Ecclesiastes 10
Section 11 (vs. 1-3) - A little folly mars the effect of wisdom, and is sure to make
itself conspicuous.
1 “Dead flies cause the
ointment of the apothecary to send
forth a stinking savor:” -
This is a metaphorical confirmation
of the truth
enunciated at the end of the last chapter, “One sinner destroyeth much
good.” It is like the apostle’s warning to his converts, “A little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump” (I Corinthians 5:6). The Hebrew expression
is
literally, “flies of death,” which may mean either “dead flies,” as in our
version and the Vulgate (muses morientes),
or “deadly, poisonous flies,” as
in
the Septuagint μυῖαι θανατοῦσαι – muniai thanatousai –
a dead fly.
The latter rendering seems preferable, if we regard the use
of similar compound
phrases, e.g. “instruments
of death” (Psalm 7:14); “snares of
death”
(Psalm 18:5); and in New Testament Greek, ἡ πληγὴ
τοῦ θανάτου - hae
Plaegae tou thanatou – blow of the death; deadly wound; the deathstroke”
(Revelation 13:3, 12). The flies meant are such as are poisonous in their bite,
or
carry infection with them. Such insects corrupt anything which they touch —
food, ointment, whether they perish where they alight or not. They, as the
Hebrew
says, make to stink, make to ferment, the oil of the perfumer.
The singular verb
is
here used with the plural subject to express the unity of the individuals, “flies”
forming one complete idea. The Septuagint rendering omits one of
the verbs:
Σαμπιοῦσι σκευασίαν
ἐλαίου ἡδύσματος – Sampiousi skeuasian
elaiou haedusmatos - will corrupt the preparing of a sweet oil. The point,
of
course, is the comparative insignificance of the cause
which spoils a costly
substance compounded with care and skill. Thus little faults mar great
characters
and reputations. “A good name is better than precious ointment”
(ch.7:1), but a good name is ruined by
follies, and then it stinks in men’s nostrils.
The term, “ointment of the apothecary,” is
used by Moses (Exodus 30:25) in
describing the holy chrism
which was reserved for special occasions – “so doth
a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.” The meaning of
the Authorized Version is tolerably correct, but the actual
rendering will hardly
stand, and one wants some verb to govern “him that,” etc. The other
versions vary. Septuagint, “A little wisdom is more precious (τίμιον
– timion –
precious) than great glory of folly;” Vulgate, “More precious are
wisdom and glory
than small and short-lived folly;” Jerome, “Precious above wisdom and glory
is
a
little folly.” This last interpretation proceeds upon the idea that such
“folly” is
at
any rate free from pride, and has few glaring faults. But the original is best
translated thus: “More weighty than
wisdom, than honor, is a little folly.” It
is a
painful fact that a little folly, one foolish act, one silly peculiarity of
manner or disposition, will suffice to impair the real value of
a man’s
wisdom and the estimation in which he was held. The little clement of
foolishness, like the little insect in the ointment, obscures
the real excellence
of the man, and deprives him of the honor that
is really his due.
And in religion we know that one fault unchecked, one
secret sin
cherished, poisons the whole character, makes a man lose the grace
of
God. (For the same effect from another cause, see Ezekiel 3:20;
33:13.) Jerome sees in the “dead flies” wicked thoughts put
into the
Christian’s mind by Beelzebub, “the lord of flies.”
Dead Flies
(v. 1)
Among the Jews oil rendered fragrant by being mixed with
precious drugs
was
used for many different purposes. With it priests and kings were
anointed when they entered upon their offices; guests at the tables
of the
rich were treated to it as a luxury. It was used medicinally for outward
application to the bodies of the sick, and with it corpses and the
clothes in
which they were wrapped were besprinkled before burial. Very
great care
was
needed in the preparation of the material used for such special
purposes. Elaborately confected as the ointment was, it was easily
spoiled
and
rendered worthless. It was, accordingly, necessary not only to take
great pains in making it, but also in preserving it from
contamination when
made. If the vase or bottle in which it was put were accidentally or
carelessly left open, its contents might soon be destroyed. A dead
fly would
soon corrupt the ointment, and turn it into a pestilent odor. So, says the
Preacher, a noble and attractive character may be
corrupted and destroyed
by a
little folly — an
insignificant-looking fault or weakness may outweigh
great gifts and attainments. It is not a case of the unthinking
multitude
taking advantage of a foible, or inconsistency, or little slip,
to depreciate
the
character of one raised far above them in wisdom and honor, in order
to
bring it down to their level; of envy leading to an unjust and ungrateful
sentence being pronounced upon an almost faultless character. But
the
warning is that
deterioration may really set in, the precious
ointment be
actually changed into a disgusting odor, the wisdom and honor be
outweighed by the little folly (“outweigh,” Revised Version). The
same
teaching is given in the New Testament. In
readers that their toleration of a heinous sin in one of their
members was
poisoning the whole spiritual life of the Church (I Corinthians 5.).
The
fervor of their religious emotions, the hatred of sin and love of
holiness
which had led them to separate themselves from heathen society,
the
aspirations and endeavors after purity and righteousness which
naturally
follow upon an intelligent and earnest acceptance of Christian
truth, were
all
being undermined by their omission of the duty that lay upon them, that
of
isolating the gross offender, and of expelling him from their community
if
he gave no signs of penitence and amendment. They might themselves be
orthodox in belief and unblamable in
conduct, but this sin would soon, if
unchecked, lower the whole tone of the community, and nullify all the
good
that had been attained to. “Know ye not,” he said, “that a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump?” It was impossible to allow the fault to remain
and to keep the evil influence it exerted within bounds; it
would spread like
infection, and be persistent until it had corrupted the whole
community.
And what is true of a society is true of an individual. The
fault which
shows itself in a character is not like a stain or flaw in a
marble statue,
which is confined to one spot, and is no worse after the lapse
of years, but
like a sore
in a living body, which weakens and may destroy the whole
organism. One cause why the
evil influence spreads is that we are not on
our
guard against it, and it may grow to almost ungovernable strength
before we are really convinced that there is any danger. We can
recognize
at
once great errors and heinous vices, and the alarm and disgust they
excite, prepare us to resist them; but little follies and
weaknesses often fill
us
with an amused contempt for them, which
blinds us to their great power
for evil. The dead body of the fly in the vase of ointment is so
insignificant
a
source of corruption, that it surprises us to discover that the fermentation
it
has produced has tainted the whole mass. Weight for weight, there is an
enormous disproportion
between the precious fluid and the wretched little
object which has
corrupted it; yet there is no ignoring of the fact that the
mischief has been done. In like manner does a little folly outweigh wisdom
and
honor; an uncorrected fault spreads its influence throughout a whole
character and life. How often has the lesson been brought home to
us, both
in
our reading of histories and biographies and in our own experience, of
the
widespread mischief done by a small foible or weakness!
“The
little rift within the lute
That
by-and-by will make the music mute.”
So numerous are the sources from which danger arises, that
a long list
might be made of the little sins by which the characters of many good men
and women are often
marred:
o
indolence,
o
selfishness,
o
love of ease,
o
procrastination,
o
indecision,
o
rudeness,
o
irritability,
o
over-sensitiveness to
praise or blame,
o
vanity,
o
boastfulness,
o
talkativeness,
o
love of gossip,
o
undue laxity,
o
undue severity,
o
want of sell-control over
appetites and passions,
o
obstinacy,
o
parsimony.
Such are some of the follies which outweigh wisdom
and
honor — which stamp the character of a man as unworthy of that
respect which his gifts and graces would otherwise have secured
for him.
Numerous though these follies are, they may be reduced to
two great
classes
1.
faults of weakness and
2.
faults of strength.
·
FAULTS OF WEAKNESS.
This class is that of those which are largely
negative, and consist principally in omission to give a definite
and worthy
direction to the nature; e.g. want of self-control, love of ease, indolence,
procrastination, indecision, selfishness, heartlessness. That these are faults
which create widespread mischief, and excite a
general contempt for the
characters of those in whom they appear, will scarcely be denied by any,
and illustrations of them are only too abundant. Want of self-control over
appetites and passions led David into the foulest crimes, which, though
sincerely and passionately repented of, were most terribly
avenged, and
have for ever left a stain upon his name. Love of ease is the only fault
which is implied in the description of the rich
man in the parable (Luke
16:19), a desire to be
comfortable and avoid all that was disagreeable, but
it led him to such callous indifference to the miseries of
his fellows as
disqualified him for happiness in
the world to come. A similar
fault stained
the character of that young ruler who came running to Christ
and asked,
“Good Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
From his youth up
he had obeyed the commandments, and his ingenuous, sweet
character and
disposition attracted the love of the Savior. But his love of the
world made
him unwilling to practice the self-denial needed to make him
perfect. He
went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions (Mark 10:17-22).
His cowardice that led him to
make “the
great refusal” was the dead fly
that corrupted the precious ointment. A very striking illustration of the
deterioration of a character through the sin of weakness and indecision
is
to be found in the life of Eli. He was a man possessed of many beautiful
qualities of mind and spirit — gentle, unselfish, devoid of envy or
jealousy,
devout and humble; but was “a wavering, feeble, powerless man, with
excellent intentions but an utter want of will.” His parental indulgence led
him to exercise no restraint over his children, and the
consequence was that
when they grew up their conduct was grossly scandalous and
depraved.
His authority and power as a
ruler were not used to check the evils Which
in his heart he loathed, and so
his folly outweighed all the wisdom and
honor he possessed.
His good qualities have not preserved his memory
from contempt. (I Samuel chapters 2-4) For contempt is the feeling
instinctively excited in those who witness moral weakness and
indecision.
This is the sting of the rebuke
addressed to the
thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because
thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew
thee out of my mouth” (Revelation
3:15-16). In Dante’s description of the lower world special infamy is attached to
this class of offenders — that of those who have never really lived, who have
never awakened to take any part either in
good or evil, to care for
anything but themselves. They are
unfit for
heaven, and hell scorns to receive them. “This miserable mode the
dreary
souls of those sustain who lived without blame and without
praise. They
were mixed with that caitiff choir of angels, who were not
rebellious nor
were faithful to God, but WERE
FOR THEMSELVES! Heaven chased
them forth to keep his beauty from impair; and the deep hell
receives them
not, for the wicked would have some glory over them. They are
unknown to
fame. Mercy and judgment
disdain them. Let us not speak of them, but look
and pass.”
·
FAULTS OF STRENGTH.
This class includes those faults which are
of a positive character, and consist largely in an abuse of
qualities which
might have been virtues, For these are not open vices by which
characters
otherwise good are depraved, but insignificant, unsuspected sources
of
danger. The very strength of character by which men and women are
distinguished may lead, by over-emphasis, into very offensive
deterioration.
Thus firmness may degenerate
into obstinacy, frugality into parsimony,
liberality into extravagance, lightheartedness into frivolity, candor
into
rudeness, and so on. And these are faults which disgust and repel,
and
cause us to overlook even very great merits in a character; and
not only so,
but, if unchecked, gradually nullify those merits. We may find in
the
character of Christ all the virtues which go to make
up holiness so
admirably balanced
that no one is over-prominent, and, Therefore, no one
pushed to that excess which so often mars human excellence. Over
against
the sterner and more masculine qualities of mind and spirit we
find those
that are gracious and tender, and both within such limits as
render His a
faultless and perfect example of goodness. His tender compassion for
the
sinful did not lead Him to condone their faults or to lower the
standard of
holiness for their sake. His righteous indignation against sin did
not show
itself in impatience, censoriousness, or irritability, as He met
it from day to
day. “His tender tone was the keen edge of His reproofs, and His
unquestionable love infused solemnity into every warning.” Two practical
lessons may be drawn from our text.
Ø
The first is
that all human excellence is exposed to risk. It is not
sufficient to have attained to a certain measure of righteousness;
there needs also to be care against declining from it. The
ointment carefully distilled must be guarded against
corruption.
Ø
And the second is
that the danger often springs from insignificant and unsuspected quarters. The
dead fly, carried by some stray breeze into the unguarded vial, is the center
of a fermentation which in a very short time will destroy the value of all its
contents.
In vs. 2-3 we have tetrastich (a
poem or stanza of four lines) contrasting wisdom
and
folly.
2 “A
wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at
his left.” - There is here no reference to the classical use of right
and left, as
ominous of success and disaster, which is never found in the Old
Testament. The right hand is the place of honor, the left of
inferiority, as a
matter of fact, not of superstition and luck. The symbolism is
intimated in
Christ’s account of the judgment (Matthew 25:31-33). But in
the
present passage we should best paraphrase — The wise man’s heart, his
understanding and sentiments, lead him to what is right and proper and
straightforward; the fool’s heart leads
him astray, in the wrong direction.
