Ecclesiastes 10
Chuck Smith on Ecclesiastes 10
Verse by verse, taught on Sunday nights: the C2000 series, 1979 to 1985, and the C3000 series, 1985 to 1999. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Sunday Nights, 1979 to 1985 (C2000)
Chapter introduction
Chapter 10:
Verse 1
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking odor: so does a little folly to him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor (10:1).
There are certain men that just should not be doing foolish things. We are reading quite a bit lately about the Bohemian Club and we are told of all the important people in the United States, men who are part of this Bohemian Club. Men who should know better, but evidently don't. And, of course, we are told that our President and Vice President and former President Richard Nixon, David Rockefeller, that elitist of the United States, members of this Bohemian Club, and they have a little retreat north of San Francisco where they go once a year for a retreat. Where they entertain themselves by putting on foolish costumes and dancing around, and going through different types of rites and so forth in this Bohemian Club. But even as dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary carried a stink, so does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. In other words, men who are in reputation for wisdom and honor, it's just folly and their life is out of place.
Verse 2
A wise man's heart is at his right hand (10:2);
I only bring that up because you're going to be reading more and more about the Bohemian Club. The liberal press has decided to expose its activities because they are sort of ridiculous and, of course, they are out to get some of our leaders and to sort of demolish them as idols in our eyes. And so you're going to be reading more and more about the Bohemian Club. And so when you read about it or hear about it, you'll say, "I heard about that someplace. Where did I hear about that? Oh, yeah." But it's something that they are zeroing in on even as they've zeroed in on Nancy Reagan's fancy clothes and all. They're zeroing in on the Bohemian Club as one of the things. But you see, the problem is by belonging to it they have given them... and going along with the folly of this springtime retreat up there, they celebrate the coming of spring by putting on their little flowered tutus and dancing around and all. They're exposing themselves to this. You're really a man who is of reputation and everything else. It's just out of place. It's just like flies in the ointment of the apothecary. It's just a stinking thing. And so it's tragic that wise men can do such foolish things. Trying to somehow... it's amazing to me what dumb things wise men can do and leaders can do and all.
When we were little kids, we would make up our clubs with our secret oaths and our initiations and our passwords, and you know, the whole thing. We were... had our own little mafias and secret organizations and you know, "Blood, man," and just, we were brothers and this whole thing. Well, that's great when you're a little boy and living in a world of unreal fantasies. But when you grow up and you still get into these secret clubs and you have your secret passwords and your secret handshakes and your special little robes and clothes and hats and, you just haven't grown up and that's your problem.
Paul said, "When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spoke as a child, and acted as a child. But when I was old, I put away the childish things" (I Corinthians 13:11). When you get old, it's time to put those things away. But some people just don't grow up. And thus, they are exposing themselves to ridicule and to the press which will expose them. "A wise man's heart is at his right hand."
but a fool's heart at his left (10:2).
Now I don't know that there's any scientific. I don't know what he's saying. Help! I think I'm getting a heartbeat.
Verse 3
Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool (10:3).
I mean, you're, when you're a fool you just, it's obvious. You express it.
Verse 4
If the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding will pacify great offenses (10:4).
Oh, how much better it is to yield a point than to hang on. And if we would only learn just to yield a point. It can pacify great offenses. It can stop big arguments. It can actually save your life at times. There's some really nuts out there in the world. And a lot of people have been killed by insisting on their right of ways. "It's my right of way." And you can insist on your right of way but get wiped out. So, "Yielding can pacify great offenses." Give in to the point. What difference does it make? Whether there were five or six fish in that basket. You know, you can get in the biggest arguments over some stupid thing like that. Get angry. Get where you don't speak for a day or two because, "There's five." "No, there's six." "No, five." Maybe there were five. Yield it. Why argue? It's dumb to just argue over things like that. Yielding can pacify great offenses. Good advice.
Verses 5–7
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceeds from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth (10:5-7).
There seems to be oftentimes inconsistency.
Verse 8
He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaks a hedge, a serpent shall bite him (10:8).
They used a hedge about to keep the serpents out. You break the hedge; the serpent will bite you. You dig a pit; you'll fall into it. These are just sort of proverbs.
Verses 9–10
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, and he do not sharpen the edge, then must he put in more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct (10:9-10).
So figure it out, man. If you're trying to chop wood with a dull iron, dull hatchet or dull ax, it's going to take more strength. Sharpen it, takes less strength. Makes sense.
