 is proverb -like. Ecclesiastes 10 is colorful 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:39.020 in its descriptions. It contains short, pithy 00:00:39.020 --> 00:00:41.280 statements that seem like they belong in the 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.859 book of Proverbs. It continues to deal with wisdom 00:00:44.859 --> 00:00:48.960 and with folly. And so let us see all of this 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:55.679 in Ecclesiastes 10, the whole chapter. Dead flies. 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:00.359 make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench. 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.579 So a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:07.680 A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:12.260 but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the 00:01:12.260 --> 00:01:15.879 fool walks on the road, he lacks sense. And he 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:19.280 says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:22.900 of the ruler rises against you, do not leave 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:27.840 your place. For calmness will lay great offenses 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:31.879 to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under 00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:34.799 the sun as it were an error proceeding from the 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:40.359 ruler. Folly is set in many high places and the 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:44.079 rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:47.760 horses and princes walking on the ground like 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:52.519 slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it and 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:54.739 a serpent will bite him who breaks through a 00:01:54.739 --> 00:01:58.159 wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.340 and he who splits logs is endangered by them. 00:02:03.620 --> 00:02:06.780 If the iron is blunt and one does not sharpen 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:10.840 the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:15.199 helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:18.460 it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.039 The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor. 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:26.599 but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:29.819 of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:34.620 the end of his talk is evil madness. A fool multiplies 00:02:34.620 --> 00:02:38.080 words, though no man knows what it is to be. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:41.180 And who can tell him what will be after him? 00:02:41.539 --> 00:02:45.780 The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:49.419 know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land, 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.960 when your king is a child. and your princes feast 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.900 in the morning. Happy are you, O land, when your 00:02:56.900 --> 00:03:00.479 king is the son of the nobility, and your princes 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.900 feast at the proper time for strength and not 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:07.659 for drunkenness. Through sloth the roof sinks 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:11.520 in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.759 is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:20.069 and money answers everything. Even in your thoughts 00:03:20.069 --> 00:03:23.629 do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse 00:03:23.629 --> 00:03:27.490 the rich. For a bird of the air will carry your 00:03:27.490 --> 00:03:32.129 voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:35.969 Blessed is he who hears and keeps what is written. 00:03:36.509 --> 00:03:43.090 Let us pray. Heavenly Father, how very aware 00:03:43.090 --> 00:03:47.849 we are of our own weakness. and inability to 00:03:47.849 --> 00:03:50.610 understand everything in Ecclesiastes chapter 00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:54.090 10. Father, I do pray that you would guide us 00:03:54.090 --> 00:03:58.509 by your spirit, enlighten our understanding that 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:02.389 we might be wise in your eyes. These things we 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:09.909 ask for Christ's sake. Amen. When you are asked 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:15.990 to sign a waiver before you participate in something, 00:04:16.189 --> 00:04:20.170 you should pay attention. Have you ever had to 00:04:20.170 --> 00:04:23.430 do that? You go to do something that might have 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:26.670 a little bit of danger to it, and they say, please 00:04:26.670 --> 00:04:30.170 sign here. About just over a week ago, I went 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:33.629 with my family to the Green River near Saluda, 00:04:33.870 --> 00:04:39.009 North Carolina. It was a beautiful day. The sun 00:04:39.009 --> 00:04:41.709 was out. It feels like it's always out right 00:04:41.709 --> 00:04:45.500 about now. But the sky was blue and the water 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:50.819 temperature in the river was perfect. And so 00:04:50.819 --> 00:04:54.339 we signed our waivers. We got our tubes to go 