The former is active and skillful,
the latter is slow and awkward. One, we
may
say, has no left hand, the other has no right. To be at the right hand is
to
be ready to help and guard. “The Lord is at
thy right hand,” to protect
thee, says the psalmist (Psalm 110:5). The
wise man’s mind shows him
how to escape dangers and direct his course safely; the fool’s mind
helps
him not to
any good purpose, causes him to
err and miss his best object.
(Whether incidental or on purpose, this description of conservatism and
liberalism is true today when compare to what the Bible teaches and what
the political leanings espouse – CY – 2013)
3 “Yea, also, when he that
is a fool walketh by the way,” - As
soon as ever he sets his foot outside the house, and mixes
with other men,
he exhibits his folly. If he remained at home he might keep his real
ineptitude concealed; but such persons as he are unconscious
of their
inanity, and take no pains
to hide it; they go where, they act as, their
foolish heart prompts them. There is no metaphor here, nor any
reference
to
the fool being put in the right path and perversely turning away. It is
simply, as the Septuagint renders, Καί γε ἐν ὁδῷ
ὅταν ἄφρων
πορεύηται
-
Kai ge en hodo htan aphron
poreuaetai – Yes, also,
when the fool walks by the way – “his wisdom (Hebrew, heart)
faileth him,” –
i.e.
his understanding is at fault - “and he saith
to every one that he is
a fool.” The sentence is ambiguous, and capable of two
interpretations. The
Vulgate has, Cumipse insipiens sit, omnes stultos aestimat.
Jerome quotes
Symmachus as rendering, “He suspects all men that they are fools.” According
to
this view, the fool in his conceit thinks that every one he meets is a
fool, says
this
in his mind, like the sluggard in Proverbs
26:16, “Who is wiser in his own
conceit than ten men that can render a reason.” (Such the pseudo-intellectual
elite of the Northeast and West Coast [
explanation, more closely in accordance with the foregoing
clauses, takes the
pronoun in “he is a fool” to refer to the man himself, se esse stultum (compare
Psalm 9:20), “Let the nations know
themselves to be but men”). As soon
as he goes abroad, his
words and actions display his real character; he betrays
himself; he says virtually to all with whom he has to do, “I AM A FOOL!”
(compare Proverbs 13:16; 18:2). It is hard to say to which interpretation the
Septuagint inclines, giving, Καὶ α} λογιεῖται
πάντα ἀφροσύνη
ἐστίν –
Kai a logieitai panta aphrosunae estin – and all
which he will discern
is foolishness - all that he will think is folly).
Folly Self-Betrayed (vs. 1, 3)
To the writer of this book it seemed that the great
antithesis of human life,
of
human society, was pointed out by the distinction between wisdom and
folly. As by wisdom he meant not merely speculative knowledge or
profound statecraft, but, much rather, reflective habits, deliberate
judgment, and decisive
action, in the practical affairs of life;
so by folly he
intended exactly the opposite of such character and mental habits. A
certain contemptuous and weary abhorrence of the foolish breathes
through his language. His
remarks are full of insight and justice.
·
FOLLY MAY FOR A TIME BE CONCEALED. A grave countenance,
a staid demeanor, a reticent habit, may convey the
impression of wisdom
which does not exist. Men are disposed to take a favorable view
of those
occupying high station, and even of those possessing great estates.
The
casual acquaintances of men who are slow and serious in speech,
or are
exalted in rank, often credit them with wisdom, when there has
been no
proof of its existence.
·
FOLLY WILL CERTAINLY, SOONER OR LATER, BE
REVEALED BY CIRCUMSTANCES. A little folly is the ill savor that
mars the perfume. The understanding of the fool faileth him while he
walketh by
the way. The test is sure to be applied which will prove whether
the coin is genuine or counterfeit. The hollow
reputation must collapse. A
critical time comes when counsel has to be given, when action has
to be
taken, and at such a time the folly of the pompous and
pretentious fool is
made manifest to all. Sounding phraseology may impose upon men
for a
season; but there are occasions when something more than words is
needed, and such occasions reveal the emptiness and vanity of the
foolish.
Ø
Pedantry is not
learning,
Ø
profession is not
religion,
Ø
pretence is not
reality;
neither can the show be, for any length of time, taken for the
substance.
·
FOLLY, THUS EXPOSED, DESTROYS A MAN’S REPUTATION
AND INFLUENCE, The revulsion
is sudden and complete, and may even
go to unreasonable lengths. It is presumed that, because the
highest
expectations have been disappointed, not even the slightest respect or
confidence is justifiable. A little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
·
APPLICATION. The chief lesson of this passage is the value of
sincerity,
thoroughness, and genuineness of character. It is not every man who has
the knowledge, the natural insight, the large experience of
life, which go to
make up wisdom. But no man need pretend to be what he is not;
no man
need proclaim himself a sage or a mentor; no man need claim for
himself
the deferential regard and homage of others.
He who will order his way by such light as he can
gain by reflection,
by the study of the Scriptures, and by prayer, WILL NOT GO FAR
ASTRAY! Sincerity and modesty may not gain a temporary reputation
for profundity of wisdom; but they will not expose their
possessor to the
humiliation and shame of him who, professing himself to be wise,
becomes manifest to all men as a fool.
Section 12 (vs. 4-7).
Illustration of the conduct of wisdom under
capricious rulers, or when fools are exalted to high stations.
4 “If the spirit of the
ruler rise up against thee,” - “Spirit”
(ruach)
is here equivalent to “anger,” as Judges 8:3; Proverbs
29:11. The
idea seems to be that a statesman or councilor gives wise
advice to a
monarch, which the latter
takes in bad part, and shows strong resentment
against the person who offered it. Now, when a man knows
himself to be
in the right, and yet finds his counsel rejected, perhaps
with scorn and
reproach added, he is naturally prone to feel sore, and
to show by some
overt act his sense of the ill treatment which he has
received. But
what says
wisdom? “leave not thy place” - (makom); i.e. position, post, office. Do not
hastily resign the situation at court to which you have been
appointed.
Some, not so suitably, take the expression, “leave thy place,” figuratively,
as equivalent to “give way to anger, renounce the temper
which becomes
you, lose your self-possession.” The analogous use of matstsale
and maamad
in Isaiah 22:19, confirms the interpretation which we have
adopted. Compare
the advice in ch. 8:3, where,
however, the idea is rather of open rebellion than
of a resentment which shows itself by withdrawal - “for yielding pacifieth
great offenses,” Marpe, “yielding,”
is rendered “healing”
by the versions. Thus ἴαμα - iama – cure;
healing – (Septuagint); euratio
(Vulgate). But this translation is not so suitable as that
of Symmachus, σωφροσύνη,-
sophrosunae – moderation. The word is used in the
sense of “gentleness,”
“meekness,” in Proverbs 14:30; 15:4; and the gnome expresses the truth
that a
calm, conciliating spirit, not prone to take offence, but
patient under trying
circumstances, obviates
great sins. The sins are those of the subject. This
quiet resignation saves him from conspiracy, rebellion, treason, etc., into
which his untempered resentment
might hurry him. We may compare
Proverbs 15:1 and 25:15; and Horace, ‘Cam.,’ 3. 3, “Justum et tenacem
propositi virum,” etc.
“The man
whose soul is firm and strong,
Bows not
to any tyrant’s frown,
And on the
rabble’s clamorous throng
In proud
disdain looks coldly down.”
(
They who regard the “offenses”
as those of the ruler explain them to mean
oppression and injustice; but it seems plain from the run
of the sentence
that the minister, not the monarch, is primarily in the
mind of the writer,
though, of course, it is quite true that the submission of
the former might
save the ruler from the commission of some wrong.
A Pacifying Spirit (v. 4)
The circumstances which suggested this admonition were
special; we seem to
be introduced to the court of a powerful and arbitrary Oriental
sovereign. The
caprice and injustice of the monarch arouses the
indignation of the courtier,
who is ready to rise in resentment and anger. But the
counsel is given, “Leave
not thy place.” Presentment fans the flame of wrath; submission assuages
it.
“Yielding allayeth great offences.” Now, the circumstances apply only
to a few,
But the principle which they suggest is of wide and general
application. A
submissive and pacificatory
spirit promotes harmony.
ARROGANCE FROM THEIR FELLOW-MEN. Those who occupy
positions of authority expect
deference from their inferiors. Birth, rank,
station, are apt to foster an
arbitrary habit in their possessors. And whilst
there are many
and beautiful exceptions to this rule, especially
owing to THE INFLUENCE OF CHRIST’S SPIRIT AND
EXAMPLE! It is not
to be questioned that arrogance is the special
fault of the
officially great.
RESENTMENT. We are so constituted that, apart from the controlling
and restraining influence of
reason and religious principles, we return blow
for blow. Anger enkindles anger,
as flint and steel enkindle fire. Hence
words are spoken which may never
be forgotten, and may ever be
regretted; estrangements take
place which may lead to bitter feuds; blows
may follow, even war.
common proverb is, “It takes two
to make a quarrel.” Because offence is
given, offence need not be
taken; because injury and insult are inflicted, it
does not of necessity follow
that they should be avenged. Several motives
concur to restrain resentment.
Ø
Self-respect. The man who loses temper and self-command, upon
subsequent reflection, feels
himself so much less a man; he despises
himself.
Ø
Prudence. This is the motive specially relied upon in this passage,
in
dealing with “the ruler,” whose
spirit rises up against him, the courtier is
reminded of the ruler’s power,
and is admonished not to provoke him to
the exercise of that power, for
in that case all favor may lead to disgrace
and degradation.
Ø
Religious
principle. This is the motive which,
in the case of the
Christian, is most
powerful. The example of the patient and meek
Redeemer, who reviled not again (I Peter 2:23), and who
besought mercy for His murderers, is never absent from the
mind of those who trust and
love Him. His love constrains,
His precept controls, His
example impels. And thus forbearance and
forgiveness
characterize Christ’s disciples, in
those circumstances
in which otherwise resentment
and revenge might animate the heart.
pacifieth [allayeth] great
offences.” It is not required that the injured party
should approve the action of his
injurer; or affirmed that no opportunity
may occur of just and dignified
rebuke. But silence, quietness of spirit, and
control of natural impulse, will
in many cases produce a good result. He
who bears wrong patiently is the
stronger and better for the discipline; and
his demeanor may melt the
wrongdoer to contrition, and will at all events
lead him to reflection.
Thus the threatened conflict may be
avoided; a
lesson may be administered to
the hasty and arrogant, and THE BEST
INTERESTS OF
SOCIETY MAY BE PROMOTED! Thus:
Ø
the Word of God
is honored, and
Ø
witness is given
to THE POWER WHICH CHRIST
POSSESSES to subdue and govern THE
UNRULY
NATURE OF MAN.
Koheleth now gives his personal experience of apparent confusion in
the ordering of state affairs.
5 “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun,” - Power gets into the
hands of an unwise man, and then errors are committed
and injustice reigns -
“as an error which proceedeth
from the ruler.” The K] here is cash veritatis,
which denotes not comparison, but resemblance, the
idealization of the individual,
the harmony of the particular with the general idea.
The evil which he noticed
appeared to be (he does not affirm that it is) a
mistake caused by the ruler; it so
presented itself to his mind. The caution observed
in the statement may be owing
partly to the tacit feeling that such blots occasioned
difficulties in the view
taken of the moral government of the world. He does not
intend to refer to
God under the appellation “ruler.” The Septuagint renders, Ὡς ἀκούσιον
ἐξῆλθεν
- Hos akousion exaelthen
– the sort of unwilling errors - as if it
came involuntarily; Vulgate, to much the same effect, Quasi
per errorem
egrediens. The idea here is either that the evil is one not produced
by any
intentional action of the ruler, but resulting from human imperfection,
or that what appears to be a mistake is not so really. But these interpretations
are unsuitable. Those who adhere to the Solomonic
authorship of our book
see here a prophetic intimation of the evil of Jeroboam’s
rule, which evil
proceeded from the sins of Solomon himself and his son Rehoboam.
6 “Folly is set in great
dignity, and the rich sit in low place.”
This is an instance of the error intimated in the preceding
verse. A
tyrannical ruler exalts incompetent persons, unworthy
favorites,
to
“great heights” (ἐν ὅψεσι μεγάλοις – en hopsesi
megalois – in
great
dignity - Septuagint), as it is literally — puts
them into eminent positions.