Verse 11
Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better (10:11).
He'll bite, too.
Verses 12–14
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? (10:12-14)
We don't know the future. People talk so confidently of the future and all. You don't know what's going to be out there, you don't know what the future holds.
Verses 15–16
The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knows not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! (10:15-16)
That means they were drunk all night so they eat in the morning.
Verses 17–18
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth (10:17-18);
Now you that are managers of buildings and so forth, you might choose that to put above the timeclocks for the maintenance men.
Verses 18–19
and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answers all things (10:18-19).
Now my wife believes that this is a scriptural truth. But I was trying to tell you, this is Solomon and he's talking about worldly wisdom. And it's amazing how that the world thinks that money is a cure-all. Money will answer everything.
Verse 20
Curse not the king, no not even in your thoughts; and curse not the rich in your bedroom: for a little bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter (10:20).
It's amazing how you say something about someone to a person in confidence thinking that that won't go any further, but it's amazing how many times it will get right back to the person. And then you have the phone call and say, "Did you say... ?" And, "What did you mean when you said... " Oh, so better not to tell little birds. That's where they got the phrase, "A little bird told me." Came from this.
Sunday Nights, 1985 to 1999 (C3000)
Chapter introduction
Let’s turn now to Ecclesiastes chapter ten as we continue our study and the words of the preacher, the Ecclesiastes. Solomon is identified as the writer. Written in his later years when he had turned his heart away from the Lord and he sees, in this book, the emptiness and the futility of life at its best, apart from Christ. He tasted of everything, he had done everything, he said that there is not a single thing that he desires that he did not withhold from himself. Yet, having tasted of it all, he speaks of the emptiness of it all. The emptiness of all of those worldly accomplishments, worldly glory, the riches and the fame, was empty in and of themselves.
In chapter ten he continues really with the thought that we had at the end of chapter nine. You do understand that when wrote this, he didn’t write it in chapters. It was just one book, one scroll, without any divisions. Those divisions were created later for our benefit. It’s a lot easier to look up a scripture because you have it in the chapters and verses so we can make reference to a particular scripture. Originally it wasn’t set out that way.
In setting it out in chapters, it’s extremely handy for us in referencing scriptures but unfortunately, we in our western mind and in the way we read when we come to an end of a chapter we think, “that’s the end of that chapter and now we are going to begin a new chapter kind of a thing” and we don’t often carry through the thought from the previous chapter. When you say, “I’m going to read five chapters of the Bible tonight” and you may be quitting right in the middle of a thought if you had read on in the next chapter and then carry it on. Studying it as we are, when we are taking a few chapters a week, unfortunately we are many times making a break right in the middle of the development of a thought. Such is case in chapter nine and chapter ten and even in eleven and twelve there should be no break. Fortunately there will be no break tonight and we will go right through and see the continuation of thought.
In the previous chapter he was talking about a city that was being besieged by strong enemy and there was this wise poor man who delivered the city by his wisdom from this powerful enemy that was besieging the city. So he came to the conclusion that “wisdom is better than weapons of war: however, one sinner can destroy a lot of good” (9:18). In that idea, he goes right into his next thought.
Verse 1
DEAD flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: [odor] (10:1).
The flies when they would swarm into the oil of the apothecary, the perfumed oil, they would keep them covered because the flies would swarm and it isn’t long before it begins to get rotten and it begins to stink. It was something very common to their relating to life. He talks about this and they understood exactly what it means. We think, “dead flies in the ointment of the apothecary” (10:1), what’s that all about? The people at that time understood completely as they saw the swarms of flies and they would get into the perfumed oils and turn them into a stinking odor.
The analogy that he is drawing,
so doth a little a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour (10:1).
You take a man who has a great reputation for wisdom, a man who is held in high esteem and honour, all it takes is just a little folly to turn that whole opinion of the man. The idea is “one sinner could destroy much good” (9:18), it just takes a little bit, a little folly can take a man who is in authority, power and great reputation and bring him down very quickly.
Verse 2
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left (10:2).
The idea behind that is a wise man’s heart will lead him to right things, to right actions, whereas fool’s heart will lead him to wrong activities and wrong actions. The idea was the right hand was always the place of honour, respect and esteem and the left hand was really the place of sort of put down or rejection. You remember Jesus when he comes again will “gather together the nations and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. To those on his right hand he will say, Come ye blessed ye of the father inherit the kingdom”. The right hand, the place of honour, it leads to honorable things. However, the fool will lead to dishonorable things.