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:58.839 down this river. And we had to listen to the 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:01.519 words of an instructor. And the instructor told 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:04.660 us a few things. Namely, there are class two 00:05:04.660 --> 00:05:07.759 rapids within this river. And secondly, if you 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.259 fall out of your tube in a class two rapid, do 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:13.009 not stand up in the river. it will sweep your 00:05:13.009 --> 00:05:17.730 feet away. Instead, you should get face up, he 00:05:17.730 --> 00:05:21.529 said, nose and toes to the sky so that you can 00:05:21.529 --> 00:05:24.170 float through the rapid and hopefully survive 00:05:24.170 --> 00:05:27.730 unscathed and get to calmer waters. All right, 00:05:27.850 --> 00:05:31.250 that's great. Sounds good. Let's go. The river 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:34.370 was mostly very pleasant. The biggest danger 00:05:34.370 --> 00:05:37.569 for the most part was The water level was pretty 00:05:37.569 --> 00:05:39.910 low and sometimes you could bruise your tailbone 00:05:39.910 --> 00:05:43.689 if you're not careful. However, there was one 00:05:43.689 --> 00:05:48.189 who was floating at the same time that we did. 00:05:48.850 --> 00:05:51.529 And he came to the class two rapid and you know 00:05:51.529 --> 00:05:54.709 what I'm going to say, he stood up in the class 00:05:54.709 --> 00:05:58.329 two rapid. He did not listen to the wise word 00:05:58.329 --> 00:06:02.569 of caution. Consequently, he went tumbling down 00:06:02.569 --> 00:06:06.490 the rapid as his feet were swept away. bumping 00:06:06.490 --> 00:06:09.850 off of the rocks, including his head off of a 00:06:09.850 --> 00:06:13.670 rock. Now at the end of the rapid, we checked 00:06:13.670 --> 00:06:16.550 on him. He was mostly fine. I think his pride 00:06:16.550 --> 00:06:20.089 hurt as much as his head. But friends, this is 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:25.209 where I'm going, is to say that to ignore wisdom 00:06:25.209 --> 00:06:30.850 can have serious, even deadly ramifications. 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:35.180 Solomon writes this chapter and it behooves us 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:40.660 to pay attention. Do not ignore the wise word 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:44.839 of caution. Now, the way that this is organized 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.379 can be a little tricky, but what I want to do 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:50.339 is organize it into sections. And so as I go 00:06:50.339 --> 00:06:52.639 along, I will share with you the section that 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:56.079 I am in. The first one being verses one through 00:06:56.079 --> 00:07:01.889 four in which we see wisdom and folly. contrasted. 00:07:01.889 --> 00:07:07.009 Verse one, it's very graphic here. Dead flies 00:07:07.009 --> 00:07:10.370 make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench. 00:07:10.550 --> 00:07:15.009 What is going on here? It's showing us that a 00:07:15.009 --> 00:07:18.170 little bit of folly, sometimes just a little 00:07:18.170 --> 00:07:23.069 bit of foolishness can outweigh much wisdom. 00:07:24.110 --> 00:07:27.250 Children, kids, have you ever had the experience 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:30.740 of putting some food coloring into water in a 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:35.040 glass, what happens? The food coloring goes throughout 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.339 all of the water. Just a drop or two can turn 00:07:38.339 --> 00:07:41.720 the water red or yellow or purple or pink, blue, 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.379 green, whatever it is, right? That's kind of 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:49.060 what's being taught here. Obviously, perfume 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:52.620 is nice. It's supposed to smell good, but just 00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:56.120 a little bit, just a couple of dead flies in 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:58.819 such an ointment. can turn it from something 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:03.379 that is pleasing to smell into something that 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:08.160 does not smell very good. And so it is with wisdom 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:14.740 and honor, one foolish decision on our part can 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:20.699 outweigh a lifetime of honor and wisdom. I was 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:23.819 thinking, I thought of a movie actually just 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:26.439 this morning that I think illustrates this well. 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.759 It's a movie called State of Play. Have anybody 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:32.600 seen that movie before? I don't know that it's 00:08:32.600 --> 00:08:35.240 all that popular, but it's about a congressman 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:38.639 played by Ben Affleck and a journalist played 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:43.240 by Russell Crowe. And the congressman admits 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:48.360 his folly, his sin of adultery to the journalist. 