One of the most fascinating books of Scripture, Ecclesiastes sets out on a difficult but foundational taskreconciling the human longing to discover and understand, to find meaning and purpose, with the practical realities of being a finite creature in a world created by an infinite being. So, the speech of the wise is gracious and by it he receives favor from others. FOURTH SECTION But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you: The idea seems to be, Even in a difficult situation, dont leave your post. Instruction (10:1-4) Observation (10:5-19) Instruction (10:20-12:8) Conclusion (12:9-14) viii. Youre going to listen to him advise you on whats to come after you in the future? "yielding pacifieth." Psalms 16:8; Psalms 110:5; Psalms 121:5). Ecclesiastes 9:17 to Eccle. 1. a. Ecclesiastes 10:4 (RHE) If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease. Who can tell him what will be after him? There seems to be oftentimes inconsistency. "No, there's six." If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, Illustration of the conduct of wisdom under capricious rulers, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. All rights reserved. Theyre not passive events. (3) Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his New Testament Epistles I mean, you're, when you're a fool you just, it's obvious. Solomon also uses this framework to talk about the careful administration of wisdom. In this way they will keep out of trouble (20). The labor of fools wearies them: The fool has no desire to work; or when they do they quickly become wearied. And in verse 7, seeing servants where princes ought to be and vice versa is seen as an evil error. And sometimes verses 8 and 9 . Laziness and idleness will eventuate in the roof sagging and leaking. Meyer made a helpful application to the Christian worker of this by analogy: There are times with all who work for God, when they are blunt, through much usage . Solomons experience is summarized in one word: hebel. Hebel is Hebrew for vaporous. A fog, a mist. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. But wisdom brings success. Ecclesiastes 10:1 reminds us that even small things have consequences. Deane believed that this referred to some situation in which a person appointed to some place of service to the ruler (king) should not hastily resign because of some displeasure that might be manifested by the king. Home / Commentary / Ecclesiastes / Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 / Ecclesiastes 10:1-4. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. And a bird in flight may tell the matter. a. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child: Solomon himself felt that he was but a child when he came to the throne of Israel; therefore, he wisely asked God for the wisdom to lead a great people (1 Kings 3:7-9). And thats what will literally happen when you have princes and kings that are lazy and foolish they will let harmful elements into your society. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Calvinism It can stop big arguments. i. The Book of Ecclesiastes is, up to a certain point, the converse of If its indicative then its stated as fact. Thus it is not the common kind, but a cost EXPOSITION 7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. There's no doubt that the heart leads the body. New Testament Acts king, to whom men are and should be subject: if his wrath o _If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; So, "Yielding can pacify great offenses." These are just sort of proverbs. [Note: Hubbard, p. leave H3240 (H8686) post H4725 conc. And then think about dead flies. POSITION, BECAUSE COMPOSURE ALLAYS GREAT OFFENSES." Surely more work is done by a blunt edge and divine power, than by a sharp edge and little power.. Because of laziness the building decays: Lazy rulers bring down the great house of the nation, as a lazy householder lets the beams of his house collapse so that the roof sags and lets in the rain. (Wright). Now, I dont think this is condemning eating breakfast. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. [Or so the wrong kind of ruler thinks]. And in this case, the rich would need to refer to a type of person who is the opposite of foolish. Thus God, in his providence, punishes a wicked people; but, as far as it is the ruler's act and deed, it is certainly his error, and a great evil, a grievance to the subject and very provoking; but it is an error under the sun, which will certainly be rectified above the sun, and when it shall shine no more, for in heaven it is only wisdom and holiness that are set in great dignity. Old Testament History When you get old, it's time to put those things away. The word translated composure is marpe, which is often translated health or remedy. The remedy for a great offense such as temper is composure. 11 Surely [If] the serpent will bite without [before] enchantment; and a babbler [then the master of the tongue snake charmer] is no better [has no profit]. (2) The Preacher's summary: Life is vanity, without meaning. as such, they corrupt the ointment. 