Eld Ko Swee Chay

Introduction

In Ecclesiastes 10:11-15, Solomon highlighted the danger of being a babbler, contrasted the words of the wise man with those of the fool, and pointed out the foolishness of the fool.

Solomon described a babbler to be not better than a biting serpent without enchantment. The tongue of the babbler is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, which must be controlled to avoid severe injury and destruction. We must be mindful to guard and control our tongues, lest we become babblers. Words have tremendous influence and power. Gracious words can build up and bless others, while unkind and foolish words can cause discord, division, destruction and ruined lives. Speaking foolishly without due forethought will bring about our own shame and destruction. The fool is known by his many and foolish words. He is unable to control his mouth. He speaks as though he knows everything. He is stupid and ignorant of the most apparent matters and lives without direction and meaning.

In Ecclesiastes 10:16-20, Solomon emphasized the importance of responsible leadership and contrasted the impacts of mature and wise versus childish and foolish leadership on the well-being of the nation and the people; warned against slothfulness, which would lead to negative consequences; highlighted the role of money and advised against speaking ill of rulers and leaders.

The importance of responsible leadership (Eccl 10:16-17)

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! ¹⁷ 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!

While the word “child” may refer to age, the primary idea is inexperience, immaturity and even foolishness. The phrase “eat in the morning” refers to revelry, not breakfast, as is evident by the contrast to Ecclesiastes 10:17. 

When the ruler of a nation is childish and self-serving and lacks self-control, his priority is his own enjoyment and pleasure, spending time at feasting and revelry while the nation is in great peril. When the country has inexperienced, immature and irresponsible rulers, the nation will fall. The books of 1 and 2 Kings describe the decline of kingdoms because of the leaders who were concerned about themselves.

In contrast, the nation is blessed when the king is the son of nobles, meaning with excellent qualities – he is wise, fears God and is diligent, he exercises discipline, knows the right time to eat and does so not for the pursuit of his own fleshly desires, gluttony or for pleasure’s sake, but for the right purpose of sustenance. He has the right priorities, knows how to rule his nation rightly and brings blessings to the land and the people.

In the context of a local church, we ought to pray for the leaders that they may lead responsibly with the fear of God in their hearts, with wisdom, integrity and love. The church should never put people who are spiritually immature, inexperienced, not evaluated and not proven into leadership positions. The selection and nomination of candidates to serve in the Church Session must satisfy the spiritual qualifications listed in Scriptures: for Elders – 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-3; for Deacons and Deaconesses – 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Churches that failed to follow these listed requirements are paying dearly for their mistake.          

The impact of laziness (Eccl 10:18)

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

In the Scriptures, a nation is described as a house. For example, the “house of Jacob” represents Israel.  Solomon used a vivid imagery of a house to illustrate that the basic problem of childish and selfish leaders is laziness and negligence, as well as the dire consequences. “Much slothfulness” means extreme laziness, negligence. This is an indictment of laziness and neglect, of refusal to work. Like a building that decays because of slothfulness and a house that collapses because of idleness, on the part of the builder and owner, a nation with indolent rulers will fall apart in no time. This imagery resonates with the depiction in Proverbs 24:30-34 of a lazy man’s neglected field grown over with thorns and nettles, emphasizing the importance of diligence and responsibility. A common trend today is “do as little as possible and have as much fun as you can”. The ministries of the church will suffer when slothfulness and idleness set in.  This verse reminds us of how we should serve the Lord; even as Paul urged the believers, “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;” (Rom 12:11).

The role of money (Eccl 10:19)

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

This verse is the philosophy of foolish rulers. It illustrates the mindset of intemperate, self-indulging, pleasure-loving rulers and the attractiveness of money. They are concerned only with the pursuit of sensual pleasures such as drunkenness, laughter and merriment. Their mindset is that money is the answer to everything; without money they cannot purchase sensual pleasures such as food and drink and have a happy and enjoyable life. They believe that anything else they might need is attainable by having even more money. They will use all their power and authority to get more money. They worship money!

We all know that money can provide for things; money helps us to deal with ordinary problems. But money is not the answer for all things. This verse warns against over-dependence on money and subtly hints at the dangers of the abuse and love of money. God’s Word recognises that money is necessary for this present life, but it also warns against the love of money (Matt 6:24, 1 Tim 6:10, Heb 13:5). Money is dangerous because it deceives us into thinking that wealth is the easiest solution to get everything we want. The love of money is sinful because we trust it, rather than God, to solve our problems. 

The warning against cursing the authority (Eccl 10:20)

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.

The king or ruler might be irresponsible, immature and self-indulging; hence people might be tempted to curse him. Yet Solomon warns against cursing the king or the rich even in thought or in private. A metaphorical ‘bird of the air’ may ‘carry the voice’, i.e. expose those whispered secrets, and the winged creature will make the matter known. The old saying “a little bird told me” probably had its origin from this verse. Literally, it suggests that words spoken in confidence can be reported or overheard and then spread, leading to potential harm to the speaker of the words, especially from those who hold authority or are rich who can be unpredictable and even retaliate against dissent. 

This verse implies the need for prudence and to be careful in criticising those in power. It also emphasises the importance of maintaining respect for authority and acknowledges the potential for unintended consequences when voicing discontent.

By way of application, one should be especially cautious of blasphemous words – or even thoughts – against the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Our curses cannot injure Him, but His curse upon us will condemn us to eternal hell. Disrespecting and dishonouring the authorities, even in our hearts, is also a violation of God’s holy law, and He knows it even though no one else does. Every secret transgression will be known, certainly by God who is omniscient. 

Practically, this verse teaches the value of discernment and discretion. With powerful and efficient modern technology and social media, privacy is increasingly difficult to maintain. The principle of being cautious with one’s speech and written message is becoming ever more relevant, where ill-considered words, spoken or written, can quickly become public and have severe repercussions.

Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 emphasise the importance of responsible leadership for a land to be blessed. When rulers are childish and pleasure-seeking, the people suffer. Similarly, the need for God fearing, spiritually mature, faithful and diligent leaders in the church cannot be over emphasised. The passage warns against slothfulness and negligence, which will undoubtedly lead to severe consequences. It highlights the abuse and love of money to pursue sensual pleasures and satisfy carnal desires. We should never think that money can solve all our problems. Additionally, it cautions against cursing people in power. Words have a great impact and tend to find their way to unintended audiences. God is omniscient and aware of all actions and thoughts, and there are serious repercussions for rebellion against divine authority. AMEN.