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.740 And then the congressman realizes that his career 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:57.210 is essentially over. And he says this. It doesn't 00:08:57.210 --> 00:09:01.470 matter what I do in Congress, I will always be 00:09:01.470 --> 00:09:05.990 the guy who cheated on his wife. Friends, what's 00:09:05.990 --> 00:09:08.190 illustrated in that movie is what's kind of illustrated 00:09:08.190 --> 00:09:15.330 here. One foolish decision, one just moment of 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:20.289 forgetting who we are in Christ Jesus can really 00:09:20.289 --> 00:09:23.950 affect us throughout our whole lives. Just one 00:09:23.950 --> 00:09:29.649 singular moment. And yet, praise God for the 00:09:29.649 --> 00:09:33.230 blood of Jesus, which washes away all of our 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.070 sin, all of our follies, right? From the greatest 00:09:36.070 --> 00:09:39.450 to the least, when there is repentance and trust 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:43.769 in Christ. Sadly though, in this life, the damage 00:09:43.769 --> 00:09:47.490 may be done. And in the eyes of others, we may 00:09:47.490 --> 00:09:51.830 always carry that moniker of the fool. Which 00:09:51.830 --> 00:09:56.799 is why we need this word of caution. So look 00:09:56.799 --> 00:10:01.299 at verses two and three. A wise man's heart inclines 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.279 him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:08.860 Have you ever spoken with somebody who really 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:11.720 needs wisdom and you've tried to share wisdom 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:15.799 and they just don't seem to get it? It's maddening, 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:19.379 right? Why can't you see it the way I see it? 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:22.330 Well, I think this text tells us why. because 00:10:22.330 --> 00:10:25.789 a fool's heart is inclined in a completely different 00:10:25.789 --> 00:10:30.950 direction. And in doing so, they broadcast their 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:34.129 foolishness. Verse three, even when the fool 00:10:34.129 --> 00:10:37.110 walks on the road, he lacks sense. They're going 00:10:37.110 --> 00:10:41.350 a different way. Indeed, this metaphor of the 00:10:41.350 --> 00:10:44.230 road, I think it's a metaphor for life, how you 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:49.250 behave and how you speak shows whether or not 00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:55.440 you have wisdom. Think about that, friends. The 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:58.539 way that you talk out loud with other people, 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:02.539 the way that you behave can show whether or not 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:06.480 you have real godly wisdom about you. Friends, 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:11.139 don't play the fool. Play the wise man. Be the 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:15.299 wise man. Because it can have incredible ramifications 00:11:15.299 --> 00:11:18.720 on our life. Look at verse four. This picture 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:21.480 is somebody who is under the authority of another. 00:11:23.110 --> 00:11:26.009 If the anger of the ruler rises against you do 00:11:26.009 --> 00:11:29.330 not leave your place and it mentions calmness 00:11:29.330 --> 00:11:32.870 here Okay, so maybe place yourself in a position 00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:36.090 of your maybe you're under a boss Who is maybe 00:11:36.090 --> 00:11:38.669 not that great of a boss and you're angry with 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:40.710 your boss You've fallen out of favor with your 00:11:40.710 --> 00:11:44.110 boss. And so you say I just quit I'm just gonna 00:11:44.110 --> 00:11:47.309 walk off. I'm done with this. I'm gonna resign 00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:52.490 in a huff But friends, this is not the wise way 00:11:52.730 --> 00:11:56.610 for this effectively ends your work. And I think 00:11:56.610 --> 00:11:59.250 Christians need to hear this out loud because 00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:02.470 sometimes we act like that. Our feelings get 00:12:02.470 --> 00:12:06.470 hurt and we say, I'll show him, I'm done with 00:12:06.470 --> 00:12:11.570 this. But would you remember our Lord's example 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:16.370 here? I want to take you to 1 Peter chapter two, 00:12:16.809 --> 00:12:25.690 1 Peter two, 18 through 23. 1st Peter 2 18 to 00:12:25.690 --> 00:12:30.870 23 servants Be subject to your masters with all 00:12:30.870 --> 00:12:34.809 respect Not only to the good and gentle but also 00:12:34.809 --> 00:12:39.370 to the unjust for this is a gracious thing When 00:12:39.370 --> 00:12:43.570 mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering 00:12:43.570 --> 00:12:47.370 unjustly But what credit is it if when you sin 00:12:47.370 --> 00:12:50.240 or beaten for it you endure? But if when you 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:53.100 do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:56.700 a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to 00:12:56.700 --> 00:12:59.460 this you have been called because Christ also 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:03.360 suffered for you, leaving you an example. So 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:06.980 you might follow in his steps. He committed no 00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:10.840 sin. Neither was deceit found in his mouth. When 00:13:10.840 --> 00:13:14.080 he was reviled, he did not revile in return. 