27/5/22. Study 25. Ecclesiastes 10:12-20

 ¹² The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,
    but the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
    and the end of his talk is evil madness.
¹⁴ A fool multiplies words,
    though no man knows what is to be,
    and who can tell him what will be after him?
¹⁵ The toil of a fool wearies him,
    for he does not know the way to the city.

¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
    and your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷ Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
    and your princes feast at the proper time,
    for strength, and not for drunkenness!
¹⁸ Through sloth the roof sinks in,
    and through indolence the house leaks.
¹⁹ Bread is made for laughter,
    and wine gladdens life,
    and money answers everything.
²⁰ Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,
    nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
    or some winged creature tell the matter.

1. In vv..12-15 Qoheleth addresses the topic of speech. What is the result of  wise,  and foolish speech?

Wise speech wins favour.  So wise speech earns the speaker respect and honour. People think highly of him and are inclined to agree with him and to show goodness, support and encouragement to him.

Foolish speech 'consumes' (Heb bala: to swallow up, engulf) the speaker. Foolish words destroy one utterly. (cf. Is 28:7 "they are swallowed by wine")   “The fool digs a bigger and bigger hole for himself”. "The lips swallow the speaker instead of swallowing food and drink”.

2. What other information does v.13 tell us about foolish speech?

It starts small and grows in impact.

From silliness, the speech of the fool progresses to frank and irrational wickedness that increeasingly harms themselves and others. This can be avoided if we are able to back down early.

The NT book of James (3:1-10) warns us about the destructive power of the tongue.

Jesus says that we speak out of the overflow of the heart (Mt 12:34-37, 15:10)

3. What particular aspect of foolish speech is mentioned in v.14?

A fool keeps talking about future plans and events as if he knows that is going to happen. He may convince himself that all will be well, but his predictions are baseless.

cf. the presumptuous in James 4:13-17 and the rich fool in Lk 12: 13-21

 “If the Lord wills” must be more than rubber stamping all our plans. We can and should plan for the future, but with the awareness that life is unpredictable, and that God remains sovereign over all of our plans. The sin of the merchants in James 4 is of not including God in the equation.

4. What does v.15 say is the consequence of foolishness on our work? Why does this happen? What examples of foolish work has Qoheleth given earlier in the book?

The work of someone who is in the wrong relationship with God cannot satisfy (cf. 2:24, 3:13,22, 8:15), He does not know obvious spiritual principles that should guide him to work properly. "the way to the city" should be clear to all (cf. 4:4-8)

• The foolish person envies others' work (4:4)
• The foolish person is lazy with his work (4:5)
• The foolish person works hard for what is meaningless (4:6)
  
• The foolish person will only think of money and not be satisfied with what he has (4:8, 5:10-12)
• The foolish person cannot truly enjoy the work God has allotted to him(e.g. 5:18-20, 6:1-10)

5. In vv.16-17 Qoheleth now makes a comment on leadership. What bad and good features of leadership are mentioned here?

An inexperienced, irresponsible and immature leader (not necessarily a young one, cf. 2 Ki 22-23) surrounded by decadent advisors and helpers is a disaster. "feast in the morning" speaks of overindulgence and lack of discipline.

Conversely, a worthy, trained leader with disciplined advisors and helpers is a blessing to any organization.

6. Three proverbs (or words of advice) follow in vv.18-20. What do they teach us?

As proverbs, these verses are not theological statements, but pithy, black/white observations that contain truths about life. 

• The  house in desrepair: laziness destroys a dwelling/home that should be a place of protection and refuge. Gradual loss of the use of these protective structures, especially in our own lives, results when we are spiritually ill-disciplined. We should be doing things with all our might (9:10). (cf. 4:5)
  
• The power of money: it has multiple uses (cf. 5:12), yet it cannot satisfy (5:10). We need a right view of wealth - neither a curse or a right, but a blessing to be stewarded. The
  
• The private curses: will eventually be revealed (cf. 7:21). Be circumspect in your criticism. You may criticise, but be prepared that the one you are speaking about will get to know what you are saying.