Ecclesiastes 10:1-4: Of fools and dead flies:
Dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom. Wise thinking leads to right living; stupid thinking leads to wrong living. Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: “There goes the fool again!”
If a ruler loses his temper against you, don’t panic; a calm disposition quiets intemperate rage.
Many people living in climate-controlled environments might not appreciate how stinky dead flies can smell. My childhood farm had lots of animals and lots of manure, so we endured problems with dead flies. Sometimes we would have so many flies in our house in the summertime that we would have to close all the doors and windows, spray the whole house with insect spray, and then leave for a few hours. When we returned, we would have to sweep up piles of dead flies or they would fill the house with noxious odors.
Flies are so small that many people might not notice them; however, if enough dead flies are concentrated in one place, the odor can knock you off your feet. Foolishness mixed with wisdom can do the same thing. We have satellite TV, and one of the programs is devoted to proving that there were ancient aliens on planet earth. Sadly, highly educated people who refuse to believe in the One True Living God are more than willing to believe in ancient aliens. (Actually, there were ancient aliens; one third of the angels fell from heaven to earth with Lucifer. Sadly, those demons are still around and very active. But these programs are holding out for extraterrestrials.)
5-7 Here’s a piece of bad business I’ve seen on this earth, an error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge: Immaturity is given a place of prominence, while maturity is made to take a backseat. I’ve seen unproven upstarts riding in style, while experienced veterans are put out to pasture.
In 1969 Laurence Peter and Raymond Hull wrote a book entitled The Peter Principle. Wikipedia tells us: “The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to “a level of respective incompetence”: employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another…. Peter and Hull intended the book to be satire,[4] but it became popular as it was seen to make a serious point about the shortcomings of how people are promoted within hierarchical organizations.”
Part of the advice from that book was that if you wished to remain in a position in which you were doing well, practice a little “creative incompetence,” in other words, mess up small things that would not matter just sufficiently to prevent you from being elevated to a level of incompetence. Such thinking appears counter-intuitive. After all, why not strive for the highest position possible? But Shakespeare wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” There’s a lot to be said for not being the boss, the ultimate authority, for then you are the one most culpable if things go wrong.
8-11 “Caution: The trap you set might catch you. Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you. Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous. Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous. Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; use your head: The more brains, the less muscle. If the snake bites before it’s been charmed, what’s the point in then sending for the charmer?
12-13 The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs—He starts out talking nonsense and ends up spouting insanity and evil.
14-15 Fools talk way too much, chattering stuff they know nothing about. A decent day’s work so fatigues fools that they can’t find their way back to town.
Many of us need a sign that reads “Engage brain before acting.” If you don’t consider the consequences of your actions, those consequences can become injurious or even fatal. A few years ago, young people in my home area were engaging in “ditch surfing,” that is, running a vehicle with most of it in the roadside ditch. But roads have culverts and bridges and ditches have unexpected pot holes. Several people were injured or killed before this practice was abandoned.
16-17 Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, and whose princes party all night. Lucky the land whose king is mature, where the princes behave themselves and don’t drink themselves silly.
Sober mature leadership is a jewel beyond price. Matter what kind of organization you are discussing, leadership always sets the tone for the entire organization. The same thing is true for nations.
18 A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; a lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.
19 Laughter and bread go together, and wine gives sparkle to life—But it’s money that makes the world go around. These observations are self-explanatory.
20 Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, and don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide. Even before the advent of smart phones and social media, gossip spreads faster than the speed of light. And when it comes to complaining about leaders, you can readily get yourself into trouble. Best advice: Keep quiet!
The major lesson from all these various remarks is simple: Avoid foolishness and be as discrete as possible. Where does true wisdom come from? Proverbs 8 tells us, “I am Lady Wisdom, and I live next to Sanity; Knowledge and Discretion live just down the street.
The Fear-of-God means hating Evil, whose ways I hate with a passion—pride and arrogance and crooked talk. Good counsel and common sense are my characteristics; I am both Insight and the Virtue to live it out. With my help, leaders rule, and lawmakers legislate fairly; with my help, governors govern, along with all in legitimate authority. I love those who love me; those who look for me find me. Wealth and Glory accompany me—also substantial Honor and a Good Name. My benefits are worth more than a big salary, even a very big salary; the returns on me exceed any imaginable bonus…
32-36 “So, my dear friends, listen carefully; those who embrace these my ways are most blessed. Mark a life of discipline and live wisely; don’t squander your precious life. Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning, alert and responsive as I start my day’s work. When you find me, you find life, real life, to say nothing of God’s good pleasure. But if you wrong me, you damage your very soul; when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.”
May God help us to humbly seek wisdom and to be discrete!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to seek Your wisdom and insight before we speak or act. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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