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:18.590 When he suffered, he did not threaten. but continued 00:13:18.590 --> 00:13:22.990 entrusting himself to the one who judges justly. 00:13:24.250 --> 00:13:29.570 Friends, this should be us. And I get it, fighting 00:13:29.570 --> 00:13:34.389 fire with fire feels good, doesn't it? But according 00:13:34.389 --> 00:13:40.149 to Solomon, it just is not wise. Our responses, 00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:44.830 even underneath an oppressive person, some authority 00:13:44.830 --> 00:13:51.070 figure, must be governed by wisdom. But even 00:13:51.070 --> 00:13:54.129 to the wise, even if we have such wisdom here, 00:13:54.690 --> 00:13:56.889 we do see things that are tough in this life, 00:13:56.909 --> 00:14:00.169 and that's been one of the key themes throughout 00:14:00.169 --> 00:14:03.470 Ecclesiastes. Look in verses five to seven. We 00:14:03.470 --> 00:14:07.519 might call this section the irony of folly. That 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:10.620 even to the wise there are these perplexing sights. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:16.220 He sees a slave riding on a horse while the prince 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:20.120 walks. This kind of echoes Solomon's earlier 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:24.539 observations when he saw that sometimes the righteous 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:28.860 die young while the wicked live on and we wonder 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:34.980 why. But within this don't miss the why. Because 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:38.419 there is a flaw in this life, a flaw in this 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:41.080 fallen world. Look in verse five. There's an 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:44.100 evil that I've seen under the sun as it were 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:48.480 an arrow proceeding from the ruler. Here's the 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:55.519 flaw. Sometimes foolish leaders put foolish people 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:59.799 in exalted positions. That's what's going on 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:04.100 here. Foolish leaders putting foolish people 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:06.840 in exalted positions. Friends, we live in a world 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:11.220 wrecked by sin. And so sometimes these things 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:14.519 happen. Things are not the way they should be. 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:18.500 But here's the good news for you. Things, while 00:15:18.500 --> 00:15:22.000 not the way they should be, they also will not 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:27.539 always be this way. Ecclesiastes reads like a 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:32.320 longing to return to Eden and Christ indeed. 00:15:32.490 --> 00:15:36.769 is making all things new. Folly will not reign 00:15:36.769 --> 00:15:39.889 forever. Indeed, folly doesn't reign now, even 00:15:39.889 --> 00:15:43.149 though it appears to. Christ is reconciling people 00:15:43.149 --> 00:15:46.250 to himself. Christ is building the church. Christ 00:15:46.250 --> 00:15:49.649 has promised to return. And so though we see 00:15:49.649 --> 00:15:53.850 such evils, let us not despair. Let us not resort 00:15:53.850 --> 00:15:59.389 to folly. The wisdom of God has already prevailed. 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:03.440 in our Savior Christ Jesus, and the way in which 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.559 it prevails is through the preached word. Let 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.100 me take you to another spot in the New Testament. 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:21.360 First Corinthians, chapter one, 18 to 21, as 00:16:21.360 --> 00:16:29.090 we see how God works by His word. For the word 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:34.129 of the cross is Folly to those who are perishing 00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:37.190 But to us who are being saved it is the power 00:16:37.190 --> 00:16:40.649 of God for it is written I will destroy the wisdom 00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:43.649 of the wise and the discernment of the discerning 00:16:43.649 --> 00:16:47.870 I will thwart Where is the one who is wise? Where 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:51.909 is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age 00:16:51.909 --> 00:16:55.409 has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:59.179 For since in the wisdom of God the world did 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:03.080 not know God through wisdom it pleased God Through 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:07.480 the folly of what we preach to save those who 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:14.140 believe If I can summarize that the fool hears 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:17.539 the preaching of Jesus Christ and says what is 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:23.109 this nonsense But the preaching of Christ is 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:27.390 the means of salvation. Verse 21, again, it says 00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:30.910 God is pleased by the preaching. This is how 00:17:30.910 --> 00:17:35.230 God operates. It is God's wise plan to save sinners 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:38.509 through the preaching of Christ and Him crucified. 