“Folly” is abstract for concrete, “fools.” And the rich sit in low place. “The rich”
(ushirim) are not simply
those who have wealth, however obtained, but men of
noble birth; ἀρχαιόπλουτοι – archaioploutoi - persons of ancestral wealth,
who from natural position might be looked upon as rulers of
men. Such
men would
seek eminent
stations, not from base motives of gain, but from an honorable
ambition, and
yet they are often slighted by unworthy princes and kept in
low estate
(compare I Samuel 2:7-8; Proverbs 19:10). The experience mentioned
in this and the following verses could scarcely have been
Solomon’s, though it has
been always common enough in the East, where the most
startling changes have
been made, the lowest
persons have been suddenly raised to eminence
(compare Isaiah 3:12), mistresses and favorites loaded with
dignities, and
oppression of the rich has been systematically pursued. (Consider some
of the tabs being picked up by the
escapades of men functioning in prominent government position – CY –
2013)
7 “I have seen servants
upon horses,” - A
further description of the
effect of the tyrant’s perversion of equity. Such an allusion could not have
been made in Solomon’s reign, when the importation of
horses was quite a
new thing (I Kings 10:28). Later, to ride upon horses was a
distinction
of the nobility (Jeremiah 17:25). Thus Amaziah’s
corpse was brought
on horses to be buried in the city of
Mordecai was honored by being taken round the city on the
king’s own
steed (Esther 6:8, etc.) – “and princes walking as
servants upon the earth.”
“Princes” (sarim); i.e. masters,
lords. Some take the expressions here as
figurative, equivalent to “those who are worthy to be
princes,” and “those
who are fit only to be slaves;” but the literal is the true
interpretation.
Early travelers in the East record the fact that Europeans
were not allowed by
the Turks to ride upon horses, but were compelled either to
use asses or walk
on foot. In some places the privilege of riding upon
horseback was permitted to
the consuls of the great powers — an honor denied to all
strangers of lower
degree. Among the Greeks and Romans the possession of a
horse with its
war-trappings implied a certain amount of wealth and distinction.
St. Gregory,
treating of this passage (‘Moral.,’ 31:43), says, “By the name horse is understood
temporal dignity, as Solomon witnesses .... For every one
who sins is the
servant of sin, and servants are upon horses, when
sinner’s are elated with
the dignities of the present life. But princes walk as
servants, when no
honor exalts many who are full of the dignity of virtues,
but when the
greatest misfortune here presses them down, as though
unworthy.”
(This
reminds me in a way of the Aesop Fable of The Man, the Boy
and the Donkey – see below – CY – 2013)
A MAN and his son
were once going with their Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them
and said:
“You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?” So the Man
put the Boy
on the Donkey and they went on their way.
But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: “See that
lazy
youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides.” So the Man
ordered his Boy
to get off, and got on himself.
But they hadn’t gone far when they passed two women, one of whom
said to the other:
“Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge
along.” Well, the Man didn’t
know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on
the Donkey. By this
time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer
and point at them.
The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men
said: “Aren’t you
ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor Donkey of
yours—you and your
hulking son?”
The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They
thought and they
thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the Donkey’s
feet to it, and raised
the pole and the Donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid
the laughter
of all who met them till they came to
one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his
end of the pole.
In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his
fore-feet being tied
together he was drowned “That will teach you,” said an old man
who had
followed them: Please all and
you will please NONE!
Social Paradoxes (vs. 5-7)
The evil which the writer of Ecclesiastes here condemns is
one of which
the history of every nation affords many examples. Princes’
favorites have
too often been chosen from amongst the worthless herd who
seek their
own elevation and advantage by
ministering to the vices of the young,
profligate, and powerful (Giving special passes to young hoodlums;
promiscuous women through abortion; the recognition of
homosexuality
as most favored life style status, politicians and judges
above the law, ad
nauseum – CY – 2013) How
many a reign has been marred by this
mischief! How many a king has been misled, to his own and his country’s
harm, by the folly of
choosing companions and counselors not for wisdom,
sincerity, and patriotism, but because those chosen are of congenial tastes
and habits, or are FLATTERS AND PARASITES!
INJURIOUS TO THOSE SO PROMOTED, Men who might have been
respectable and useful in a lowly station are corrupted and morally debased
by their elevation to posts of
undeserved dignity and emolument. Their
heads are turned by
the giddy height to which they are raised.
(The Peter Principle – The rising to a level of Incompetence – CY –
2013)
INJURIOUS TO THE PRINCES WHOM THEY PROFESS TO
SERVE. What kings and rulers need is to be told the truth. It is
important that they should know
the actual state and needs of the nation.
And it is important that any
weakness or wrong bias, natural or acquired,
should be corrected. But the fools who are set in high places make
it their one great rule of conduct never to
utter unpalatable truth.
They assume the faultlessness of their master;
they paint the condition of
his subjects in glowing colors,
and give
the ruler all the credit for national
prosperity. Their insincerity and flattery are MORALLY
INJUROUS to the prince, who
by the companionship of
the wise might have been morally
benefited.
INJURIOUS TO THE COMMUNITY. The example of injustice thus
presented is discouraging to the upright and depressing to the
reflecting. (“If
the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous
do?” –
Psalm 11:3 – CY – 2013). The throne becomes unpopular, and
the people generally are
demoralized. The evil is no doubt greater in
despotic than in constitutional
states, for these latter afford fewer
opportunities
for rapacity and oppression. Yet nothing more injuriously affects the
community generally
than the spectacle of
folly to wisdom, fashion to experience, VICE to virtue, FRIVOLITY
to piety. (I
would stake my life on this being a description of THE
SUPREME COURT OF
THE
CY – 2013)
Section 13 (vs. 8-11).
Various proverbs expressing
the benefit of
prudence and
caution, and the danger of folly. The connection with what
has preceded is not closely marked, but is probably to be
found in the
bearing of the maxims on the conduct of the wise man who
has incurred
the resentment of a ruler, and might be inclined to
disaffection and revolt.
They are intentionally obscure and capable of a double
sense — a
necessary precaution if the writer lived under Persian
despots.
8 “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it;” - This proverb occurs in
Proverbs 26:27, and, as expressive of the retribution
that awaits evildoers,
finds parallels in Psalm 7:15-16; 9:15;
10:2. The “pit” (gummats,
ἅπαξ
λεγόμενον – hapax legomenon) is such a
one as was made to
capture wild animals, and the maker of it is supposed to
approach it
incautiously, and to fall into it. But the scope of our
passage is rather to
speak of what may possibly occur than to insist on the Nemesis that
inevitably overtakes transgressors. Its object is to inspire
caution in the
prosecution of dangerous undertakings, whether the
enterprise be the
overthrow of a tyrant, or any other action of importance,
or whether, as
some suppose, the arraignment of the providential ordering
of events is
intended, in which case there would be the danger of
blasphemy and
impatience – “and whoso breaketh
a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.|”
The futures throughout vs. 8-9 ,are not intended to express
certainty, as if
the results mentioned were inevitable, but rather
possibility, and might be
rendered, with “may fall,” “may bite,” etc. The “hedge” is rather
a wall (Proverbs 24:31), in the crevices of which poisonous
snakes
have made their abode, which are disturbed by its
demolition (compare
Amos 5:19). Nachash, here
used, is the generic name of any serpent. The
majority of the snakes found in
which are very deadly, especially the cobra and those which
belong to the
viper family. There is no allusion here to the illegal
removal of landmarks, a
proceeding which might be supposed to provoke retribution;
the hedge or
wail is one which the demolisher is justified in removing,
only in doing so
he must look out for certain contingencies, and guard
against them.
Metaphorically, the pulling down a wall may refer to the
removal of evil
institutions in a state, which involves the reformer in
many difficulties and
perils.
Sin
Suicidal (v. 8)
“He
that sinneth against me wrongeth
his own soul” (Proverbs 8:36);
he
that seeks to do injury to others brings trouble upon himself; with the
measure and after the manner with which he deals will he himself
be dealt
with. Evil intents, as also good ones, recoil upon their author — in the one
case in penalty, and in the other in blessing. As we observe, we see that:
·
EVIL BEGETS EVIL AFTER ITS OWN KIND.
Ø
Violence begets violence. “They that take
the sword perish with the
sword;” not, of course,
with absolute and unfailing regularity, but
generally; so commonly that the professional warrior and, still
more, the
uncontrollably passionate man may expect to come to a violent end. But,
apart from fatal consequences, it is a constantly recurring fact
that men
give back blow for blow, litigation for litigation, hard
measure for hard
measure.
Ø
Cunning begets cunning. The crafty man is the likeliest of all to be
caught with guile. Men have a peculiar pleasure and take especial
pride
in outwitting the neighbor who is trying to take advantage of
them. So
that he who is always laying traps for his fellows is in
greatest danger
of being himself entrapped.
Ø
Contempt begets aversion. There are those who from the pedestal of
(often
imaginary) superiority look down upon their companions with
arrogant disregard; their attitude is one of haughtiness, their
language
and conduct that of condescension. These proud ones suffer as
they
deserve; they pay an appropriate penalty; their neighbors resent
their
assumption; they pass them by with aversion; they speak of them with
condemnation; they leave them to loneliness and friendlessness.
Ø
Slander begets reproach. Men that are unscrupulously complaining of
others, hastily or ill-naturedly ascribing to them mistakes or
misdeeds, are
the men whose own shortcoming is quickly detected and
unsparingly
condemned (see Matthew 7:1-2). Thus sin (or folly) smites itself; it
thinks to injure others, but it finds in the end that the stone
which it threw
up into the air comes down upon its own head. On the other
hand, we see:
·
GOOD BEGETS GOOD AFTER ITS KIND.
Ø
The man of peace is
permitted to dwell in peace.
Ø
Frankness, sincerity,
are met with reciprocated open-mindedness and
honesty.
Ø
Honor rendered to
worth and to our common manhood creates respect,
and calls forth the best that is in men.
Ø
Generosity in judgment
receives in return a kind and brotherly estimate
of its own actions and character. While he that digs a pit
for others fails
into it himself, he that raises a ladder for others elevation
himself rises
upon its rungs.
The
Broken Hedge (v. 8)
There are many fences which we have constructed, or which
the Lord of
our
life has erected, and we discover that if we break them we shall find
ourselves attacked and bitten by the serpent which is within or upon
the
other side.
·
THE HEDGE OF SOCIAL REQUIREMENTS, There are certain
understood enactments of society which must be regarded by us. They
may
have no claim to be moral laws; they may not have any place in
the statutes
of the land; still they are obligatory upon us. If we are so
self-willed or selfsufficient, if we are so ignorant
or so careless, as to violate these, we must
pay the appropriate penalty of general disregard. Even though
we be free
from all vice and all crime, we shall be numbered among
transgressors of
the unwritten law of society, and our position will be
lowered, our
influence will be lessened, our reputation will be reduced, our
usefulness
will be impaired.
·
THE HEDGE OF HUMAN LAW.
Human law requires of us that we
shall pay the debts we owe, that we shall make our contribution to
the
protection of the society of which we are members, that we shall
respect
the rights of our neighbors. Breaking this hedge, we pay the
penalty which
the law inflicts; this “serpent”
may be only a small fine, or it may be loss of
liberty or even life.
·
THE HEDGE OF DIVINE LIMITATION. God has set a limit to our
faculties, and thus to our enjoyment, our activity, our achievement;
and if
we heedlessly or ambitiously pass this limit, we are bitten
and we suffer. If
we break the hedge of:
Ø
Physical appropriation, or exercise, we suffer in bodily sickness, in
nervous prostration, in premature decline.
Ø
Mental activity. If we think, study, strive, labor on at our desk, beyond
the limit of our powers, we pay the penalty in irritability,
in softening of the brain, in insanity.
Ø
Spiritual faculty. If we attempt to enter regions that are beyond our
God-given powers, we end either
in a skepticism which robs us of our
highest heritage, or in a mysticism which fascinates and misleads
us.
·
THE HEDGE OF CONSCIENCE. Conscience commands us, with
imperative voice, to keep well within the line of purity, of
sobriety, of
truthfulness, of reverence.
If we go beyond that line, we suffer. We suffer:
Ø
The condemnation of
God.
Ø
The disapproval of the
wise and good.
Ø
The reproach of our
own soul.
Ø
The loss of
self-respect and the consequent enfeeblement of our
character; and of all losses this is, perhaps, the worst, for it is one of a
series of downward steps at the foot of which is death.
·
LESSONS:
1. Be right at
heart with God; you will then have within you a force of
spiritual
rectitude which wilt keep you in the path of wisdom and virtue.
2. Be vigilant; ever watching character and conduct, so that you are not
betrayed unawares
into error and transgression.
3. Be docile; always ready to receive the counsel and heed the warning
of
true and faithful
friends.