Verse 3
Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool (10:3).
A fool just can’t hide it. It’s going to come out. As he walks in the way it becomes very obvious that he is a fool. His actions speak to everybody the fact that he is a fool.
Verse 4
Changing the thought,
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences (10:4).
Basically, he is making reference here to a man who sits as a counselor to a king. The king doesn’t follow your counsel or he turns from the advice that you have given him thus his spirit rises up against the counsel. Don’t get in a huff and quit and say, “Well, if you’re not going to listen to me then I am leaving” don’t remove from your place. Yielding will bring peace even when there have been great offenses. “A soft answer turneth away wrath”, it’s so easy to bring an end to a dispute by saying, “maybe you’re right”. What difference does it make?
I am amazed at what a great fire a little matter kindles. Some of the big fights you have are over whether or not it was dark chocolate or milk chocolate. Divorces can come about from such things. It just builds up and up and up and up. Yielding will pacify great offences and that’s the end of it. It ends all of the argument, the offence and the fighting and the bitter feelings that rise out of it.
Verses 5–6
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place (10:5-6).
The exalting of the fools and the denigrating of the wives.
Verse 7
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth (10:7).
I’ve seen a reversal of order. I’ve seen fools exhorted while I’ve seen the wise men sort of put down. I’ve seen princes who were put down while the servants were exalted.
Verse 8
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; (10:8).
You set a trap for someone else and quite often you are caught in your own trap. In our neighborhood there is a posted twenty-five mile an hour speed zone. The people don’t always observe it and every once in a while some of the people in the neighborhood called the Newport Beach police department. They asked them to set up a radar unit to keep the people at the proper speed, to make sure they don’t exceed the twenty-five mile an hour speed limit. The interesting thing about that is the people who called and complained and asked that the police set up the radar trap were invariably the ones that got caught exceeding the speed. It’s sort of a joke in the neighborhood because the fellow who called and did the most complaining got caught himself for speeding. The idea of digging a pit to trap an animal or whatever will fall into it himself.
and whoso breaketh an hedge [wall], a serpent shall bite him (10:8).
They used to have these rock walls between their vineyards and if a person goes to brake down a rock wall there were these little snakes that would nest inside. So in taking down a rock wall you were very apt to be bitten by a snake. Digging a pit, you will fall into it and if you go to hurt someone by braking down their wall, you will be hurt, you will be bitten by the serpent.
Verse 9
Whoso removeth stones (10:9).
These stones were the markers for the field and a person would try to pick up a little extra acreage by going out and moving these stones that marked off the limits of the field.
Verses 9–10
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth [splits] wood shall be endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, [axes are dull] and he do not whet [sharpen] the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct (10:9-10).
In other words, rather than using all of your strength with a dull axe, take a little effort to sharpen it and it takes then a lot less effort to then do your job.
Verse 11
Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better (10:11).
That is a babbler will bite you. A person is just mouthy and the Bible calls them babblers. Unless a serpent is enchanted, they did have those guys with the flutes and the serpents were enchanted. Unless they are enchanted they’ll strike and so will a babbler; they’ll strike you. Watch out for them.
Verse 12
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself (10:12).
So you can tell what a man is by his words.
Verses 13–14
The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness [the fool]. The fool also is full of words; a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him: (10:13-14).
People do a lot of talking but really you don’t know what is going to take place tomorrow.
Verses 15–16
The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! (10:15-16).
The idea is that of dinning and eating and if your princes are eating in the morning then you are in trouble. It means that they’re drinking in the morning and eating and they really should be about their business during the day. They are playboys eating in the morning.
Verses 17–18
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season [the proper time], for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth; (10:17-18).
I think we all know that don’t we? Our houses need constant upkeep and it’s sort of a frustrating thing when you just see your house going to pieces in front of you and you don’t have the time to do the things you need to do to keep the house up.
Verses 18–19
and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things (10:18-19).
How many of you really believe that? Money is the answer to everything; there are people who believe that. Anything and everything can be answered by money.
Verse 20
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter (10:20).
Have you ever heard them say, “a little bird told me”? Have you ever wondered where they got that? This is the scripture that that saying comes from. Solomon is saying to be careful of what you are saying, even in secret, even in the privacy of your own home. It’s amazing how your words can get out, how you can be exposed. Just be careful of the things you say, even in secret.