00:17:38.869 --> 00:17:41.569 You see, God ordains not only the ends that you 00:17:41.569 --> 00:17:45.329 would be saved, God also ordains the means, which 00:17:45.329 --> 00:17:50.160 is biblical. Christ centered preaching, his instrument 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:53.519 to convert, to change hearts and to strengthen 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:57.099 our faith. And so, friends, do not ignore this. 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:01.559 Do not ignore godly wisdom, which has a name. 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.839 And that name is Jesus Christ. For if you do, 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:10.500 here's what may happen. You may just reap what 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:15.569 you sow. Look at verses eight through 11. within 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:21.490 our text. He who digs a pit will fall into it. 00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:23.990 No doubt if you're using a different translation, 00:18:23.990 --> 00:18:26.089 you may see that it reads a little differently 00:18:26.089 --> 00:18:29.069 there. It may say that he who digs a pit may 00:18:29.069 --> 00:18:31.670 fall into it. Again, we need to remember the 00:18:31.670 --> 00:18:34.609 genre that we are studying here. This is wisdom 00:18:34.609 --> 00:18:36.990 literature, and so what we have are not promises, 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:42.970 but strong possibilities. And so the strong possibility 00:18:42.970 --> 00:18:46.609 is the person without wisdom who digs a pit will 00:18:46.609 --> 00:18:50.910 fall into it. I think this is illustrated well 00:18:50.910 --> 00:18:55.589 within the book of Esther. For you may recall 00:18:55.589 --> 00:19:00.670 Haman and Mordecai, right? Haman built a gallows 00:19:00.670 --> 00:19:04.700 for Mordecai. He wanted Mordecai killed. And 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:07.619 it appeared that injustice would win the day 00:19:07.619 --> 00:19:13.099 until Haman and his wicked ways are exposed and 00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:17.599 he was hanged on his very own gallows. Justice 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:22.720 wins. We might call this ironic justice. That 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:27.000 fools destroy themselves by their own foolishness. 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:31.400 It is their undoing. You see within this as well 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:36.200 the second part of verse 8, the snake charmer 00:19:36.200 --> 00:19:39.380 who is not cautious with the serpent finds himself 00:19:39.380 --> 00:19:42.960 charmed by it rather than the other way around. 00:19:43.420 --> 00:19:47.420 Matthew Henry says on this and in verse 11, wisdom 00:19:47.420 --> 00:19:50.779 will teach us to enchant the serpent we are to 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:54.240 contend with rather than to think to out -hiss 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.859 it. You can see something like that in verse 00:19:56.859 --> 00:20:00.750 10 as well. As one pastor says of verse 10, it's 00:20:00.750 --> 00:20:03.609 like trying to chop down a tree with a baseball 00:20:03.609 --> 00:20:08.930 bat. It just will not work. We need wisdom, not 00:20:08.930 --> 00:20:12.869 necessarily more physical strength. Wisdom grants 00:20:12.869 --> 00:20:18.650 success, whereas folly promises failure. And 00:20:18.650 --> 00:20:22.549 not just folly in our actions, but folly within 00:20:22.549 --> 00:20:27.170 our words. Look at verses 12 through about 14. 00:20:27.309 --> 00:20:31.769 or so. The words of a wise man's mouth win him 00:20:31.769 --> 00:20:37.430 favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. Wisdom 00:20:37.430 --> 00:20:42.630 or its lack is apparent in our speech. It's no 00:20:42.630 --> 00:20:45.970 surprise that so much of biblical wisdom has 00:20:45.970 --> 00:20:50.029 to do with how we talk. What broadcast foolishness 00:20:50.029 --> 00:20:53.750 the most is our tongue. It's the primary means 00:20:53.750 --> 00:20:58.029 of expressing folly and not just uncareful speech, 00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:02.730 but of sinful speech. Look in verse 13. The beginning 00:21:02.730 --> 00:21:05.109 of the words of his mouth is foolishness and 00:21:05.109 --> 00:21:10.650 the end of his talk is evil, madness. Yes, when 00:21:10.650 --> 00:21:15.089 we use very foul, inappropriate language, we 00:21:15.089 --> 00:21:19.569 broadcast ourselves to be foolish. When we slander 00:21:19.569 --> 00:21:22.329 people with our tongues, this is the work of 00:21:22.329 --> 00:21:26.109 fools. Friends, let us use our speech for building 00:21:26.109 --> 00:21:31.190 people up, not for tearing them down. But not 00:21:31.190 --> 00:21:35.269 just this, but verse 14 expresses this idea that 00:21:35.269 --> 00:21:38.789 the fool thinks that by his many words, he will 00:21:38.789 --> 00:21:43.549 be seen as wise. And that, friends, is not the 00:21:43.549 --> 