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The Vanity of Ignoring a Wise Word of Caution (Ecclesiastes 10)- Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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Take your Bibles or the pew Bibles there in front
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of you and turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 10. Ecclesiastes
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10 as we continue in our sermon series through
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this book. As you turn there, let me say this
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chapter is one of the more proverbial chapters
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in Ecclesiastes. And what I mean by that, it
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is proverb -like. Ecclesiastes 10 is colorful
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in its descriptions. It contains short, pithy
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statements that seem like they belong in the
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book of Proverbs. It continues to deal with wisdom
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and with folly. And so let us see all of this
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in Ecclesiastes 10, the whole chapter. Dead flies.
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make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench.
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So a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
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A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
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but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the
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fool walks on the road, he lacks sense. And he
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says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger
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of the ruler rises against you, do not leave
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your place. For calmness will lay great offenses
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to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under
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the sun as it were an error proceeding from the
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ruler. Folly is set in many high places and the
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rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on
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horses and princes walking on the ground like
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slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it and
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a serpent will bite him who breaks through a
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wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
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and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
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If the iron is blunt and one does not sharpen
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the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom
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helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before
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it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.
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The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor.
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but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning
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of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and
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the end of his talk is evil madness. A fool multiplies
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words, though no man knows what it is to be.
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And who can tell him what will be after him?
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The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not
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know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land,
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when your king is a child. and your princes feast
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in the morning. Happy are you, O land, when your
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king is the son of the nobility, and your princes
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feast at the proper time for strength and not
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for drunkenness. Through sloth the roof sinks
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in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread
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is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life,
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and money answers everything. Even in your thoughts
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do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse
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the rich. For a bird of the air will carry your
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voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
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Blessed is he who hears and keeps what is written.
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Let us pray. Heavenly Father, how very aware
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we are of our own weakness. and inability to
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understand everything in Ecclesiastes chapter
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10. Father, I do pray that you would guide us
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by your spirit, enlighten our understanding that
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we might be wise in your eyes. These things we
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ask for Christ's sake. Amen. When you are asked
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to sign a waiver before you participate in something,
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you should pay attention. Have you ever had to
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do that? You go to do something that might have
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a little bit of danger to it, and they say, please
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sign here. About just over a week ago, I went
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with my family to the Green River near Saluda,
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North Carolina. It was a beautiful day. The sun
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was out. It feels like it's always out right
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about now. But the sky was blue and the water
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temperature in the river was perfect. And so
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we signed our waivers. We got our tubes to go
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down this river. And we had to listen to the
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words of an instructor. And the instructor told
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us a few things. Namely, there are class two
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rapids within this river. And secondly, if you
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fall out of your tube in a class two rapid, do
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not stand up in the river. it will sweep your
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feet away. Instead, you should get face up, he
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said, nose and toes to the sky so that you can
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float through the rapid and hopefully survive
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unscathed and get to calmer waters. All right,
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that's great. Sounds good. Let's go. The river
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was mostly very pleasant. The biggest danger
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for the most part was The water level was pretty
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low and sometimes you could bruise your tailbone
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if you're not careful. However, there was one
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who was floating at the same time that we did.
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And he came to the class two rapid and you know
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what I'm going to say, he stood up in the class
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two rapid. He did not listen to the wise word
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of caution. Consequently, he went tumbling down
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the rapid as his feet were swept away. bumping
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off of the rocks, including his head off of a
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rock. Now at the end of the rapid, we checked
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on him. He was mostly fine. I think his pride
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hurt as much as his head. But friends, this is
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where I'm going, is to say that to ignore wisdom
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can have serious, even deadly ramifications.
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Solomon writes this chapter and it behooves us
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to pay attention. Do not ignore the wise word
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of caution. Now, the way that this is organized
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can be a little tricky, but what I want to do
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is organize it into sections. And so as I go
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along, I will share with you the section that
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I am in. The first one being verses one through
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four in which we see wisdom and folly. contrasted.
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Verse one, it's very graphic here. Dead flies
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make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench.
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What is going on here? It's showing us that a
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little bit of folly, sometimes just a little
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bit of foolishness can outweigh much wisdom.
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Children, kids, have you ever had the experience
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of putting some food coloring into water in a
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glass, what happens? The food coloring goes throughout
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all of the water. Just a drop or two can turn
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the water red or yellow or purple or pink, blue,
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green, whatever it is, right? That's kind of
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what's being taught here. Obviously, perfume
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is nice. It's supposed to smell good, but just
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a little bit, just a couple of dead flies in
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such an ointment. can turn it from something
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that is pleasing to smell into something that
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does not smell very good. And so it is with wisdom
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and honor, one foolish decision on our part can
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outweigh a lifetime of honor and wisdom. I was
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thinking, I thought of a movie actually just
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this morning that I think illustrates this well.