4. Seek daily the guidance and guardianship of God.
9 “Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith;” - It is natural
to consider this clause as suggested by the breaking of a
wall in the
preceding verse; but as this would occasion a jejune
repetition, it is better
to take it of the work of the quarryman, as in I Kings
5:17, where the
same verb is used. The dangers to which such laborers are
exposed are well
known. Here, again, but unsuccessfully, some have seen a
reference to the
removal of landmarks, comparing II Kings 4:4, where the
word is
translated “set aside.” As before said, the paragraph does
not speak of
retribution, but advises caution, enforcing the lesson by
certain homely,
allusions to the accidents that may occur m customary occupations –
“and he that cleaveth wood shall
be endangered thereby.” Cutting up logs
of wood, a man may hurt himself with axe or saw, or
be injured by splinters,
etc. If we take the idea to be the felling of trees, there
is the danger of
being crushed in their fall, or, according to the tenor of
Deuteronomy 19:5,
of being killed inadvertently by a neighbor’s axe. Vulgate,
Qui scindit
ligna vulnerabitur ab
eis, which is
more definite than the general term
“endangered;” but the Septuagint
has, Κινδυνεύσει ἐν αὐτοῖς –
Kinduneusei en autois – be
endangered thereby - as in the
Authorized Version.
There could be an intimation of the danger of attacking
time-honored institutions,
even when decaying and corrupt.
The Rebound
of Evil (vs. 8-9)
Under these picturesque and impressive figures of speech,
the Preacher
appears to set forth the important moral lesson, that they who work harm
and wrong to their
fellow-men shall not themselves escape with
impunity.
·
THE SIGNS AND THE SIN OF MALICE. The case is one of
intentional, deliberate malevolence, working itself out in acts of
mischief
and wrong. Such a spirit so expressing itself may be
characterized
Ø
as a perversion of
natural sentiment;
Ø
as a wrong to our
social nature, and a violation of the conditions of our
social life; and
Ø
as in flagrant contradiction to the
commands of God, and the precepts
of our gracious and compassionate Savior.
·
THE RETRIBUTION OF MALICE. The proverbial language of the
text is paralleled by somewhat similar proverbs in various
languages,
as, for example, in the Oriental proverb, “Curses, like
chickens, come home
to roost.”
Ø
Such retribution is
often wrought by the ordinary operation of natural
laws. The story of the pirate-rover who was wrecked upon the
crags of
Aberbrothock, from which he himself had cut off the warning bell, is an
instance familiar to our minds from childhood.
Ø
Retribution is
sometimes effected by the action of the laws enforced in
all civilized communities. The lex
talionis, “an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth,” may be taken as an example of a principle the
applications
of which are discernible in all the various states of society
existing among
men.
Ø
Those who escape the
penalties of nature and the indignation of their
fellow-men cannot escape the righteous
judgment of God; they shall
not go unpunished.
10 “If the iron be blunt,
and he do not whet the edge,” - The
illustration at the end of the last verse is continued. The
“iron” is the axe
used in cutting wood; if this be blunted by the work to
which it is put, and
he, the laborer, has not sharpened the edge (Hebrew, the
face, as in
Ezekiel 21:2), what is the consequence? How is he to carry
on his
work? - “then
must he put to more strength:” - He
must put more force
in his blows, he must make up for the want of edge by added
power and
weight. This is the simplest explanation of the passage,
which contains
many linguistic difficulties. The Septuagint is obscure, Ἐὰν ἐκπέσῃ
τὸ
σιδήριον καὶ
αὐτὸς πρόσωπον ἐτάραξε
καὶ δυνάμεις
δυναμώσει –
Ean ekpesae to sidaerion kai autos prosopon etaraxe kai dunameis
dunamosei - “If the axe should fall, then he troubles his face, and he
shall strengthen his forces (? double his strength);” Vulgate, Si
retusum fuerit ferrurn,
et hoc non ut prius, sed hebetatum fuerit,
multo
labore exacuetur, “If the iron shall
be blunted, and it be not as before, but
have become dull,
it shall be sharpened with much labor.” “but wisdom is
profitable to direct.” Rather,
the advantage of setting right is (on the side
of) wisdom.
Wisdom teaches how to conduct matters to a successful
termination; for instance, it
prompts the worker to sharpen his tool instead
of trying to accomplish his task by an exertion of mere
brute strength. The
gnome applies to all the instances which have been
mentioned above.
Wisdom alone enables a man to meet and overcome the
dangers and
difficulties which beset his social, common, and
political life. If we apply
the whole sentence to the case of disaffection with the
government or open
rebellion, the caution given would signify — See that your
means are
adequate to the end, that your resources are sufficient to
conduct your
enterprise to success.
The last proverb of this little series shows the necessity
of
seizing the right opportunity.
Good Workmanship — Ourselves and Our Tools
(vs. 9-10)
This much-debated passage may suggest to us some lessons
which may not
have been in the mind of the Preacher, but which are
appropriate to our
time and our circumstances. The question of how much work a
man can do
is one that depends on two things — on his own strength and
skill, and on
the quality of the tools he is using. A weak and untried
man with poor
tools will not do half as much as a strong experienced man
with good ones
in his hand.
Ø
All manual labor, to which the passage more immediately applies; but:
Ø
All business
transactions, all household activities, all matters of
government in which men are often “the tools” with which work is
done.
And it includes that to
which our attention may be especially directed:
Ø
All Christian
work. This is a great field of its
own, with a vast amount of
work demanding to be done.
Here is work;
o
of vast magnitude;
o
of great delicacy;
o
of extreme difficulty,
for it means nothing less
than that change of condition which results from a
change of heart and life.
In view of this particular field we regard:
Ø
Good tools. Of these tools are:
o
Divine truth; and to be really good for the great purpose we
have at heart we need to hold and to utter this truth in
§
its integrity, not presenting or exaggerating one or two aspects
only, but offering it in
its fullness and symmetry;
§
its purity, uncorrupted by the imaginations and accretions
of our own mind;
§
its adaptation
to the special spiritual needs of
those to
whom we minister.
o
An elastic
organization; not such as will not admit of suiting the
necessities of men as they
arise, but one that is flexible, and that will lend
itself to the ever-varying conditions,
spiritual and temporal, in which men
are found, and in which they
have to be helped and healed.
Ø
Good workmen. Those that have:
o
Wisdom “profitable to direct,” that have tools, skill, discretion,
a sound
judgment, a comprehensive
view.
o
Strength; those who can use bad tools if good ones are not at hand,
who can work on with sustained
energy, who can “bear the burden and
heat of the day,” who can stand
criticism and censoriousness, who will not
be daunted by apparent failure or
by occasional desertion, who can wait
“with long patience” for the day
of harvest.
May we seek to be supplied with the most perfect tools in
Christian work; for
not only will good tools do much more work than poor ones,
but bad tools
will result in mischief to the workman. “He that cleaveth… is endangered.”
Half-truths, or truth unbalanced by its complement, or a
badly constructed
organization, may do real and serious harm to those who
preach the one or
work through the other.
Let us put our whole strength — physical, mental, spiritual —
into the work of the Lord. With the very best tools we can
wield, we shall wish we had
done more than we shall have accomplished, when our last blow has been struck
for
the Master and for mankind.
Force
and Wisdom (v. 10)
The homely adage in the first part of this verse prepares
for the broad
general statement by which it is followed.
·
IN MECHANICAL UNDERTAKINGS THE SUPERIORITY OF
SKILL TO BRUTE FORCE IS MOST APPARENT. This is obvious in
the superiority of the workmanship of the civilized and
cultured to that of
the barbarian.
·
WISDOM HAS A VAST ADVANTAGE IN THE ORDINARY
AFFAIRS OF HUMAN LIFE. The old fairy stories usually represented the
muscular giant as a simpleton easily outwitted by the youth or the dwarf;
the lesson being that mere strength avails but little for
those ends which
men most seek and prize. It is wisdom which is profitable to
direct — a
truth which applies not merely to mechanics, but to the various
arts which
men cultivate. What vocation is there in which thought,
investigation, the
adaptation of means to ends, a calm deliberate judgment, are not
serviceable? It is the wise who reap the harvest of life, who sway the
realm
of humanity.
·
WISDOM IS PRE-EMINENTLY OF SERVICE IN ALL TRUE
RELIGIOUS LIFE AND
depreciated in some passages of Holy Writ. But careful attention will
show
that it is only the lower type of wisdom which inspiration
disparages. They
who have only “the wisdom of this world,” who are “wise
in their own
conceit,” are indeed
condemned. But, on the other hand, they are approved
who receive the wisdom of God in Christ, and who are wise
unto salvation.
It is the enlightening influence of God’s Holy Spirit that
leads to an
appreciation of the gospel itself, and that directs
those whose endeavor and
aim it is to bring their fellow-men into the enjoyment of
those blessings
which that gospel secures.
11 “Surely the serpent
will bite without enchantment;” - The Authorized Version
is not quite correct. The particle אם, with which the verse begins, is here conditional,
and the rendering should be, If the serpent bite,
etc.; the apodosis comes in the next
clause. The idea is taken up from v. 8. If one
handles a serpent without due
precaution or without knowing the secret of charming it,
one will suffer for
it. The taming and charming of poisonous snakes is still,
as heretofore,
practiced in
been accurately determined; whether it belongs especially
to persons of a
certain idiosyncrasy, whether it is connected with certain
words or
intonations of the voice or musical sounds, we do not know.
Of the
existence of the power from remote antiquity there can be
no question.
Allusions to it in Scripture are common enough (see Exodus
7:11;
Psalm 58:5; Jeremiah 8:17). If a serpent before it is
charmed is dangerous,
what then? The Authorized Version affords no sensible
apodosis: - “and a
babbler is no better.” The words rendered “babbler” (baul hallashon)
are
literally “master of the tongue,” and by them is meant the ἐπαοιδός –
epaoidos - the serpent-charmer.
The clause should run, Then there is no
use in the charmer. If
the man is bitten before he has time to use his charm,
it is no profit to him that he has the secret, it is too
late to employ it when the
mischief is done. (I would like to recommend Spurgeon Sermon – The Lifting
Up of the Brazen Serpent - # 6 – this web site – CY – 2013). This is to shut
the stable door after the steed is stolen. The maxim
enforces the warning against
being too late; the greatest skill is useless unless
applied at the right moment.
The Septuagint translates virtually as above, “If a serpent bites when not
charmed (ἐν οὐ ψιθυρισμῷ - en ou psithurismo), then there is no advantage
to the charmer (τῷ ἐπᾴδοντι – to epadonti). The Vulgate
departs from the
context, rendering, Si mordeat serpens in silentio (i.e.
probably “uncharmed”),
nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit, “He is nothing better who slanders
secretly,” which
for as the
serpent stealthily infuses its poison, so the
secret slanderer pours his
venom into another’s breast.
Concise Wisdom; or, A String of Double-Edged Proverbs
(vs. 8-11)
·
DIGGING PITS AND FALLING INTO THEM. “He that diggeth a
pit
shall [or, ‘may’] fall
into it” (v. 8). An old proverb, borrowed from
Solomon (Proverbs 26:27), who in
turn may have learnt it from David
(Psalm 7:15; 9:15; 57:6), it may
point to one or other of two thoughts.
Ø
The necessity of exercising caution in all works of danger. One who
hollows out a trench or pit for the purpose of snaring wild
animals — a
perfectly legitimate design — may, either by standing too near the
edge
and causing the treacherous earth to give way, or by stumbling
on it in
the dark at an unexpected moment, fall in, in which case he
will suffer
not for having done wrong, but merely for having failed to act with
circumspection and prudence (Proverbs 14:15; 22:3;
27:12).
Ø
The possibility of evildoers overreaching
themselves. In this case the pit
is supposed to be dug for a wicked purpose, as e.g.
to ensnare another to
his ruin. In this sense the proverb has found expression in
almost all
literatures. Shakespeare speaks of the engineer being “hoist with his
own
petard.” Haman was hanged upon the gallows he had built for
Mordecai (Esther 7:10). “Plots and conspiracies are often as fatal to the
conspirators as to the intended victims’ (Plumptre).
·
BROKEN HEDGES AND BITING SERPENTS. “Whoso breaketh
through a fence, a serpent shall bite him” (v. 8). The hedge, or rather
fence, or stone wall, was a customary haunt of serpents; so that
one
engaged in breaking down such a structure had need to beware of
being
bitten by the reptiles infesting it. Hence a variety of lessons
according as
the words are viewed.
Ø
An admonition to workers. To go cautiously about their employments, if
these are dangerous, as a person would who had to pull down or
break
through an old wall in which serpents were lodged. Many accidents
occur, inflicting damage on the workers, for want of a little
foresight.
