Eld Ko Swee Chay

Introduction

In Ecclesiastes 9:13-18, the Word of God makes it clear that “Wisdom is better than strength” (Eccl 9:16); “Wisdom is better than weapons of war” (Eccl 9:18); fools will despise and ignore wisdom, and that one sinner can destroy the good that wisdom brings. Even though wisdom is better, it is not always heard and respected, and the words of wise people, especially the poor and lowly, often go unheard and unheeded. Christians ought to know that wisdom is a gift from God to deal with troubles and problems in life and they ought to diligently seek God’s wisdom from God’s Word.

Ecclesiastes 10:1-7 highlight the destructive nature and consequence of folly and encourages us to lean towards wisdom. We are to respect and deal wisely with people of authority expecting that things may not happen the way we want.

Foolishness Ruins a Wise’s Man Reputation

¹ Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

Solomon exclaimed that dead flies in a precious ointment (sweet smelling perfume) of the apothecary (pharmacist) will putrefy that ointment, producing a foul odour. This is an emblematic parallelism depicting the foolishness of a man who spent his life building his reputation of wisdom and honour but destroyed it by one foolish act. The ointment of the apothecary is expensive and takes time, effort, and patience to make. After putting in so much hard work to make something so expensive, why would he carelessly leave the bottle open for flies to fly in and ruin it?

Likewise, a little folly will ruin the reputation of a man who spent his lifetime building a reputation of wisdom and honour. It is true that a seemingly minor sin or small blemish by a wise, honest and godly person can lead to serious consequences, as in the case of Moses smiting the rock twice (Num 20:7-12).

This verse is a powerful reminder to all of us who are God’s children: we must be very careful to not allow “flies” from “entering our ointment” by zealously and vehemently guarding and preserving our testimony and witness. We all have heard or read of how a little folly ruined a life of testimony; or how a little foolishness ruined a person’s life and family and spoiled the lives of others; or how one careless mistake ruined a successful career. We all know that a reputation that has been earned through a lifetime can easily be destroyed by a single sin; that a good testimony that took a long time to earn can be easily lost in a moment of weakness or carelessness.

As Christians, we should, therefore, be diligent to walk circumspectly, relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us through God’s Word to live a life of godliness, holiness and righteousness consistently; we need to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Pe 5:8).

Foolishness is Self-evident

² A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. 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.

Most people are right-handed. Therefore, “right hand” implies skill and strength; “left hand” connotes ineptness and clumsiness. In this context, the right hand refers to strength, dexterity, skill, honour and righteousness. In contrast, the left hand is inferior and refers to awkwardness, clumsiness and rashness. “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand” means his heart has been regenerated by the Word of God. He loves, fears and trusts God, he is full of faith and wisdom, he hates sin and loves righteousness; whatever he does, he does it with all his heart, willingly, faithfully and diligently. “A fool’s heart at his left hand” means the fool doesn’t know, love, fear and trust God; he is foolish and sinful, evil and wicked, and heavily influenced by Satan and the world; he does things in a half-hearted way, reluctantly and sloppily.  

“Heart” evidently stands for all the faculties: the seat of knowledge and understanding, the source of purpose, emotion and desire, the centre of affection, the very soul of the spiritual life. Carefully guarding and keeping our heart with God are our sure security, relying on the Holy Spirit to live for Christ, obeying God’s Word and truths, and seeking God’s grace and mercy.     

Folly is usually self-evident so that a fool can be identified easily. He does not have to carry a placard on his chest that says, “I am a fool”. A fool cannot hide his foolishness. From his manner of living, the words that come out of his mouth, the things that he does, the way he conducts and behaves himself, and the lack of wisdom in him, it is as if he is telling people that he is a fool. This is what Solomon alluded to. The dangers and seriousness of foolishness are clear, but it is really tragic. With the help of God’s Word, let us learn to be wise and not be fools.

Foolishness in High Places

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. ⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. ⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

Solomon gave us advice on how to deal with an angry ruler or authority, and he observed the evil blunders created by the ruler due to foolish errors. 

Solomon advised that if confronted with the ruler’s (or superior’s) anger, which cannot be pacified, the wise thing to do is not to leave or resign from the post but to have a calm and cool composure (yielding) to avoid offences against him. This advice is like the one given in Ecclesiastes 8:3 - “Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.” Combining Ecclesiastes 8:3 with 10:4, this “yielding” must never arise from cowardice, or the fear of losing our jobs, favour or something else. It is the right thing to do where conscience is not concerned, for nothing is to be gained by the display of an unbending spirit. We all know a resentful pride adds fury to the storm, but a mild demeanour changes it to a calm. Where conscience is concerned, one must leave his place and be prepared to face whatever the consequence. A Christian must maintain tact, calmness and self-control, showing wisdom when dealing with the anger of people, but without compromising on truth. 

Solomon highlighted in Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 that folly and error can be found in people in positions of power and authority, causing contradictions and unfairness in life. In this context, “servants” refer to people whose skill, knowledge and wisdom are limited; the “rich” and “princes” are capable people. Solomon declared it is evil for rulers to place inept people in positions of dignity, to let the rich languish in low places; servants are exalted to sit on horses while princes are humbled and relegated to the role of servants walking upon the earth. This could result from favouritism, relationships, corruption or simply poor judgment or lack of wisdom.    

By describing this kind of reversal of roles that doesn’t make sense or seems unfair, Solomon was saying that life is unpredictable – the thing that everyone would expect doesn’t happen (Eccl 9:11), and wisdom alone cannot bring justice. We would expect wise and capable men to be successful in life and not the foolish and inept, but sometimes that is not the case in this sin-cursed world. Solomon’s conclusion was that everything we have, from riches to wisdom, is vanity without God.

Conclusion

Dead flies will utterly ruin the precious perfume. That is exactly what happens when foolishness enters a man who is known for his wisdom and honour. A little folly or small sin will destroy his life and family, his reputation and witness. A wise man is strong of heart, but a fool’s heart is faint. A fool cannot conceal his foolishness. By how he lives and conducts himself, it is evident that he lacks wisdom. When dealing with an angry ruler or a superior or people, wisdom, self-control and calmness are required to manage stormy situations. One should not be surprised with the reversal of how things are expected to be whereby the fools are promoted or exalted while the wise men sit in lowly positions or serve the fools. May the Lord help us to know these things and give us the wisdom to handle them. AMEN.