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It's a movie called State of Play. Have anybody
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seen that movie before? I don't know that it's
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all that popular, but it's about a congressman
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played by Ben Affleck and a journalist played
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by Russell Crowe. And the congressman admits
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his folly, his sin of adultery to the journalist.
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And then the congressman realizes that his career
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is essentially over. And he says this. It doesn't
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matter what I do in Congress, I will always be
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the guy who cheated on his wife. Friends, what's
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illustrated in that movie is what's kind of illustrated
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here. One foolish decision, one just moment of
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forgetting who we are in Christ Jesus can really
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affect us throughout our whole lives. Just one
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singular moment. And yet, praise God for the
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blood of Jesus, which washes away all of our
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sin, all of our follies, right? From the greatest
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to the least, when there is repentance and trust
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in Christ. Sadly though, in this life, the damage
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may be done. And in the eyes of others, we may
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always carry that moniker of the fool. Which
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is why we need this word of caution. So look
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at verses two and three. A wise man's heart inclines
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him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.
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Have you ever spoken with somebody who really
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needs wisdom and you've tried to share wisdom
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and they just don't seem to get it? It's maddening,
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right? Why can't you see it the way I see it?
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Well, I think this text tells us why. because
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a fool's heart is inclined in a completely different
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direction. And in doing so, they broadcast their
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foolishness. Verse three, even when the fool
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walks on the road, he lacks sense. They're going
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a different way. Indeed, this metaphor of the
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road, I think it's a metaphor for life, how you
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behave and how you speak shows whether or not
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you have wisdom. Think about that, friends. The
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way that you talk out loud with other people,
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the way that you behave can show whether or not
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you have real godly wisdom about you. Friends,
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don't play the fool. Play the wise man. Be the
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wise man. Because it can have incredible ramifications
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on our life. Look at verse four. This picture
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is somebody who is under the authority of another.
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If the anger of the ruler rises against you do
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not leave your place and it mentions calmness
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here Okay, so maybe place yourself in a position
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of your maybe you're under a boss Who is maybe
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not that great of a boss and you're angry with
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your boss You've fallen out of favor with your
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boss. And so you say I just quit I'm just gonna
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walk off. I'm done with this. I'm gonna resign
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in a huff But friends, this is not the wise way
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for this effectively ends your work. And I think
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Christians need to hear this out loud because
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sometimes we act like that. Our feelings get
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hurt and we say, I'll show him, I'm done with
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this. But would you remember our Lord's example
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here? I want to take you to 1 Peter chapter two,
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1 Peter two, 18 through 23. 1st Peter 2 18 to
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23 servants Be subject to your masters with all
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respect Not only to the good and gentle but also
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to the unjust for this is a gracious thing When
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mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering
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unjustly But what credit is it if when you sin
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or beaten for it you endure? But if when you
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do good and suffer for it, you endure, this is
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a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to
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this you have been called because Christ also
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suffered for you, leaving you an example. So
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you might follow in his steps. He committed no
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sin. Neither was deceit found in his mouth. When
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he was reviled, he did not revile in return.
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When he suffered, he did not threaten. but continued
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entrusting himself to the one who judges justly.
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Friends, this should be us. And I get it, fighting
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fire with fire feels good, doesn't it? But according
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to Solomon, it just is not wise. Our responses,
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even underneath an oppressive person, some authority
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figure, must be governed by wisdom. But even
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to the wise, even if we have such wisdom here,
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we do see things that are tough in this life,
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and that's been one of the key themes throughout
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Ecclesiastes. Look in verses five to seven. We
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might call this section the irony of folly. That
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even to the wise there are these perplexing sights.
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He sees a slave riding on a horse while the prince
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walks. This kind of echoes Solomon's earlier
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observations when he saw that sometimes the righteous
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die young while the wicked live on and we wonder
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why. But within this don't miss the why. Because
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there is a flaw in this life, a flaw in this
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fallen world. Look in verse five. There's an
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evil that I've seen under the sun as it were
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an arrow proceeding from the ruler. Here's the
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flaw. Sometimes foolish leaders put foolish people
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in exalted positions. That's what's going on
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here. Foolish leaders putting foolish people
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in exalted positions. Friends, we live in a world
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wrecked by sin. And so sometimes these things
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happen. Things are not the way they should be.