Ø
A warning to transgressors. That Nemesis (goddess of revenge in
literature) may overtake them in the very act of their evil
doing. If they
break through a neighbor’s fence to steal his fruit, or pull
down his wall
so as to injure his property, they need not be surprised if
they are caught
in the act. Wickedness
has a habit of avenging itself, sometimes
with
great rapidity and with terrible severity, on those who perpetrate
it.
This is true of all breaking
down of those fences or laws with which
God has girt man. Every
violation of law — physical, intellectual,
moral, social, religious — is visited with its own particular
biting
serpent of penalty.
Ø
A caution to reformers. If they will set themselves to pull down the old
walls of decayed and worthless institutions, or to break through
the
fences of time-honored customs, they must prepare themselves for
being
bitten by the serpents in the crannies — for encountering the
opposition,
criticism, hate, and often persecution of those who have vested
interests
in the abuses proposed to be rectified or swept away. Reformers
should
count the cost before beginning their work of reformation.
·
HEWING OR REMOVING STONES AND HURTING ONE’8 SELF.
“Whoso
heweth out [or, ‘moveth’]
stones
shall be hurt therewith”
(v. 9). Again of double import, teaching:
Ø The duty of guarding
one’s self against the perils that may attend a
perfectly legitimate occupation. Viewed in this
light, the stone-moving
may simply mean the pulling down of a wall, which, if it be
carelessly
performed, may fall and inflict a hurt upon the worker; and the
stone
hewing may refer to the work of quarrying, which may be attended
with
great risk from the flying about of chips.
Ø
The inevitable recompense of all wrongdoing. If the stone-moving
alludes to the removing of a neighbor’s landmark, then the proverb
stands
as a reminder of the curse pronounced against that ancient
sin
(Deuteronomy 19:14; 27:17). The
use of landmarks, at least as then
employed, has ceased; but the distinction between “mine” and “thine”
remains; and every invasion of another’s rights is a wickedness
which in
course of providence will receive its just recompense of reward
(Exodus 20:15).
·
CLEAVING LOGS AND CUTTING FINGERS. “He that cleaveth
wood is endangered thereby” (v. 9). The three thoughts already
mentioned are again repeated.
Ø
The need of caution. Wood-splitting being a dangerous occupation.
Ø
The certainty of retribution. The cutting down of
trees, especially fruit
trees, being regarded as an act of wrongful oppression, and as
such
forbidden by the Law, even m a siege (Deuteronomy 20:19-20), the
hurt that might come to one in wood-cutting (Deuteronomy 19:5)
may
be viewed as suggestive of the penalty of disobedience.
Ø
The peril of reform. The cutting down of trees is, in this instance, taken
as symbolic of the hewing down of decayed institutions.
·
BLUNT TOOLS AND HEAVY BLOWS. “If the iron be blunt, and
one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength:
but wisdom
is profitable to direct” (v. 10). The lessons are two.
Ø
Every work has its own appropriate tools. Wood-cutting
requires axes,
and not merely blunt pieces of iron; pit-digging demands
spades; stone
hewing chisels. Each occupation has its own implement. This the
dictate
of common sense.
Ø
Every tool should be kept in a fit condition for its work. This the
teaching of wisdom. A woodman with a blunt axe must strike oftener
and
heavier than he would need to do were his axe sharp. So the man
who
enters on any task without the requisite sharpness of
intelligence and
sagacity will find his work proportionately hindered.
·
BITING SERPENTS AND TARDY CHARMERS. “If the serpent
bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the
charmer;” or,
“Surely the
serpent will bite without, or where there is no, enchantment”
(v. 11); which
again offers two thoughts.
Ø That the
serpent of temptation will do its deadly work unless timorously
repressed. This
may be done:
o
by resisting its first
approaches, if they cannot be eluded
altogether (James 4:7),
o
by crushing down the
rising inclination within one to yield,
o
by diligently considering the sinfulness of that to which one
is solicited (Genesis 39:9),
o
by calling in the help of God against the adversary
(Ephesians
6:10-18).
Ø That if once the
serpent of temptation has done its deadly work there is
no use whatever of resorting to such means
of repression. Such means
are then too late. To
employ them then is much the same thing as to
shut the stable door when the
horse is out!
Good
Thoughts for Bad Times
or
Words from the Wise
(vs. 8-11)
·
THE NECESSITY OF CAUTION. Especially in difficult and dangerous
works. He who digs a pit must be on his guard against falling
into it; he
who pulls down a stone wall must look out for serpents; he who
hews
stones or removes them must be careful not to hurt himself in the
process;
he who cleaves or splits timber must see that he is not
endangered thereby.
“The prudent man looketh well to his going.”
(Proverbs 14:15)
·
THE RECOMPENSE OF WRONGDOING.
Ø
Springing out of the wrong act. As when one,
having dug a pit to
ensnare another, falls into it himself.
Ø
Suddenly smiting the transgressor. As when a serpent
bites him who
pulls down a wall.
Ø
Swiftly following on the heels of crime. As when one who,
hewing
stones, injures-himself with the chips, or, removing a neighbor’s
landmark, is punished for his offence.
Ø
Certainly overtaking the evildoer, As when one cutting
wood strikes
himself with the axe.
·
THE PERIL OF REFORM.
The propriety of counting the cost before
entering on the arduous career of a reformer. Illustrated by the
two
proverbs about breaking through fences and cutting down trees. Men
are
not to be deterred from attempting reforms because of
difficulties and
dangers; only they should not be surprised when these are
experienced.
·
THE SELECTION OF INSTRUMENTS. Many enterprises fail
because the proper instruments have not been selected; or, if
selected, have
not been managed with wisdom. The man who intends to cut down
a tree
must first have an axe and then keep it sharp.
·
THE CHOICE OF TIMES.
Many good undertakings fail because not
begun at the right time. Many dangers might be avoided were
precautions
against them not adopted too late. To every work there is a time. Strike
while the
iron is hot. Beware of being too late.
Section 14 (vs. 12-15).
The mention of “the master of the
tongue” in
v. 11 leads the author to introduce some maxims concerned
with the
contrast between the words and acts of the wise, and the
worthless prating
and useless labors of the fool.
12 “The words of a wise
man’s mouth are gracious;” - literally,
are grace (χάρις – charis - Septuagint); i.e. they not only are
pleasing in form
and manner, but they conciliate favor, produce approbation
and good will,
convince and, what is more, persuade. So of our blessed Lord
it was said,
“All bare him witness, and wondered at (τοῖς λόγοις
τῆς χάριτος
-
tois logois taes charitos - the gracious words) which proceeded
out of
His mouth” (Luke
4:22; compare Psalm 45:2). In distinction from
the
unready man, who, like the snake charmer in the preceding verse, suffers
by reason of his untimely
silence, the wise man uses
his speech opportunely
and to good purpose. (A different result is given in ch.9:11.) – “but the lips
of
a fool will swallow up himself.”
This is a stronger expression than “ruin” or
“destroy.” Speaking without due forethought, he compromises himself,
says what he has shamefully to withdraw, and brings
punishment on his
own head (compare Proverbs 10:8, 21; 18:7 – “A
fool’s mouth is his
destruction,
and his lips are the snare of his soul.”)
Ῥῆμα παρὰ
καιρὸν ῤιφθὲν ἀνατρέπει
βίον.
rhaema para kairon rhiphthen
anatrepei bion.
“Untimely
speech has ruined many a life.”
13 “The beginning of the
words of his mouth is foolishness:” - A
confirmation of the last clause of the preceding verse. The
fool speaks
according to his nature. “As saith the proverb
of the ancients, Out of the
wicked cometh forth
wickedness” (I Samuel 24:13; compare
Proverbs 15:2;
Isaiah 32:6). As soon as he
opens his month he utters folly and silliness.
But he does not stop there - “the end of his
talk is mischievous madness.”
By the time he has finished, he has committed himself to
statements that are
worse than silly, that are presumptuous, frenzied, indicative of mental and moral
depravity. Intemperate language about the secrets of God’s providence
and the
moral government of the world may be intended. Some think that
the writer is
still alluding to dangerous talk concerning a tyrannical
ruler, seditious
proposals, secret conspiracies, etc. The text itself does
not confirm such
notion with any certainty.
14 “A fool also is full of
words:” - The word for “fool”
here is sakal
which implies a dense,
confused thinker. Above the word was kesil, which
denotes rather the
self-confidence of the dull and stupid man. Moreover the
fool multiplieth words. He not only speaks
foolishly, but he says too much
(compare ch. 5:2). It is not mere
loquacity that is here predicated
of the fool, though that is one of his characteristics,
but, as the rest of the
verse shows, the prating of
things about which he knows nothing.
(Compare Jude 1:10;
II Peter 2:12 – “speak evil of
the things that they
Understand not; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption.”
He talks as though he knew everything and
there were no limitation to human
cognition - “a man cannot tell what shall be;” - And yet, or
although, no man
can really predict the future. The fool speaks confidently
of such things,
and thereby proves his imbecility. Instead of “what shall be,” the
Septuagint has, Τί τὸ γενόμενον καὶ τί
τὸ ἐσόμενον -
Ti to genomenon
Kai ti to esomenon
- what
has been and what shall be - the Vulgate, Quid
ante se fuerit, “What has been before him.” This reading was introduced
probably to obviate a seeming tautology in the following
clause – “and what shall
be after him, who can tell
him?” But this clause has a
different signification
from the former, and presents a closer definition. The
future intended may be the
result of the fool’s inconsiderate language, which may have fatal and lasting
consequences; or it
may refer to the visitation of his sins upon his children,
in accordance with the denunciation of Deuteronomy 5:9; 29:20-22; or
it may include the life beyond the grave. The uncertainty
of the future is a
constant theme; see ch.3:22; 6:11-12; 7:14; 8:17; and
compare Christ’s
parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-20), and James’s
warning in his Epistle
(James 4:13-16).
15 “The labor of the
foolish wearieth every one of them,
because he knoweth not how to go
to the city.” The transition from plural
to singular is here made, The work of fools wearieth him that knoweth not,
etc. “Fools’ work” signifies, perhaps, the vain speculations about
and objectless toil and trouble. Not to know the way to the city is probably
a proverbial saying expressive of GROSS IGNORANCE concerning THE
MOST OBVIOUS MATTERS!
(see Romans 1:18-32). How should one,
who fails in the knowledge OPEN TO ALL EXPERIENCE, be able to
investigate and give
an opinion about abstruse questions
(compare Isaiah
35:8)? The lesson is not to meddle with things too high, especially when
you are ignorant of the commonest matters (John
3:3; 1:12). A
little wisdom
would
prevent ENDLESS and USELESS TROUBLE!
The Dispraise of Folly (vs.
1-7, 12-15)
·
FOLLY MARS THE FINEST REPUTATION.
As one sinner destroyeth much good (ch. 9:18),
and flies of
death, or poisonous flies, cause the ointment of the perfumer to
send forth
a stinking savor, so
doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
Ø
It mars their beauty. As the poisonous flies so affect the perfumer’s
ointment that it begins to ferment and lose its fragrance, a little
folly
mixed up with a great deal of wisdom and honor impairs these in
such a fashion and to such an extent, that they cease to
attract the
good opinion of beholders, and the person possessed of them is
rather known as a fool than esteemed as a wise man.
Ø
It destroys their value. As the dealer in ointments
cannot sell his
corrupted pigment, so neither can the man whose wisdom and honor are
tainted with folly any longer wield that power for good he might
otherwise have done. The influence exerted by his wisdom and honor
is directly counteracted and frequently overbalanced by the influence
of his folly.
·
FOLLY CONSTITUTES AN UNSAFE GUIDE. “The wise man’s
heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.” This has been
thought to mean:
Ø
The fool’s heart is in the wrong place, in contrast to the
wise man’s,
which is always in the right place (Hengstenberg).
This sentiment is true.
The fool’s heart is not directed
towards those objects upon which its
affections ought to be set, while the wise man’s is. This is enough
to
make folly an unsafe conductor.
Ø
The fool’s heart never acts at the right time, while the wise man’s
does
(Ginsburg),
because the wise man’s heart is always at his right hand, his
acting hand, his working hand; while the fool’s is always at the
left hand,
the wrong hand, the hand with which a person usually finds it
difficult to
act. This a second reason why no man should
accept folly as a leader. It
can never seize the opportunity, never strike while the iron
is hot, never do
anything at the proper moment or in an efficient manner.
Ø
The fool’s heart is always unlucky in its auguries, whereas the wise
man’s heart is always lucky (Plumptre).