00:21:49.220 case either. Students in here, Children, but 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:51.799 maybe more appropriately teenagers or college 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:55.720 students. Have you had the unfortunate experience 00:21:55.720 --> 00:22:01.940 of having to do an essay in an exam with a big 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:04.960 space that is white that you got to fill up? 00:22:06.440 --> 00:22:09.619 I've had that experience. But have you really 00:22:09.619 --> 00:22:11.819 had the experience when you've got that white 00:22:11.819 --> 00:22:14.940 space to fill up and you have no idea what you're 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:19.649 supposed to write there? Now that's terribly 00:22:19.649 --> 00:22:24.289 uncomfortable. But those who are perhaps wise 00:22:24.289 --> 00:22:26.890 within the classroom might think, well, if I 00:22:26.890 --> 00:22:29.609 just fill up the space with anything I can think 00:22:29.609 --> 00:22:32.789 of that may possibly be related to the topic, 00:22:33.049 --> 00:22:36.869 maybe then I'll get partial credit. Well, friends, 00:22:36.910 --> 00:22:40.210 that might be wise in the classroom, but that's 00:22:40.210 --> 00:22:45.250 not wise in real life. Proverbs 10, 19, when 00:22:45.250 --> 00:22:49.130 words are many, Transgression is not lacking. 00:22:49.490 --> 00:22:53.190 We will not be seen as wise by our many words, 00:22:53.690 --> 00:22:57.769 but by the wisdom of our words. And the same 00:22:57.769 --> 00:23:01.529 principle reveals wisdom. You can know a person's 00:23:01.529 --> 00:23:07.009 wisdom or lack thereof simply by how they speak, 00:23:08.009 --> 00:23:11.630 which is a public thing. And that's what the 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:15.829 last section is getting at 16 through 20. Visible. 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:21.119 public folly and its consequences. Look at verse 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:25.160 16 and 17. This presents two different kinds 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:31.240 of kings. One king who is very, very young. really 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:33.920 incapable of leading. And the princes within 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.400 the kingdom do not spend their time working for 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:40.599 the good of the kingdom. No, instead this pictures 00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:44.319 them neglecting their responsibilities. Woe to 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.160 you, O land, where your king is a child and your 00:23:47.160 --> 00:23:51.980 princes feast in the morning. They're not doing 00:23:51.980 --> 00:23:54.539 their work. They're not serving. Compare that 00:23:54.539 --> 00:23:59.400 with verse 17, a king of nobility whose princes 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:03.519 feast at the proper time for strength and not 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:06.839 for drunkenness. And you can see the consequences 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:10.599 of these verses. For the first one begins, woe 00:24:10.599 --> 00:24:14.519 to you, O land. But the second one, happy are 00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:17.839 you, O land. So we might say that wisdom has 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:23.140 incredibly wonderful consequences, right? But 00:24:23.140 --> 00:24:27.019 again, wisdom and folly are visible things. Look 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:31.599 in verse 18. Through sloth, the roof sinks in. 00:24:32.019 --> 00:24:34.839 This pictures the consequence of neglect. If 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:38.380 you neglect the work that you must do, your situation 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:41.660 is going to be like a house with a sunken roof, 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:45.730 and it's going to fall in. Friends when we neglect 00:24:45.730 --> 00:24:49.089 our marriages when we neglect our families when 00:24:49.089 --> 00:24:52.410 we neglect our work and especially our walk with 00:24:52.410 --> 00:24:56.150 the Lord We are inviting the roof to fall in 00:24:56.150 --> 00:25:03.970 on ourselves When we fail to give ourselves to 00:25:03.970 --> 00:25:10.289 the means of grace Bible reading prayer worship 00:25:10.289 --> 00:25:15.500 sacraments service Do we really expect to grow 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:18.240 in the grace and knowledge of Jesus when we neglect 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:23.099 these things? Friends, don't wait for the roof 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:26.380 to fall in. Don't wait for the roof to fall in 00:25:26.380 --> 00:25:29.539 before you recognize the problem. Do not ignore 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:34.519 the wise word of caution here. And not just in 00:25:34.519 --> 00:25:37.099 your work, and not just in your families, but 00:25:37.099 --> 00:25:40.039 even with God's good gifts. Look at verses 19 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:43.470 and 20. Even with his good gifts, like money 00:25:43.470 --> 00:25:47.630 or food or drink, we must utilize wisdom to properly 00:25:47.630 --> 00:25:54.009 enjoy them. Even in private, as it shows us in 00:25:54.009 --> 00:25:57.789 verse 20, even in your thoughts it says, do not 00:25:57.789 --> 00:26:01.069 curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the 00:26:01.069 --> 00:26:03.750 rich, for the bird of the air will carry your 00:26:03.750 --> 00:26:05.990 voice or some winged creature tell the matter. 