#947 Ecclesiastes 10 Another Snake In The Wall

Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,

but a fool's heart to the left.

3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,

and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,

for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

8 He who digs a pit will fall into it,

and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.

9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them,

and he who splits logs is endangered by them.

10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,

he must use more strength,

but wisdom helps one to succeed.

11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,

there is no advantage to the charmer.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,

but the lips of a fool consume him.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,

and the end of his talk is evil madness.

14 A fool multiplies words,

though no man knows what is to be,

and who can tell him what will be after him?

15 The toil of a fool wearies him,

for he does not know the way to the city.

16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

and your princes feast in the morning!

17 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!

18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,

and through indolence the house leaks.

19 Bread is made for laughter,

and wine gladdens life,

and money answers everything.

20 Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,

nor in your bedroom curse the rich,

for a bird of the air will carry your voice,

or some winged creature tell the matter. Ecclesiastes 10 ESV

Ecclesiastes 10

1 The most pure thing can be ruined by something very small. You can fall from hero to zero in a single move. Think of something so precious as a perfume, that someone took great care in removing extracts from flowers, oils of frankincense, paid large sums to insure they got the choicest product, grown in the best regions and then processed under the most pristine conditions possible. If only men handled the word of God in such a way, if only we protected the gospel from the contaminants of our folly.  

…7 You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth? 8 Such persuasion does not come from the One who calls you. 9 A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.… Galatians 5: 7-9

2-3 A fool's actions define him; they announce him.

4-7 Stay calm, stay at your job, do not abandon your post. It is a sad thing, but it is more true than not that those who would seem the best leaders are often overlooked, and fools stand in their place. The one with integrity is often the servant to the one without wisdom. Fools tend to promote like; we call it corporate inbreeding. They like flatterers and are easily convinced by them, but nature can only stomach it for so long, can bare their weight only to a point, and then she vomits them out.

8-10 The pit digger may fall into his own trap. The one who tears at his neighbor's boundary may find something waiting for him inside. 

Alexander Maclaren made a spiritual application of the idea, whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent: “Whoso pulls down the wall of temperance, a serpent will bite him. Trembling hands, broken constitutions, ruined reputations, vanished ambitions, wasted lives, poverty, shame, and enfeebled will, death – these are the serpents that bite, in many cases, the transgressor.”

Someone who is lazy and foolish will make more work for himself because he wouldn't take the time to prep his blade. Planning, counting the cost, these are necessary to good management.

11-15 It is often better to leave the snake alone than to try and charm it. A babbler often lets out harmful information before he can be charmed or trained, and he is more dangerous than the snake. 

No man knows what is to be - This is a change in tone, realization perhaps, from only under the sun,a man may think that their is nothing after, but he cannot claim this for certainty. By scientific method he may see a corpse, get no response, burn it or bury it, but though their be no life left within it, yet he cannot speak of what's to be. Now, even under the sun, there is no great excuse for saying there is nothing after or what is after, for under this ball of fire, men cannot see what brought it all into being, nor can they know what is not revealed.

“In a fine note of sarcasm, this proverb says that a person may be so involved in arguing about the universe that he misses what the ordinary person is concerned about, namely, finding the way home.” (Wright)

iii. “To be ever learning, never arriving, as 2 Timothy 3:7 portrays some people, is to be a trifler who contrives to get lost on even the straightest way to the city. That is folly without even the excuse of ignorance.” (Kidner)

16-17 Princes are often raised in comfort and luxury that they do not want disturbed by duty and responsibility. They are always feasting and drunk at the most inappropriate times. The city is burning and they are playing their violins. 

18-20 Laziness causes poor conditions. Be thankful for what you have and take care of it. Cursing the king will bring you no good, only envy and enmity. Pray that he is blessed with wisdom, otherwise you waste precious time and fuel on things outside your control.