If this were the correct
interpretation — which we think it is not — it would state what would not
be surprising, were it true, that the fool’s forecasts were
usually falsified,
and would present another argument for not committing one’s
self to the
directorship of folly.
Ø
The fool’s heart always leads in the wrong direction, as distinguished
from the right direction in which the wise man’s heart ever
goes. This,
undoubtedly, is true. The fool is a person wholly destitute of that
wisdom
which is profitable to direct (v. 10), and without which no man
can walk
safely (Proverbs 3:23). A final consideration against enrolling
beneath
the banner of folly.
·
FOLLY INVARIABLY BETRAYS ITS OWN STUPIDITY. “Yea
also, when the fool walketh by the
way, his understanding faileth him, and
he saith to every one that he is a fool.” As it is certain that no man can
conceal his true character for ever, or even for long, so likewise
is it certain
that a zany, a buffoon, a fool, will discover his sooner than
most people.
He will proclaim himself to be a
fool:
Ø
By his irrational behavior. His understanding
will fail him at critical
times and on important subjects. He will reveal his ignorance,
want of
sense, lack of principle, emptiness of grace.
Ø
In the most public manner. As he walks by the way. As not
being in the
least degree ashamed of his folly, perhaps hardly conscious he
is making
such an exhibition of himself.
Ø
To the most unlimited extent. He will make himself
known, not to his
friends in private, but to his neighbors in the street, and not to
one or two
merely of these, but to every one he meets.
·
FOLLY FREQUENTLY ASCRIBES ITS OWN CHARACTER TO
OTHERS. The
fool saith of every one he meets, “He
is a fool,” i.e. the
individual whom he meets is (Vulgate, Luther, Plumptre).
Though this
translation is doubtful, it supplies a true thought; that as insane
people
often count all but themselves insane, so fools — intellectual,
moral, and
religious — not infrequently regard themselves as the only truly
wise
persons, and look upon the rest of mankind as fools.
·
FOLLY IS OFTEN GUILTY OF GREAT RASHNESS. “If the spirit
of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for
yielding allayeth
great offences” (v. 4).
The folly here alluded to consists in three things.
Ø
In flaming up into indignation at an unmerited accusation. Charges of
such sort were to be expected by one who served an Oriental
despot, and
are not uncommon in ordinary life in the experience of
subordinates who
serve irritable masters.
“The spurns that patient merit of the unworthy
takes” are no doubt hard to bear; but it is not a sign of wisdom
to fume
against them, and fret one’s self into anger.
Ø
In hastily retiring from the post of duty. As a statesman might
resign his
seals of office on being reprimanded by his sovereign, or a
workman lay
down his tools on being challenged by his master, or a domestic
servant
throw up her situation on being found fault with by her
mistress.
Ø
In failing to see the better way of meekness and submission. The
advantages of gently and patiently bearing false accusations or
unjust
eruptions of temper against one are obvious. Such yielding
o
usually has the effect
of softening the anger and checking the
railing of the accuser (Proverbs 15:1);
o
puts an end to further
offences on the part of the irate superior,
whether ruler or master, who, were his rage to be increased by
resistance, might proceed to greater manifestations of his
temper; and,
o
prevents the offended
himself from rushing into more serious
transgressions, as he might do were he to give way in turn to
his angry passions.
·
FOLLY SOMETIMES ATTAINS TO UNDESERVED HONOR.
“There is an evil
which I have seen under the sun… folly set in great
dignity, and the rich in low place… servants upon horses, and
princes
walking as servants upon the earth” (vs. 5-7).
Ø
The commonness of this phenomenon. “The eunuch Bagoas long
all-powerfulat the Persian court” (Delitzsch), Louis XI. exalting
the
baseborn to places of honor, and Edward II., James I. of England or
Henry III. of
cited as examples. (What
about George Floyd (with a long rap
sheet becoming a hero in The United States summer of discontent
in 2020 - - 2021) Nothing more frequent in everyday life than
to
see persons of small capacity and little worth promoted over
the
heads of their superiors in talent and goodness.
Ø
The cause of this phenomenon. In one sense the
wisdom of God, the
chief Ruler of men and things (Hengstenberg),
but in another sense, and
that the one here intended, the arbitrary power of men “dressed
in a little
brief authority.”
Ø
The evil of this phenomenon. It discourages
merit, and inflates folly with
pride; rewards incapacity, and despises real ability; places
influence in
wrong hands, and weakens the power of good men to benefit their
age.
·
FOLLY SELDOM KNOWS WHEN TO HOLD ITS TONGUE.
“The lips of a
fool will swallow up himself,” etc.
(vs. 12-14).
Ø
The wise man’s words are few, the fool’s endless. The former is “swift
to hear, but slow to speak” (James 1:19); the latter hears nothing,
learns less, and chatters incessantly. The former is known by his
silence
(Proverbs
17:28; 29:11); the latter, by the multitude of his words (v. 3).
Ø
The wise man’s words are gracious, the fool’s
ruinous. The lips of the
wise are a tree of life (Proverbs 11:30; 15:4), and disperse
knowledge
amongst their fellows (ibid.
v. 7), whilst they preserve themselves
(ibid. ch. 14:3); but a fool’s mouth is
his own destruction ( ibid. 17:7),
and the complete beggarment of all
that listen to him (ibid. 14:23; 17:7).
Ø The wise man’s
words improve as they proceed, the
fool’s deteriorate
as they flow. The former carry
with them the ripe fruits of thought and
experience, growing richer and weightier as they move slowly on; the
latter progress from bad to worse, beginning with foolishness and
ending with mischievous madness.
·
FOLLY IS FREQUENTLY UNABLE TO DO THE SIMPLEST
THINGS. “The
labor of fools wearieth every one of them, for he knoweth
not how to go to the city” (v. 15).
Ø
The fool’s ignorance is dense. So simple a matter
as finding his way
along a country road to the city is beyond his comprehension. Plumptre
cites in illustration the proverbs, “None but a fool is lost on a
straight
road,” and “The ‘why’
is plain as way to parish church.”
Ø
The fool’s presumption is immense. He who cannot do so
small a matter
as find his way to the city proposes to “enlighten the world
and make it
happy” through his words or his works. So people who know
nothing
about a subject often imagine themselves qualified to teach it
to others,
and persons of no capacity put themselves forward to attempt
under-
takings of greatest difficulty.
Ø
The fool’s labor is vast. Having neither knowledge nor ability, he labors
with “great travail” to expound what he
does not understand, and
perform what he has neither brains nor hands to execute.
·
LESSONS.
1. Forsake the foolish and live (Proverbs 9:6).
2. Get wisdom; get understanding (ch.
4:5).
Verses 2-15
From the second verse of this chapter to the fifteenth we
have a series of proverbs loosely strung together, but all bearing upon
The
wholesome influence of wisdom and the baneful
effects of folly
in
the varying circumstances of daily life. It would be waste of ingenuity to
try
to show any logical connection between the proverbs that are thus
crowded together in a small space. And we must content ourselves
with a
few
elucidatory remarks upon them in the order in which they come.
·
A DOUBLE PROVERB ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WISDOM AND FOLLY.
(v 2-3) “The wise man’s heart is at his right
hand; but a fool’s at his left;” better, “inclines towards his right, towards
his left.” The heart of the wise man leads him in the proper
direction, that
of the fool leads him astray. It would be absurd to speak of
their hearts as
differently situated. The ל is
that of direction; and that which is at the right
hand means the duty and work which belong to us, that at the
left what
concerns us less. The wise man recognizes the path of duty, the
fool
wanders aimlessly away from it. Others give a slightly different
turn to the
thought. “The one with his heart, i.e. his mind, ready, at
his right side, as
he walks along the track that images human life, ready to sustain
and guide
him; the other, the fool with his wits at the left side, not
available when
needed to lean upon” (Bradley). The fool proclaims his folly to
all (v. 3);
every step he takes reveals his deficiency, but, so far from
being ashamed
of himself, he displays his
absurdity as though it were something to be
proud of
·
WISDOM IS A PROTECTION IN TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES.
(vs.
4-7.) The first picture (v. 4) is that of the court of a despotic king,
where an orificial has either
deservedly or undeservedly incurred the anger
of the sovereign (“spirit”
equivalent to “anger,” as in Judges
8:3;
Proverbs 29:11). The natural
feeling of indignation or resentment
would prompt such a one to throw up the office entrusted to him,
and by
so doing probably draw down on himself a still greater storm
of anger. The
wise courtier will yield to the blast and not answer wrath with
wrath, and
either pacify the anger he has deservedly incurred, or, if he be
innocent, by
his patience under injury, avoid giving real cause for
offence. We must
remember that it is of an Eastern court our author is speaking, in
which the
Divine right of kings, and the
duty of passive obedience on the part of
subjects, are doctrines which it would be thought impious to deny.
Similar
advice is given in Proverbs 15:1. It is not to be supposed,
however, that
the Preacher regarded all existing governments as commanding
respect,
and taught only servile maxims. In vs. 5-7 he speaks of
grievous
inequalities in the state; faults of rulers, the frequent exaltation of
the base
and the depression of the worthy. His words are studiously
cautious, but
yet they describe the evil in sufficiently clear
terms. It may often be prudent
to bow to the wrath of rulers, but rulers are not always in
the right. One
class of evils he had seen arising from “something like an
error” (so
cautious is he of speaking evil of dignities), which proceedeth from the
ruler — the selection of unworthy men for high positions in the
state.
“Folly is set in
great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.” By the rich he
means the nobles — those endowed with ample inheritances
received from
a line of ancestors who have had the leisure, and
opportunities and means
for training themselves for serving the state, and from whom a
wise king
would naturally choose counselors and magistrates. But in
Oriental courts,
where “the eunuch and the barber held the reins of power,” men
of no
reputation or character had a chance of promotion. And even in
Western
courts and more modern times the same kind of evils has been only
too
common, as the history of the reigns of Edward II. and, James I. of
The reason for making favorites
of low-born and unprincipled adventurers
is not far to seek; they
have ever been ready tools for accomplishing the
designs of unscrupulous princes, for doing services from which men who
valued their station and reputation in society would shrink. “Regibus
multi,” says Grotius, “suspecti qui excellunt sire sapientia sire nobilitate aut
opibus.”
Even the Preacher’s self-control is insufficient to suppress the
indignation and contempt which any generous mind must feel at such a
state of matters, and he concentrates his scorn in the stinging
sentence, “I
have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants
upon the
earth” (v. 7). Among
the Persians only those of noble birth were
permitted to ride on horseback. Thus one of the circumstances of the
special honor bestowed on Mordecai was his riding on horseback
through
the streets of the city (Esther 5:8-9). But this distinction
the Preacher
had seen set aside; his eyes had been offended by the
spectacle of princes
walking on foot like common people, and slaves mounted on horses
and
clothed with authority (Proverbs 19:10).
·
WISDOM SHOWN IN PROVIDING AGAINST POSSIBLE
DANGERS. (vs. 8-9.) We need spend no time in the fruitless endeavor
to connect vs. 8,-11 with those that have gone before. The
writer seems
to consider wisdom in another of its aspects. He has just
spoken of it as
prompting one who is under its influence to be patient and resigned
in the
presence of eradicable evils; he now speaks of it as giving foresight and
caution in the accomplishment of difficult and perhaps even
dangerous
tasks. He mentions four undertakings in which there may be
danger to life
or limb.
Ø
He that digs a pit may
accidentally fall into it;
Ø
he that removes a crumbling
wall may be bitten by a serpent that has sheltered itself in one of its
crannies;
Ø
the quarryman may be crushed. by one of the stones he has dislodged;
and
Ø
the woodcutter may maim himself with his own axe.
Whether underneath this imagery
he refers to the risks attending all
attempts to disturb the existing order of things and to overthrow
the
powers that be, one cannot say. “The sum of these four classes is
certainly
not merely that he who undertakes a dangerous matter exposes
himself to
danger; the author means to say in this series of proverbs which
treat of the
distinction between wisdom and folly, that the wise man is everywhere
conscious of his danger, and guards against it. Wisdom has just this value in
providing against the manifold dangers and difficulties which every
undertaking brings with it” (Delitzsch).
·
THE WISDOM OF ADAPTING MEANS TO ENDS. (v. 10.)
Such, we think, is the general
meaning of the words, which are perhaps
more difficult to interpret than any others in the whole Book
of
Ecclesiastes. “If the iron be blunt,” if it will
not readily tend itself to the
work of felling a tree, more strength must be put forth, the
stroke must be
heavier to penetrate the wood. If there be little sagacity and
preparation
before entering on an enterprise, greater force will be needed to
carry it
out. The foresight which leads to sharpening the axe will make
the labor in
which it is used muck easier. “But wisdom is profitable to
direct” (v. 10b);
it suggests means serviceable for the end in view. It will
save a
useless expenditure of time and strength.
