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The Scriptorium

Words of the Wise and the Foolish

Here's where the fool shines. Ecclesiastes 10.12-14

Ecclesiastes 10 (5)

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

Read Ecclesiastes 10.12-14.

Prepare.
1. How many different ways does a fool show himself to be one by his words?

2. How are the wise person’s words described? What does this mean?

Meditate.

Perhaps particularly in the words of his mouth, the fool betrays his true character. Fools don’t tend to think before they speak; or, if they do, their words betray the corruption of their hearts. The more they talk like fools, the more they act like them. Folly is a cancer that fills the soul and spreads to every area of life. It has to be cut out and controlled, or it will destroy a person.

The wise person, on the other hand, finds favor with his words, because they enlighten and edify those with whom he speaks. As king, Rehoboam could expect to use a lot of words. Would they leave his servants mocking or admiring him? His people submitting or rebelling?

Sadly, Solomon seemed to know the answer, and it troubled him.

In our unbelieving, secular age, words proliferate. We all can feel like Liza Doolittle sometimes: “Words, words, words! I’m so sick of words!” Politicians, preachers, promoters, professors, pundits, and policy-makers at every level proliferate words, as though words alone make a difference in reality. So many of those words are based on equivocation and deceit, that people are left not knowing what to believe or why (v. 14).

This is why it is so important for believers to choose their words carefully and use them for God’s glory (Eph. 4.15, 29).  The light of wisdom in a dark age of folly and lies can go a long way in helping people know the stability and reliability of truth.

Reflect.
1. Why are words so important for those who live “under heaven”?  

2. How can we know when we’re using our words more like fools than wise people?

3. How are the wise person’s words like those of Christ (cf. Ps. 45.1, 2)?

It is the inability of the fool to choose his words carefully that will bring about his own destruction. Earl Radmacher (1937-2014), NKJV Study Notes on Ecclesiastes 10.12, 13

Help me to guard my words today, Lord, so that I use them only to…

Pray Psalm 38.9-16.
As you think about the day ahead, consider the situations in which you will use your words. Pray now that God will make your words gracious, that you’ll know what to say, and when to say nothing at all, and that you’ll respond to any who offend you by their words with the grace of a wise person.

Sing Psalm 38.9-16.
Psalm 38.9-16 (Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
You know all my desire, my sighs You know full well.
My strength fails and light’s holy fire my eyes dispel.
My friends and loved ones fail;
The wicked do me wrong.
My life they seek, my soul assail the whole day long.

Their threats I will not heed, nor speak to their reproof;
To hear or speak I have no need – I claim Your truth!
Lord, hear my fervent prayer!
Let not my foes rejoice;
Redeem me from their traps and snares – Lord, hear my voice!

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.

You can download all the studies in this series on Ecclesiastes by clicking here. If you value Scriptorium as a free resource for your walk with the Lord, please consider supporting our work with your gifts and offerings. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button  at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

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).

 

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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