00:26:06.089 --> 00:26:09.539 Friends, We need wisdom in every single possible 00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:12.440 way, not just in our actions, not just in our 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:18.099 words, but even within our own thoughts. We need 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:24.500 wisdom. And you know, if you somehow don't want 00:26:24.500 --> 00:26:28.019 to take Solomon's word for it, which you definitely 00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:33.299 should, take Jesus's word for it. For Jesus communicates 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:36.740 this in many places, if you will. Go to Matthew. 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:49.680 Matthew 7, verse 24. No doubt you've likely heard 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:54.940 this before. This contrast between the wise man 00:26:54.940 --> 00:27:00.380 and the foolish man. Matthew 7, 24. Everyone 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:03.660 then who hears these words of mine and does them, 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:06.720 will be like a wise man who built his house on 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:10.980 the rock and the rain fell and the floods came 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:13.700 and the winds blew and beat on that house but 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:17.900 it did not fall because it had been founded on 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:21.180 the rock and everyone who hears these words of 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:23.920 mine and does not do them will be like a foolish 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:27.880 man who built his house on the sand and the rain 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:30.740 fell and the floods came and the winds blew and 00:27:30.740 --> 00:27:34.019 beat against that house and it fell and great 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:37.720 was the fall of it." Notice within that passage, 00:27:38.140 --> 00:27:42.440 who listens and who obeys versus he who does 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:44.980 not listen and obey. It's the wise man once again, 00:27:45.200 --> 00:27:48.200 wise man against the fool. And so from this passage, 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:52.160 perhaps we can formulate a definition of wisdom 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:57.759 and it's quite simple. Wisdom is listening. and 00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:01.980 obeying the teaching of Jesus. The wise man listens 00:28:01.980 --> 00:28:05.119 to Jesus and obeys, but the fool ignores the 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:10.140 teaching of Jesus. So let me ask you, are you 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:14.619 listening to Christ by His word? Are you being 00:28:14.619 --> 00:28:18.319 wise with it? The teaching of Jesus here is to 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:21.180 trust Him, not to trust yourself. That's what 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:25.279 fools do. Christians, though, trust in Christ. 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:29.039 To ignore His teaching is folly, and this is 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:32.400 teaching that spans not just in Ecclesiastes 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.779 and not just in the Sermon on the Mount. This 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:38.619 is a teaching that spans the entirety of Scripture. 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:42.299 This is true wisdom. If I can, before I land 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:47.460 the plane, just give you one more. Psalm 1, 1 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:53.319 and 2. Blessed is the man who walks not in the 00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:56.299 counsel of the wicked, Nor stands in the way 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:59.539 of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers But 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:03.079 his delight is in the law of the Lord and on 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:11.480 his law. He meditates day and night friends There's 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:14.740 a whole host of things that we might say broadcasts 00:29:14.740 --> 00:29:18.940 our lack of wisdom a poor financial investment 00:29:18.940 --> 00:29:22.839 Sinful decision made on a Friday night a time 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:26.190 we were unprepared a time when we did not listen 00:29:26.190 --> 00:29:29.589 well, ignoring the caution of the guide in the 00:29:29.589 --> 00:29:32.630 river and enduring the consequences. All of these 00:29:32.630 --> 00:29:37.430 things broadcast folly. The greatest wisdom though, 00:29:37.430 --> 00:29:40.609 what we really need is listening to the Lord 00:29:40.609 --> 00:29:45.630 Jesus Christ who speaks to us by His word. Let 00:29:45.630 --> 00:29:49.630 us always give heed to the inerrant word in which 00:29:49.630 --> 00:29:54.400 we find our Savior because He is our true wisdom. 00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:55.920 Let's pray.