·
THE FOLLY OF TAKING PRECAUTIONS AFTER THE EVIL HAS
BEEN DONE. (v.
11,) “If
the serpent bite before it be charmed, then is
there no advantage in the charmer” (Revised Version). The picture is that
of a serpent biting before the charmer has had time to make
use of his skill
in charming; and the point of the aphorism is that no skill or wisdom is of
any avail if made use of too late. “It is too late to lock the stable door when
the steed is stolen” (Wright).
·
WISDOM AND FOLLY IN HUMAN SPEECH. The winning
character of the wise man’s words, the mischievous and tedious
prating of
fools (vs. 12-15). The tongue has just been spoken of (v. 11) as
the
instrument used by the charmer for taming serpents, and there follows
in
these verses a reference to wisdom and folly displayed in the
words of the
wise man and of the fool. “The words of the wise man are gracious”
(compare
Luke 4:22), they win favor for him; both the subject-matter and the
manner of his speech gain for him the good will of those that
hear him. The
words of the fool are self-destructive; they ruin any chance he
had of
influencing those who were prepared to be persuaded by him, whom he
meets for the first time, and who were therefore not biased
against him by
previous knowledge of his fatuity. He goes from bad to worse (v.
13).
“The words point with a profound
insight into human nature to the
progress from bad to worse in one who has the gift of speech
without
discretion. He begins with what is simply folly, unwise but harmless,
but
vires
acquirit eundo (we gather strength as we go), he is borne along on the swelling floods of his own declamatory
fluency, and ends in what is
‘mischievous
madness’”(Plumptre). Especially is this the case when
his talk is
on subjects as to which even the wisest are forced to confess
their ignorance
(v. 14) He speaks voluminously,
as though he knew all things past and to
come, as though all the mysteries of life and death were an
open book to
him. And he wearies out every one who hears him or has to do
with him-
His crass ignorance in all
matters of common life forbids any trust being
placed in his speculations and vaticinafions
(foretelling the future) as to things that are more complicated. The well-known
beaten road that leads to the city
(v. 15) he does not know. What
kind of a guide would he be in less-frequented paths? In these various ways,
therefore, the contrast is drawn between:
Ø
wisdom which leads men in the right way, which directs, their course through the difficulties and
dangers that often beset them, and enables them to make the best use of their
resources, and
Ø
that folly which, if it
is the ruling element in a character, no art or skill can conceal, which so
often renders those in whom it appears both mischievous and offensive to all
who have anything to do with them.
The Obtrusiveness and
the Condemnation of Folly
(vs. 11-15)
Although some of the language employed in this passage is
unquestionably
obscure, the general tenor of it is clear enough. The contrast
which is
drawn between wisdom and folly is what we meet with, under other
forms,
in
other portions of the book, and the exposure and censure of the
thoughts and the ways of the fool are fitted to warn the young
against
forsaking the rough but safe paths of true wisdom.
·
FOLLY IS SHOWN IN THE UNNECESSARY MULTIPLICATION
OF WORDS. Fools
speak when there is no occasion, when they have
nothing to say, or when they have already said all that was needful.
·
FOLLY REVEALS ITSELF, THOUGH WITHOUT
PROVOCATION.
It cannot be concealed; it is obtrusive and glaring. The
fool is his own enemy: “his lips will swallow up himself.”
·
FOLLY IS DISPLAYED IN DOGMATIC UTTERANCES UPON
MATTERS WHICH ARE BEYOND HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. There are
many subjects upon which modesty and reticence are required by
wisdom.
Especially is this the case with
regard to the future. But it is presumed in
this passage that the fool will not restrain himself from
pronouncing upon
what is beyond human knowledge or human vision.
·
FOLLY IS WEARISOME TO THOSE WHO WITNESS THE
WORKS AND WHO LISTEN TO THE WORDS BY WHICH IT
REVEALS ITSELF.
·
FOLLY IS MANIFESTED IN INCOMPETENCY FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, The fool “knoweth not how
to
go to the city,” i.e.
how to transact public business, and to give advice
regarding civic action.
·
FOLLY IS SURE TO ISSUE IN MISCHIEF AND DISASTER. It is
sometimes represented that fools can do no harm; that real mischief
is
wrought by malice, by criminal designs and actions. But a careful
inquiry
into the facts would show that very
much of the evil that afflicts society is
brought to pass by mere folly. The
Hebrews and the Greeks were agreed in
representing wisdom as a cardinal virtue. It is men’s duty to cultivate
wisdom. If they neglect to do so, it matters not that they have
no criminal
intentions; the absence of wisdom must needs lead to conduct which
will
involve themselves and others in much suffering, and even in
terrible
calamities.
Section 15 (vs. 16-20).
Koheleth returns to the theme mentioned in
vs. 4-7. and speaks of folly in one who holds the position of
king, and
the need of
wisdom and prudence in the subjects
of an
UNWORTHY
RULER!
16 “Woe to thee, O land,
when thy king is a child!” – (Compare
Isaiah 3:12- CY – 2013) “Child” is naar, which term
included any age up
to manhood. Some interpret the word here, as παῖς - pais - in Greek, in
the sense of “slave,”
contrasting it with “the son of nobles”
in the following verse.
But it can hardly signify more than servitor, attendant;
and in v. 7 the antithesis to
“prince” is ebed, not naar. The child in the present case is a youthful,
inexperienced
ruler, who does
not realize his responsibilities, and is
THE TOOL OF EVIL ADVISERS! (Sound familiar with contemporary
had in view it is impossible to say. Of course, many expositors see a reference to
Rehoboam. whom, at forty years of
age, his own son Abijah calls naar
(II Chronicles 13:7), and who
was certainly childish in his conduct
(I Kings 12:1-14).
It is best to take the gnome as a general expression, like
that in Isaiah 3:12, “As
for my people, children are their oppressors, and
women rule over them” – “and thy princes eat in the morning.” Eating
here implies feasting and banqueting, beginning the day
with sensual enjoyment
instead of such honest work as attending to state matters, administering
justice, etc., as becomes good rulers. None but profligates would thus spend the
early morning. “These are not drunken, as ye suppose; seeing it is but the third
hour of the day,” says Peter, repudiating the charge of intoxication (Acts
2:15).
“Woe unto them,” cries Isaiah (Isaiah 5:11), “that rise up early in the
morning, that they
may follow strong drink!” Even the heathen
censured
such debauchery.
17 “Blessed art thou,
O land, when thy king is the son of nobles,” -
cujus rex nobilis est (Vulgate),
υἱὸς ἐλευθέρων – huios eleutheron - son of
free men (Septuagint). Some would regard “son of nobles” as a periphrasis
expressive of character, equivalent to the Latin generous,
as “son of
strength,” equivalent to “strong man;” “son of wickedness,”
equivalent to
“wicked man;” but the phrase may well be taken literally. Koheleth (v. 7)
has expressed his disgust at the exaltation of unworthy
slaves to high
positions; he
here intimates his adherence to the idea that those who
descend from noble ancestors, and have been educated in the
higher ranks
of society, are more likely to
prove a blessing to their land than UPSTARTS
who have been placed by CAPRICE or FAVORTISM in
situations of trust
and eminence. Of
course, it is not universally true that men of high birth make
good rulers; but proverbs of general tenor must not be
pressed in
particulars, and the author must be understood to affirm
that the fact of
having distinguished ancestors is an incentive to right
action, stirs a worthy
emulation in a man, gives him a motive which is wanting
in the LOWBORN
parvenu (a relative newcomer to a socio-econmic class). The
feeling, noblesse oblige
(literally – nobility obliges - Benevolent, honorable
behavior considered to be the
responsibility of
persons of high birth or rank) has
preserved many from baseness
(compare John 8:39) – “and thy princes eat in due
season,” - not like those
mentioned in v.
16, but in tempore, πρὸς καιρόν – pros kairon - at the right
time, the season - which appertains to all mundane things (ch.3:1-8) -
“for strength, and not for drunkenness.” The
preposition here is taken as
expressing the object — they eat to gain strength, not to indulge
sensuality;
but it is more in accordance with usage to translate “in,” or “with, manly
strength,” i.e. as man’s strength demands, and not
degenerating into a
carousal.
Statesmanship (vs. 16-17)
It is sometimes assumed that moral qualities are
unimportant in relation to
political affairs. If a king be brave in his warlike
expeditions, splendid in his
court, and affable in his demeanor; if a statesman be
sagacious in counsel
and determined in action, it is too generally assumed that
nothing further is
wanting to secure national greatness and prosperity (Modern
thinking in
the
CY – 2013). However, the writer of Ecclesiastes looked far
deeper,
and saw the necessity of a self-denying and laborious character
in
order to TRUE KINGLY AND
STATESMANLIKE SERVICE.
OCCUPY HIGH PLACES ARE A CURSE TO A NATION. Men who are
flung into power by the wave
of royal favoritism, or by popular
caprice and
applause, are apt to use their exalted station as a
means to personal
enjoyment and to
THE GRATIFICATION OF VANITY! Statesmen
(a misnomer – CY – 2013) who
pass their time in luxury and social ostentation
will certainly neglect
the public interests. They account their power
and rank as their possession, and not as a sacred trust. Their example
tends to debase the national morals, and to lower the standard of
public life. They surround
themselves with flatterers, and they
neglect their
proper duty, until they awake to find their country
plunged into calamity or (how ironical – CY – 2013) threatened
with
enslavement. (Compare the
bankruptcy of
QUALITIES WHICH ENSURE TRUE STATESMANSHIP. In despotic
governments it is obvious that
the national prosperity depends very largely
upon the patriotism and justice,
the assiduity and unwearied devotion to
duty, of those in high station. The conditions of national life under a
constitutional government are
different. Yet
there is no political community
in which unselfishness,
temperance, and diligent application to the public
service are not valuable qualities
on the part of these who deliberate and
decide upon great public questions,
and of those who administer a nation’s
affairs.
In modern states, where the representative principle so
largely obtains, great power
is placed in the hands of THE CITIZENS and SUBJECTS. With them
accordingly rests much of the responsibility for the righteous government and
the true prosperity
of the nation. (In the
by the people and for the people – all is TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL
WELFARE – and this is not
necessarily being done! THEREFORE,
MUCH THAT IS BEING DONE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL SINCE
IT IS NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE FIFTY STATES –
CY –
2013) It
behooves Christian
men to beware of being misled by party spirit,
and so of overlooking the grave moral faults of those who solicit their
confidence. It is IN
THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE to raise to positions
of eminence and authority men whose aim is not personal
aggrandizement
and enjoyment, BUT THE PUBLIC GOOD! If this power be wisely and
firmly exercised:
among the nations
of the earth.
Then the spectator will be inspired to utter the exclamation, “Happy art thou,
O land!” “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!” (Psalm 33:12)
(Up until the last fifty years, the citizens of Untied States lived and believed
this! If put to a vote, much more recent than this, was believed! Now the
American Civil Liberties Union, in their undermining of all that is holy, is
Attempting to spawn a nation that knows not God, much like after the time
of
Joseph in
Joseph.”- Exodus 1:8 – CY – 2013)
18 “By much slothfulness
the building decayeth,” - The subject is
still the state. Under the image of a house which falls
into ruin for lack of
needful repairs, is signified the
decay that surely overtakes a kingdom
whose rulers are given up to indolence and debauchery,
and neglect to
attend to the affairs which require prompt care (compare Amos 9:11).
Such were they whom Amos (Ibid. 6:6) denounced, “That drink wine
in bowls, and
anoint themselves with the chief ointments; but
they are not
grieved for the
affliction of Joseph.” “Much slothfulness” is expressed in
the original by a dual form, which gives an intensive
signification.
The rest of this clause is more accurately rendered, the
rafters sink, i.e. the
timber framework, whether of roof or wall, gives way. This
may possibly
not be noticed at once, but it makes itself known
unmistakably ere long -
“and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.” -
Rather,
the house leaketh, the roof lets in the rain. Septuagint, Ἐν ἀρχία
χειρῶν στάξει
ἡ οἰκία - En archia cheiron
staxei hae oikia - Through laziness
of hands the house
will drip. The very imperfect construction of the flat roofs
of Eastern houses demanded continual attention. Such common
and annoying
occurrences as a leaky roof are mentioned in Proverbs
19:13; 27:15). Plautus, ‘
Mostell.,’ 1:2.28 —
“Ventat imber, lavit
parietes; perpluunt
Tigna; putrefacit aer
operam fabri.”
“The rain
comes down, and washes all the walls,
The roof
is leaky, and the weather rough
Loosens
the architect’s most skilful work.”