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But here's the good news for you. Things, while
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not the way they should be, they also will not
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always be this way. Ecclesiastes reads like a
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longing to return to Eden and Christ indeed.
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is making all things new. Folly will not reign
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forever. Indeed, folly doesn't reign now, even
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though it appears to. Christ is reconciling people
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to himself. Christ is building the church. Christ
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has promised to return. And so though we see
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such evils, let us not despair. Let us not resort
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to folly. The wisdom of God has already prevailed.
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in our Savior Christ Jesus, and the way in which
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it prevails is through the preached word. Let
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me take you to another spot in the New Testament.
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First Corinthians, chapter one, 18 to 21, as
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we see how God works by His word. For the word
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of the cross is Folly to those who are perishing
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But to us who are being saved it is the power
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of God for it is written I will destroy the wisdom
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of the wise and the discernment of the discerning
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I will thwart Where is the one who is wise? Where
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is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age
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has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
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For since in the wisdom of God the world did
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not know God through wisdom it pleased God Through
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the folly of what we preach to save those who
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believe If I can summarize that the fool hears
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the preaching of Jesus Christ and says what is
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this nonsense But the preaching of Christ is
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the means of salvation. Verse 21, again, it says
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God is pleased by the preaching. This is how
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God operates. It is God's wise plan to save sinners
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through the preaching of Christ and Him crucified.
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You see, God ordains not only the ends that you
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would be saved, God also ordains the means, which
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is biblical. Christ centered preaching, his instrument
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to convert, to change hearts and to strengthen
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our faith. And so, friends, do not ignore this.
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Do not ignore godly wisdom, which has a name.
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And that name is Jesus Christ. For if you do,
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here's what may happen. You may just reap what
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you sow. Look at verses eight through 11. within
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our text. He who digs a pit will fall into it.
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No doubt if you're using a different translation,
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you may see that it reads a little differently
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there. It may say that he who digs a pit may
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fall into it. Again, we need to remember the
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genre that we are studying here. This is wisdom
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literature, and so what we have are not promises,
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but strong possibilities. And so the strong possibility
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is the person without wisdom who digs a pit will
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fall into it. I think this is illustrated well
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within the book of Esther. For you may recall
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Haman and Mordecai, right? Haman built a gallows
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for Mordecai. He wanted Mordecai killed. And
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it appeared that injustice would win the day
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until Haman and his wicked ways are exposed and
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he was hanged on his very own gallows. Justice
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wins. We might call this ironic justice. That
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fools destroy themselves by their own foolishness.
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It is their undoing. You see within this as well
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the second part of verse 8, the snake charmer
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who is not cautious with the serpent finds himself
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charmed by it rather than the other way around.
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Matthew Henry says on this and in verse 11, wisdom
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will teach us to enchant the serpent we are to
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contend with rather than to think to out -hiss
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it. You can see something like that in verse
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10 as well. As one pastor says of verse 10, it's
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like trying to chop down a tree with a baseball
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bat. It just will not work. We need wisdom, not
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necessarily more physical strength. Wisdom grants
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success, whereas folly promises failure. And
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not just folly in our actions, but folly within
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our words. Look at verses 12 through about 14.
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or so. The words of a wise man's mouth win him
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favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. Wisdom
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or its lack is apparent in our speech. It's no
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surprise that so much of biblical wisdom has
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to do with how we talk. What broadcast foolishness
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the most is our tongue. It's the primary means
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of expressing folly and not just uncareful speech,
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but of sinful speech. Look in verse 13. The beginning
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of the words of his mouth is foolishness and
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the end of his talk is evil, madness. Yes, when
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we use very foul, inappropriate language, we
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broadcast ourselves to be foolish. When we slander
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people with our tongues, this is the work of
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fools. Friends, let us use our speech for building
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people up, not for tearing them down. But not
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just this, but verse 14 expresses this idea that
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the fool thinks that by his many words, he will
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be seen as wise. And that, friends, is not the
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case either. Students in here, Children, but
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maybe more appropriately teenagers or college
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students. Have you had the unfortunate experience
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of having to do an essay in an exam with a big
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space that is white that you got to fill up?
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I've had that experience. But have you really
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had the experience when you've got that white
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space to fill up and you have no idea what you're
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supposed to write there? Now that's terribly
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uncomfortable. But those who are perhaps wise
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within the classroom might think, well, if I
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just fill up the space with anything I can think
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of that may possibly be related to the topic,
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maybe then I'll get partial credit. Well, friends,
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that might be wise in the classroom, but that's
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not wise in real life. Proverbs 10, 19, when
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words are many, Transgression is not lacking.
