Portrait Of A Fool

Portrait of a Fool

Introduction

Tonight we are continuing our study through the book of Ecclesiastes. Our last lesson came from chapter 9, where Solomon repeatedly pointed out that so many things in this life don't matter, in the end. What does matter is our relationship with God. Today we move on to Chapter 10, the Portrait of a fool.

Ecclesiastes 10 gives us a portrait of a fool, but this certainly isn't the first-time foolishness has come up, is it? Foolishness is mentioned 32x here in Ecclesiastes and another 93x in the Book of Proverbs!

But what is a fool? We feel like we know one when we see one, but how does the Bible define a fool? There are three different words used for a fool.

Nabal = to be foolish or stupid

Psalm 14:1

"The fool says in his heart, 'God does not exist.' They are corrupt; they do vile deeds. There is no one who does good."

Keciyl = foolish complacency. It comes from a root word talking about the fat of a man's belly hanging in front of his groin.

Psalm 49:10

"For one can see that wise men die; foolish and stupid men also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others."

'eviyl = perverse, one who despises wisdom, quarrelsome, licentious

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Body

Ecclesiastes chapter 10

1 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Fools Stink up their Lives

We get a pretty graphic picture here right off. It doesn't matter how good the soup is, how incredible the aroma is, no one wants a dead fly in their food. Imagine an incredible perfume or cologne, one you just think is the best smelling in the world. Now imagine taking the cap off, and dropping a dead fly into the bottle. How long before it starts to smell like dead flies? How long before that corruption comes through? Solomon points out that in the same way, foolishness outweighs all the good things.

And the Bible is full of fools, men who started out right, but stunk up their lives with foolish acts. Saul was anointed by God as the first King of Israel, but lost it when he decided he couldn't wait on the prophet of God. Samson was another man appointed by God who stunk up his life. He kept going after the girls, instead of focusing on what God wanted him to do. Or what about Judas? He was one of the 12 apostles who spent literally day and night with Jesus, but decided to betray Him for money.

2 A wise man’s heart goes to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.

When I was in Africa, many years ago, one of the first things the local interpreter told us was to make sure we never offered our left hand to anyone. It was perceived as a sign of disrespect. Why? The right hand was for eating, and the left hand was for wiping your backside. That fits exactly with this verse. A wise man goes in the direction of the good, but Fools Go the Wrong Way

3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool.

Solomon keeps this idea going, pointing out that Fools Act Like Fools

They walk in the road, they act like fools, and don't care who sees their foolishness.

4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your place, for calmness puts great offenses to rest. 5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler: 6 The fool is appointed to great heights, but the rich remain in lowly positions. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Fools are Everywhere

Solomon points out that fools are in the highest offices of the land, and that can be a dangerous thing. He gives us some advice on how to act around fools. Don't just try and get away from these powerful fools. He says we can sometimes avoid bad outcomes if we stay near the fools and stay there until the fool calms down.

8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.

Fools Disregard the Consequence of their Actions

Fools don't think about safety. They don't have "mom-vision," as Kari calls it. Fools are the reason that OSHA exists.