NORTHSHORE CHURCH OF CHRIST

Solomon paints us pictures of the wise man and the foolish man in the 10^th chapter of Ecclesiastes. As we take trip after trip around the sun, we can start to wonder what we are supposed to be doing and if we are doing it right. Solomon nods along beside us. He, too, has wrestled with all those thoughts, and God granted him wisdom to understand man’s place and purpose under the sun. God grants man wisdom so we can walk rightly, honorably, justly in this world, thus gaining the precious rewards of healthy consciences, happy lives, and inner peace.

According to Ecclesiastes 10…

The wise man takes care in his life, takes care of his tools, works hard despite less-than-optimal conditions, uses his words skillfully, does not curse rulers but controls himself, feasts at the proper times, and brings home the bacon to his thriving, healthy family. His words give grace and return to him with favor. He can calmly sit while his master rails at him because he knows his place, knows he is in the right, and knows that to rise against the ruler would be shameful and foolhardy. His steps are established by the Lord in wisdom. “Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!” (10.17).

The fool demonstrates his lack of sense through laziness, silly speech, incompetence, and lack of moral judgment. He spouts unhelpful words. He makes excuses and does not work. “It might rain,” he says, and stays inside to play video games instead of doing what needs to be done today. With a super-inflated ego, he “educates” others and believes that wisdom resides with him, but everyone around him realizes he doesn’t even know what road he’s on and he certainly can’t guide others! “The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness” (10.13).

This is not just dealing with social issues or things that are “worse vs. better.” Solomon speaks here of morality, of the way a man orders his steps before the Lord, of righteous living vs. wicked living.

Paul’s Similar Admonitions

Paul similarly commented on wise living in Ephesians 5.6–21. Some will attempt to deceive Christians with empty words, but Paul wants us to carefully discern and not become partners with those “sons of disobedience” who are “darkness” (5.6–8). Those fools will perish in their folly. Paul charges us to “walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord” (10.8–10). Paul continues:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Sprit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (5.15–21)

Walk in the wisdom of the Lord! His paths are straight and level, our foot will not slip, our lives will be established come what may. What confidence, what joy, and what peace you will find!

(Thoughts from our Wednesday Ecclesiastes study)

God has made both the day of prosperity and the day of adversity (Eccl. 7.14). We don’t know from day to day what we will find. Will a friend call to tell us someone we love just died? Will the book deal come through we’ve been working so hard to land? Will our son win the big game with a three-point fading jump shot? Will our spouse get into a tragic car accident?

Solomon says we cannot know anything of what will be after us. In other words, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring…or even later today, for that matter. So we should be joyful in the day of prosperity and when days of adversity come, just sit and think about it. Ponder the brevity of life and the reality that we are not in control. Only God knows. Only God controls.

One crooked thing is that sometimes righteous people die early, and sometimes wicked people live long and prosper in this adventure under the sun.

The trick is to remember we are really all in the same boat. “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Eccl. 7.20). No matter how righteous you are, you will never work your way out of being a sinner! Solomon does not say to abandon the righteous path, throw caution to the wind, and be as wicked as you want. Rather, he still says, “Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?” (7.17).

He encourages the path of humility: “Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others” (7.21–22). Your own heart is crooked; therefore, don’t be surprised and don’t get bent out of shape when others around you have crooked hearts. It is true, “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (7.29). Humility comes when we can think rightly of ourselves. Pride comes when we gloss over our own failings, shortcomings, and sins. If someone calls me a moron, I should halfway agree with him and not take to heart. He’s also a moron, but I don’t need to go there, do I? I should welcome him as my fellow moron in this adventure under the sun.

Another crooked thing is that our rulers are sinners, too, and they have power over us. Solomon encourages us to “Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him…for the word of the king is supreme…” (8.2, 4). The wise man submits to earthly authority, not because they are good, but because they are appointed by God.

Even though there are crooked events and crooked people, Solomon depends upon this rule: “Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God” (8.12–13).

And he always returns to this rule, as well: “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun” (8.15).

Praise God. Depend on God. God will make the crooked things straight in His time.