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We will not be seen as wise by our many words,
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but by the wisdom of our words. And the same
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principle reveals wisdom. You can know a person's
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wisdom or lack thereof simply by how they speak,
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which is a public thing. And that's what the
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last section is getting at 16 through 20. Visible.
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public folly and its consequences. Look at verse
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16 and 17. This presents two different kinds
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of kings. One king who is very, very young. really
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incapable of leading. And the princes within
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the kingdom do not spend their time working for
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the good of the kingdom. No, instead this pictures
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them neglecting their responsibilities. Woe to
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you, O land, where your king is a child and your
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princes feast in the morning. They're not doing
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their work. They're not serving. Compare that
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with verse 17, a king of nobility whose princes
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feast at the proper time for strength and not
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for drunkenness. And you can see the consequences
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of these verses. For the first one begins, woe
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to you, O land. But the second one, happy are
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you, O land. So we might say that wisdom has
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incredibly wonderful consequences, right? But
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again, wisdom and folly are visible things. Look
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in verse 18. Through sloth, the roof sinks in.
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This pictures the consequence of neglect. If
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you neglect the work that you must do, your situation
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is going to be like a house with a sunken roof,
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and it's going to fall in. Friends when we neglect
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our marriages when we neglect our families when
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we neglect our work and especially our walk with
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the Lord We are inviting the roof to fall in
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on ourselves When we fail to give ourselves to
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the means of grace Bible reading prayer worship
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sacraments service Do we really expect to grow
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in the grace and knowledge of Jesus when we neglect
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these things? Friends, don't wait for the roof
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to fall in. Don't wait for the roof to fall in
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before you recognize the problem. Do not ignore
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the wise word of caution here. And not just in
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your work, and not just in your families, but
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even with God's good gifts. Look at verses 19
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and 20. Even with his good gifts, like money
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or food or drink, we must utilize wisdom to properly
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enjoy them. Even in private, as it shows us in
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verse 20, even in your thoughts it says, do not
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curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the
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rich, for the bird of the air will carry your
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voice or some winged creature tell the matter.
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Friends, We need wisdom in every single possible
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way, not just in our actions, not just in our
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words, but even within our own thoughts. We need
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wisdom. And you know, if you somehow don't want
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to take Solomon's word for it, which you definitely
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should, take Jesus's word for it. For Jesus communicates
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this in many places, if you will. Go to Matthew.
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Matthew 7, verse 24. No doubt you've likely heard
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this before. This contrast between the wise man
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and the foolish man. Matthew 7, 24. Everyone
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then who hears these words of mine and does them,
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will be like a wise man who built his house on
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the rock and the rain fell and the floods came
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and the winds blew and beat on that house but
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it did not fall because it had been founded on
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the rock and everyone who hears these words of
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mine and does not do them will be like a foolish
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man who built his house on the sand and the rain
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fell and the floods came and the winds blew and
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beat against that house and it fell and great
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was the fall of it." Notice within that passage,
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who listens and who obeys versus he who does
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not listen and obey. It's the wise man once again,
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wise man against the fool. And so from this passage,
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perhaps we can formulate a definition of wisdom
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and it's quite simple. Wisdom is listening. and
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obeying the teaching of Jesus. The wise man listens
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to Jesus and obeys, but the fool ignores the
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teaching of Jesus. So let me ask you, are you
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listening to Christ by His word? Are you being
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wise with it? The teaching of Jesus here is to
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trust Him, not to trust yourself. That's what
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fools do. Christians, though, trust in Christ.
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To ignore His teaching is folly, and this is
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teaching that spans not just in Ecclesiastes
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and not just in the Sermon on the Mount. This
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is a teaching that spans the entirety of Scripture.
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This is true wisdom. If I can, before I land
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the plane, just give you one more. Psalm 1, 1
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and 2. Blessed is the man who walks not in the
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counsel of the wicked, Nor stands in the way
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of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers But
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his delight is in the law of the Lord and on
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his law. He meditates day and night friends There's
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a whole host of things that we might say broadcasts
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our lack of wisdom a poor financial investment
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Sinful decision made on a Friday night a time
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we were unprepared a time when we did not listen
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well, ignoring the caution of the guide in the
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river and enduring the consequences. All of these
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things broadcast folly. The greatest wisdom though,
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what we really need is listening to the Lord
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Jesus Christ who speaks to us by His word. Let
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us always give heed to the inerrant word in which
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we find our Savior because He is our true wisdom.
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Let's pray.