The Fate Of All Fools

Illustration: The ruler of verse 5 is nothing more than governor (Gen 42:6), mighty men (Eccl 7:19) and ruler (Eccl 10:5). Verse 4¡¦s ¡§leave¡¨ is translated as alone (Ex 32:10), withdraw (Eccl 7:18), pacifieth (Eccl 10:4), withold (Eccl 11:6) and cast down (Isa 28:2). It implies abandoning and avoiding and not attending or arresting the situation. You must face, forbear and fix it.

Calmness (v 4) or yielding (KJV) is translated as remedy (2 Chron 36:16), health (Prov 4:22), sound (Prov 14:30), wholesome (Prov 15:4) and cure (Jer 33:6). The noun ¡§errors¡¨ is faults (Gen 41:9), sin (Lev 19:17), offences (Eccl 10:4), grievously (Lam 1:8) and punishment of his sins (Lam 3:39). ¡§Rest¡¨ means set it down (Deut 26:4), lay down (Josh 4:8), cast down (Isa 28:2). It means to placate, pacify and not provoke, pile and pacel to appease, avoid and allay, abandon post, not argue, antagonize, annoy and anger aggravate,

There are two ¡§great¡¨: great (gadol) offences (v 4) and great (rab) dignity (v 6). High (positions) is translated as above (2 Sam 22:17), height (2 Kings 19:23), loftily (Ps 73:80, haughty (Isa 24:4) and upward (Isa 38:14). Wise men can undo great offences, but the great dignity (plural) of the fool is left undone.

In the second ¡§see¡¨ (vv 5, 7) in verse 7, the four verbs are fall, bite «r(v 8), hurt and endangered (v 9) and whet, put (v 10). A fool is not concerned for the cause, the course, and the consequences. He or she is a fool in his decisions, deeds and disicpline. The outcome is danger, disaster, doom. In conclusion, he or she is a walking, waking and working disaster.

Be Inspiring, not Insensitive

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee. 12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. 13 At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness¡X 14 and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming¡X who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

The charmer (v 11) is babbler in Hebrew, or Master of the Tongue.

There is more talk about mouth (vv 12, 13 twice) in this chapter than any chapter in the book. The mouth is for eating food, exalting God and edifying others. The previous verse with God inlcude:

Eccl 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Eccl 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin;

Eccl 6:7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

Eccl 8:2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.

Grace (v 12) means favor. To build up, not tear down; pull and not push, befriend and not unfriend.

The verb ¡§consume¡¨ (v 12) is translated as devour (Gen 41:7), swallow (Ex 7:12), cover (Num 4:20), destroy (Job 2:3) and spend (Prov 21:20). This word is unlike any other ¡§devour¡¨ word because it is in the minorty ¡§piel¡¨ form, which means ¡§surely,¡¨ ¡§certainly¡¨ or definitely¡¨ consume. It is not slowing, sympathy or sensitivity. The tongue is known to be offensive, oppressive, abusive, derisive, aggressive, expressive, persuasive, divisive, corrosive, abrasive,