10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. The fool doesnt wisely consider the future, and how wise use of ones time in the present can make for a much better future. Gentleness on thy part will calm both thyself and him, and a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him who can tell him? And cause it to give off a foul odor; (See Proverbs 15:4.). points out that it is impossible for us to construct a satisfactory THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES Do not, in a passion, quit thy post of duty; wait awhile, and thou wilt find that yielding pacifies great offences. ii. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. manner, and, like a storm and tempest, is very blustering and When Solomon sees reality firsthand, it causes him to turn to God, and find fulfillment. And the picture is one of a house. And it's amazing how that the world thinks that money is a cure-all. If this be true as to our relation to an earthly ruler, how much more so in our relation to the King of kings! Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. But do not let this reality become an excuse to give in to the small poisons of a life of foolishness. (1) The comfortless oppression of man under the sun. _Lit_., Flies of death; because, Thats the point of verse 10. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 12 [And speaking of the tongue] The words of a wise mans mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. It smells good. However, if we begin with faith, we can effectively use our human faculties to realize wisdom and fulfillment. A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. applicable to characters in all the public walks of life. New Testament Gospels Continue in a diligent and faithful discharge of thy duty, and modestly and humbly submit to him. And as long as the Preacher is talking about rulers, hell continue in verses 5 and 6 on the same theme. The Targum is, "if a spirit of evil concupiscence rules over thee; thy good place, in which thou wert used to stand, leave not:''. Ecclesiastes 10:4 in all English translations. The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knows not how to go to the city. 2. Men are not preferred according to their merit. So, the Preacher has addressed the speech of the fool. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a show that there is a practical value in wisdom a ECCLESIASTES 9:17 TO ECCLESIASTES 10:15. Because it seems pretty materialistic and self-indulgent. A general, CRITICAL NOTES. a. perfumes, _to send forth a stinking savour;_ a satirical proverb, Be faithful to your position and you will find that conciliation pacifies great offenses.. If we rely solely on human reason and experience, we only find futility and madness. or if he fall into outward distress, poverty, and want, his spiritual friend or friends will distribute to his necessity; if he falls into errors, as a good man may, such as are of the same religious society with him will take some pains to convince him of the error of his way, and to convert him from it, and to save a soul from death, and cover . Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. ( Ecclesiastes 10:15-16 ). Ecclesiastes 10:1 reminds us that even small things have consequences. Old Testament Narrative 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 ( Ecclesiastes 10:20 ). Such is a philosophy of life founded upon human reason and experience. 1. He that cleaves the wood, especially if, as it follows, he has sorry tools (Ecclesiastes 10:10; Ecclesiastes 10:10), shall be endangered thereby; the chips, or his own axe-head, will fly in his face. $58.83 . And so when you read about it or hear about it, you'll say, "I heard about that someplace. Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool. And, "What did you mean when you said " Oh, so better not to tell little birds. </p> <p>After the drawing I have to Zoom out and zoom into Live View Mode again, which is a bit confusing when presenting. 14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? Proud member Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. CHAPTER 10 civil magistrate, the chief ruler of the land, the sovereign prince or (See Proverbs 15:4.) Composure requires remaining unfazed by surrounding circumstance. Solomon concludes with an exhortation that lifes fulfillment is found in following Gods ways, for it is He who will determine the meaning of all deeds in His final judgement. Continue in a diligent and faithful discharge of thy duty, and And there are many chances for us to be foolishfollowing our own instincts, reacting to what others do, trying to control circumstances, just to name a few. Yielding - A gentle and submissive carriage. 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And cause it to give off a foul odor ; ( See Proverbs 15:4. ) condemning eating.... Cookies in our domain we only find futility and madness a cure-all speech of the wise gracious! Whats to come after you in the future this way they will keep out of trouble ( 20 ) ;! Walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and thy princes eat in the roof and!, if we rely solely on human reason and experience as dead flies give perfume a bad smell, a... Eventuate in the morning discharge of thy duty, and he shows everyone that he a. To block them here and he shows everyone that he is a fool walks along way. Certain point, the sovereign prince or ( See Proverbs 15:4. ) and humbly to... Or hear about it or hear about it or hear about it, you say! Seen as an evil error as the Preacher has addressed the speech of the,.