Fools & True Wisdom (Ecclesiastes 10)

In this chapter Solomon the wise King of Israel writes of the differences between a wise man and a fool. This is a theme in much of scripture, often times the psalms describe a fool and how his path leads to destruction. Solomon wrote several proverbs about fools. The difference between folly and wisdom is a major theme of Proverbs:

A fool takes no pleasure in
understanding,
but only expresses his opinion. (Prov. 18:2)

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Prov. 18:7)

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince. (Prov. 17:7)

The last proverb also hits on the tension of wisdom and folly in royalty. The king should be wise, and a kingdom under a slothful, drunken fool falls apart (Ecc. 10:16-18).

Why is a fool such an evil thing? Isn’t it just somebody who’s not very intelligent? If so, does that mean only smart people are righteous? No and no. There is a major difference between intelligence and wisdom. No matter what your IQ is you can still be blessed with wisdom.

This is the Bible’s definition of wisdom (penned by Solomon):

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov. 1:7)

There is a difference between intelligence and wisdom. True wisdom leads to worship of God. Isn’t that profound? Nobody has ever been truly wise and known God and not been made into a worshipper of Him. Nobody can impartially engage their mental faculties in comprehension and meditation on God’s character – the character of the true God – and not be overwhelmed with adoration and praise. That is, no one can fully and honestly know God if they are not overcome by Him! To know God – the true God and His true qualities (not just speculations or theories or philosophies) leads to worship! Nobody can behold God and say ‘I’m not impressed.’ If they did, that would be foolishness.

King Solomon writes about wisdom as the authority on wisdom. When he became king of Israel God approached him in a dream and promised to give him whatever he asked. Solomon asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:3-15). God gave him more wisdom than any man ever and Solomon was known throughout the world for his wisdom:

And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:34)

So Solomon knows what he’s talking about, and he – more than most people – sees the difference between wisdom and smarts. For although he may have always been smart, incredibly intelligent, he did not always act with wisdom. In fact, much of his life was lived as a fool. He turns from God (1 Kings 11:1-13) and even builds high places (of worship) for other, false gods (1 Kings 11:5-8).

Ecclesiastes is a book that in many ways is King Solomon looking back on his life and lamenting, returning to God and repenting. This chapter opens with an indictment of foolishness:

Dead flies make the perfume’s
ointment give off stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and
honor. (10:1)

Solomon has suffered the life of a fool, and he laments at how easily it destroys wisdom – even with someone as wise as him. “A little folly” perverts wisdom.

In verse 8-11 I believe he is outlining practical and metaphorical examples of folly. At the same time, I also think he is lamenting of the curse we are under in a fallen world.

He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered
by them. (10:9)

Remember because of our initial rebellion against God and His rightful dominion God saw it fit to put us in the same situation.

“Because you have listened to the voice of
your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it al the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shll bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.” (Gen. 3:17-19)

Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes generations and generations after God spoke this, and we read Solomon hundreds of generations after him, and this curse is still true. Although we have more technology these days and think we have conquered nature we find increasingly that we are helpless. Even with our technology it continually breaks down and needs fixing. God has made our world like this as to give us an idea of the frustration He has in our rebellion. And God’s words here end with the mood that pervades Ecclesiastes: to dust you shall return. As Solomon writes over and over again, “it is a striving after wind.” Basically, what’s the point?

But back to wisdom. Solomon compares wisdom and folly:

The words of a wise man’s mouth win
him favor,
but the lips of a fool consume him.
The beginning of the words of his
mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him what will be
after him?
The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know the way to the
city. (Ecc. 10:12-15)

So here’s my argument: if all scripture is about Jesus and anticipating His arrival on earth, His being, His essence, His person, even His death and resurrection, if this is true (Luke 24:25-27) then we can see here in this chapter an invitation – no, a prescription to come to Christ. Because ultimately any argument between wisdom and folly is really an argument between Christ and everybody else.

Who is wholly wise and without folly? No man like that has ever existed except Jesus. Even a little folly “outweighs wisdom and honor”. Even Solomon – to whom God said “I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.” (1 Kings 3:12). Solomon, you’re the wisest guy who’s ever lived and much of your life was folly. Only Christ stands above.

If true wisdom is to fear the LORD and to keep His commandments then only Jesus did that. Who but Jesus never failed in unwavering commitment to the greatest commandment:

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Only Jesus did this. Even the greatest of the rest have screwed this up in some way, they have sinned, they have turned their backs on the Lord and loving Him constantly. Most of us have left this command in the dust and erected our own commandment to love ourselves and serve ourselves with all our heart and all our mind.

So we can’t look at this chapter and pick out the “fool” and shake our heads at him. “What a stupid fool. There are some many people like him! Thank God I’m wise, the fool is definitely not a description of me.”

Oh, but it is! We are all fools in sin and folly, and like Solomon says, “who can tell him what will be after him?” We are ignorant to the things of God and His kingdom. We do not seek Him as we ought. We are the fools.

As a quick aside, what does this mean of those who claim to be wise? I’m talking about the therapists on TV, the talk radio hosts, the political pundits, the spiritual gurus who all claim knowledge and truth. Many people claim knowledge of who God is or what this world is about. Jesus made claims too, and unlike everybody else, what He says is fully true all the time. Jesus has never lied. Only He is a true and worthy teacher.

Because that’s what we need, a teacher. It’s funny that Solomon refers to himself as the Preacher in this book when most of his preaching is crying out for a true preacher to preach to him. What we need is someone to deliver us from foolishness and give us wisdom and insight, to give us knowledge. And all of those things, when they are true, bring us to God in worship and admiration.

I encourage you to analyze who you are currently looking to for wisdom and insight. Of course God puts people in our lives to give us wisdom and insight, but I’m talking about the people who are “teaching” you about God. Are they pointing you to Jesus? Are they encouraging you to follow Him? Or are they condemning His works and His life? Are they condemning His work on the cross for the atonement of our sins and calling it folly? There’s many “teachers” today who make claims about Jesus’ words and works and they deny His words and works. They say things like ‘Jesus didn’t really believe He was dying as a substitute for everybody else,’ and some even claim that after Jesus was crucified He was thrown to the dogs and eaten. Is this wisdom? Is this the truth?

Turn from these voices, for a fool “does not know the way to the city”. People living two thousand years after Jesus with Ph.D. aren’t more qualified to tell you about Jesus than Jesus Himself. Jesus’ words are truth and He said often: “Truly, truly, I say to you,” to drive home the point, “Listen to me. There’s a lot of crap out there. I’ve got the truth.” Jesus says, “Trust me.” In who else is their wisdom and escape from folly? Only in Jesus Christ can we truly be wise.