Ecclesiastes 10 (1)

Pray Psalm 38.9.
Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.

Read Ecclesiastes 10.1-3.

Prepare.
1. Summarize Solomon’s main point about folly.

2. Which way does the wise person’s heart incline? What does that mean?

Meditate.
We recall Solomon’s attempt to inject a little folly into his quest for wisdom (Eccl. 2). Well, OK, a lot of folly. It marked the temporary end of his wisdom, the beginning of his wandering, and the ruin of his kingdom. He learned his lesson the hard way; and he wanted, if it were possible, to protect Rehoboam from making the same mistake.

The fool thinks he can have just a little folly in his life and still get by. But folly, like dead flies, is repulsive, no matter how much you try to dress it up (v. 1). It will ruin all that is beautiful, incline our hearts increasingly in wrong directions (v. 2: “left” is equated with evil in many cultures; the Latin word for left is sinister), and betray us for what we really are to everyone who sees us (3).

The best course, therefore, is not to see how much folly we can get away with, but how much we can get rid of.

We don’t know if all these proverbs were original with Solomon. Perhaps some of them were well-known bits of wisdom and common sense in circulation during those days. The effect of piling them up here together is to intensify the lesson. Our age offers its own share of proverbs and sayings which can be used in an effort to lead people to evaluate their chosen course in life: “play with fire and you’ll get burned”; “look twice before you cross”; “a penny saved is a penny earned”; and more. We use these to remind one another of things we might, in unguarded moments, fail to remember.

Solomon hoped this barrage of proverbs would create an avenue for truth and wisdom into the heart of his son. Proverbs can do this powerfully still, which is why the “wisdom literature” of the Old Testament includes so many of them.

Reflect.
1. Why are proverbs an effective way of reminding people of important basic truths?  

2. Why should the Christian be especially vigilant against harboring any folly in his heart?

3. What is a wise man’s heart “at his right hand”? How would you counsel a new believer to seek such a heart?

Flies falling into perfume, and drowning, make the appearance and use of that pleasant oil unseemly; so, too, it is improper to have both wisdom and foolishness together in one’s mind. Gregory Thaumaturgus (fl. 248-264), Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 10.1

Cleanse me of all folly, Lord, and help me to have my heart in the “right” place today as I…

Pray Psalm 38.5-8.
As you pray, let the Spirit search your soul for any “dead flies” or “left-leaning” ways. Confess, repent, and seek the renewing grace of the Lord.

Sing Psalm 38.5-8.
Psalm 38.5-8 (Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
My sinful wounds grow foul, and fester painfully;
I bend and groan within my soul most mournfully!
Sin fills my every part;
conviction stings my breast.
Lord, ease my numbed and burning heart and grant me rest!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).