Ruin — Its Forms and Its Sources (vs. 17-18)
A material “ruin” may
be a very picturesque and even pleasant sight, when
that which has answered its end loses its form and does
well to disappear.
But otherwise a ruin
is a pitiable spectacle.
Ø
Health. When a man should be in his prime, with all his physical
and
mental forces at their best; when he should be able to work
effectively
and continuously, and should be the stay of his home and a
strength to his
Church and to his friends; and when,
instead of this, he is worn, feeble,
incapable, obviously declining,
and clearly drawing towards the end, —
we have a melancholy ruin. (Such as a result of licentiousness;
drug abuse; alcohol abuse, homosexuality; etc. – “Lest
thou give
thine honor unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth;
and thy labors be
in the house of a stranger; And thou mourn at last, when
thy flesh and thy body are consumed.” – Proverbs 5:9-11;
“…..even their women
did change the natural use into that
Which is against
nature: And likewise also the men,
leaving the natural use of the woman, burned
in
their lust
toward one toward another; men with men
working that
which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompence of their error which was
meet.” Romans 1:26-27 – CY –
2013)
Ø
Circumstance. The once wealthy merchant, or the once powerful
family, or THE ONCE STRONG AND POWERFUL STATE,
is brought down to poverty, helplessness, and
general disregard;
this also is a pitiful
sight. (Rest assured that the reasons for and
the instigators of decline in
unfolds, but the worst
of all will be reserved for publication in
the Great Judgment Day
prior to us slipping out into eternity! –
Jesus said, “For there is nothing covered, that shall
not be
revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” – Luke 12:2 –
CY – 2013).
Ø
Character. When a man once upright, pure, godly, respecting himself
and living in the enjoyment of
general esteem, is brought down to moral
ruin and becomes a human wreck,
then we see the saddest sight beneath
the sun. What was once the
fairest and noblest thing in the world — a
sound, strong, beautiful human
character — has lost all its excellency and
become foul and ugly. How does
this happen? Here are;
Ø
Self-indulgence. To “eat for strength and not for revelry” (drunkenness)
is the right and the becoming
thing; “to eat (feast) in the, morning,” when
the precious hours should be given
to duty, — this is a shameful and a fatal
thing. Self-indulgence,
(especially sensual indulgence) which constantly
tends to become
greater and grosser, leads down fast:
o
to feebleness,
o
to poverty,
o
to demoralization,
o
to shame, and
finally,
o
to DEATH!
Ø
Idleness, or carelessness.
o
The man who does not
think it worth his while to study
the laws of health, and to
take pains to keep them, need
not wonder if he becomes
weak and sickly, if his life is
threatened.
o
The man who pursues his
pleasure when he should be
doing his work will
certainly find:
§
his business
“decaying,”
§
his credit falling,
§
his prospects of
success “dropping through.”
So also:
§
the housewife,
§
the student,
§
the minister,
§
the secretary and,
§
the statesman.
o
The man who treats
his own spirit as something of secondary
importance, who:
§
does not read that he
may be enlightened,
§
does not worship that
he may be edified,
§
does not pray that he
may be guarded and sustained,
§
does not seek the
companionship of the good and
fellowship with Christ,
who leaves his
spiritual nature at the mercy of all the
adverse forces
that are circling round him and acting
on him,
may expect
that:
§
his soul will be
impaired,
§
his character will
decay, and
that the most precious “house” which man can build will
fall,
AND GREAT AND SAD
WILL BE THE FALL OF IT!
(Matthew 7:27).
The Curse of Sloth (v. 18)
Religious teachers are sometimes unwilling to touch upon
common faults,
such as are noticeable by every observer as prevailing too
generally in the
everyday life of their fellow-men. The Scriptures give no countenance to
SUCH
NEGLIGENCE, but, on the contrary, deal faithfully with
those
errors and evil habits which are alien from the Christian
character, and
which are injurious to: human society.
When
the people find they can vote themselves
money,
that will herald the end of the republic.
(Benjamin
Franklin)
Slothfulness was peculiarly hateful to the writer of this book, who inculcated
diligence as a religious duty, and exhibited in homely but effective ways
the
results of its prevalence.
will admit; but it may be left
to others, or it may be put off to a more
convenient season. Work need not
be done, others will declare; much may
be left undone which some people
think of importance, but which is not
really so. Upon the plea of ill
health, or mental inability, or preoccupation,
multitudes, in this world where there is so much to be done, sink into
slothful, indolent habits and a useless life. (i.e. the contempary
Welfare State in
an omen of what is to come to the
Ø
The slothful man
is his own enemy. Had he exerted
himself and
exercised his powers, he would
have grown an abler and a better man.
Who does not know persons with
undeniable gifts who have
“wrapped their
talent in a napkin” (Luke 19:20), and who
have morally
deteriorated, until they have become
worthless
members of society? (What are the effects on one’s self-esteem? –
no self-respect translates into no respect for others! – CY – 2013)
Ø
The slothful man
wrongs society. Every man is born into
this world
to do a work for the
general good. To live in
idleness and comfort
upon the produce of others’ toil is to inflict A
POSITIVE
INJURY!
.
Others have to labor in order that the idle may be fed.
Work is left undone for
which the indolent possess, it may be,
some peculiar gift. For the life of the slothful THE WORLD
IS NONE THE BETTER!
The Book of Proverbs contains
some very striking reflections and
statements upon this point. And
for the Christian it is enough to consider
the example of
the Lord Jesus, who with all His consecrated energy
devoted Himself to HIS FATHER’S WILL AND WORK! (John 9:4)
Jesus is our
example: “For
I came down from heaven, not to do
mine own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:38).
How alien from
the Master’s spirit is the habit of the indolent! We cannot
lose sight of the fact that, IN
THE LAST JUDGMENT, , the “wicked and
slothful servant” must hear words of condemnation. (Matthew 25:26)
PROVISIONS OF GOD’S GRACE.
Ø
Prayer prompts
to watchfulness and toil.
Ø
Attention to the
counsels and admonitions of God’s Word
cannot fail to be serviceable
in delivering us from temptations
to slothfulness.
Ø
Meditation upon
the example of our Savior and Lord will stimulate to
diligence and zeal. They who by the indwelling of His Spirit are ONE
WITH HIM and:
o
will share His
devotion to the Father’s will, and
o
will share His
consecration to THE WELFARE OF
MANKIND!
19 “A feast is made for
laughter, and wine maketh merry:” - Here
is a cause of the decay spoken of above. The rulers spend in revelry and
debauchery the time and energy which they ought to give to
affairs of state.
More literally, for merriment they make bread, and wine
[that] cheereth
life; i.e. they
use God’s good gifts of bread and wine as means of
intemperance and thoughtless pleasure. So a psalmist speaks of
wine as
making glad the heart of man (Psalm 104:15); and Ben-Sira says,
“Wine is as good
as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is
there to a man
that is without wine? for it was created to make men glad.
Wine measurably
drunk and in season bringeth gladness of the .heart,
and
cheer fullness of
the mind” (Ecclesiasticus.
31. [34.] 27, 28) - “but money
answereth all things.” - i.e. grants all that such persons want.
It requires
money to provide rich food and costly wines; this they
possess, and they
are thus able to indulge their appetites to the utmost. It
concerns them not
how such resources are obtained — won by extortion from a
starving
people, exacted in exorbitant taxation, pillaged by
unscrupulous
instruments; they want gold to expend on their lusts, and
they get it somehow,
and with it all that in their view makes life worth living.
Commentators alto Horace, ‘ Ep.,’
1:6.36, “Scilicet uxorem,” etc.
“For why —
a portioned wife, fair fame, and friends,
Beauty and
birth on sovereign Wealth attends.
Blest is
her votary throned his bags among!
Persuasion’s
self sits perched upon his tongue;
Love beams
in every feature of his face,
And every
gesture beams celestial grace.”
(Howes.)
Corn. a Lapide appositely quotes
—
“…quidquid nummis praesentibus opta,
Et veniet; clausum possidet arca Jovem.”
“If thou
hast gold, then wish for anything,
And it
will surely come; the money-box
Hath in it
a most potent deity.”
20 “Curse not the king, no
not in thy thought;” - Under the above
Mentioned circumstances, a man might be tempted to abuse
and curse these
ill-conditioned rulers. Koheleth
warns against this error; it is dangerous to
give way to it (compare Exodus 22:28). In ch.8:2 the motive
for submission to the king is placed on religious grounds; in
the present
passage the ground is prudence, regard for personal safety, which might be
compromised by plain speaking, especially when one
has to do with such
depraved and unscrupulous persons. We may compare
David’s generous
conduct to his cruel persecutor Saul, whom he spared
because he was the
Lord’s anointed (I Samuel 24:6, l0; 26:9; II Samuel 1:14). Madda, “thought,”
“consciousness,” is rare, and is supposed to belong to late
Hebrew (see
II Chronicles 1:10-12; Daniel 1:4, 17). The Septuagint
translates it
συνείδησις – suneidaesis - consciousness - Vulgate,
cogitatio. To
encourage
such thoughts in the mind is to run the risk of openly
expressing them at
some unguarded moment; for “out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh.” (Matthew
12:34) - “curse
not the rich in thy bedchamber:” -
In ability to injure, the rich stand in the same category
as the king. You are not safe
ἐν τανιείοις κοιτώνων
σου – en tanieiois koitonon
sou - in your very
bedchamber - where, if anywhere, you would fancy yourself
free from espionage.
But “walls have
ears,” says the proverb (compare Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:40);
and the King of Syria is warned, “Elisha, the prophet that is in
King of
“That which ye
have spoken in the ear in closets (ἐν τοῖς
ταμιείοις –
en tois tamieiois – in
closets; in the storerooms) shall be proclaimed upon
the housetops” (Luke 12:3 - “for
a bird of the air shall carry
the voice,” –
A proverbial saying,
common to all languages (a little birdie told me – CY –
2013), In Koheleth’s day
informers evidently plied their trade
industriously, and here meet, not only with notice, but
ironically with
reprobation. On the general sentiment of the verse, we may
quote Juvenal,
‘Sat.,’ 9:102, “O Corydon, Corydon,” thus versified in Ginsburg’s
Commentary:
“And dost
thou seriously believe, fond swain,
The
actions of the great unknown remain?
Poor
Corydon! even beasts would silence break,
And stocks
and stones, if servants did not, speak.
Bolt every
door, stop every cranny tight,
Close
every window, put out every light;
Let not a
whisper reach the listening ear,
No noise,
no motion; let no soul be near;
Yet all
that passed at the cock’s second crow,
The
neighboring vintner shall, ere day-break, know.”
“and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.” (compare
Latin ales);
the possessor (baal) of a
pair of wings, a periphrasis for “a bird,” as in Proverbs
1:17. We had “master
of the tongue,” v. 11; so in Daniel 8:6, 20, “having
horns,” is “master (baal) of
horns.”
The Picture of a Happy Land (vs. 16-20)
·
A NOBLE KING.
Ø
Of royal blood. “Happy art thou, O land, when thy
king is the son of
nobles” — like Horace’s
“Macenas atavis edite regibus,” descended from
a long line of crowned heads. If countries are to have
kings, then
decidedly the scion of kingly (more especially if also honorable and
good) ancestors is better than the upstart who was yesterday a
gentleman of the pavement, but is today the occupant of a throne
(ch.
4:14).
Ø
Of mature manhood, “Woe to thee, O
land, when thy king is a child.”
The experiment of boy-kings has
seldom proved successful. Witness the
case of Joash (II Chronicles 24:1),
who made a tolerable sovereign only
so long as Jehoiada lived. When the
king is a minor there is too much
scope for ambition on the part of the regent and of the nobles,
who
would like to be regents or even kings.
Ø
Of princely intellect. The man who is to
rule others should be every inch
a king, not in bodily appearance only, but in mental
capacity as well. No
greater calamity can befall a country than to have its throne
filled by a
fool or an intellectual baby. In this sense, to be ruled by a “child”
is
surely the last indignity that can be offered to reasoning and
reasonable
men.
Ø
Of large experience. Unlike a child, or a
boy, or a youth, whose
knowledge of men and things must at the best be limited, the ideal
sovereign should be one whose accumulated stores of wisdom, gathered
in many ways and from many lands, may be used for promoting the
welfare of his people.
·
A TEMPERATE ARISTOCRACY.
Ø
Dissipation, shameful in all,
is specially so in princes. Noblesse oblige
(the
obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior
associated with high rank or birth).
The higher one’s rank, the more
incumbent on one is virtue. Hence for princes to eat in the morning,
or to be addicted to gluttony and other bodily
gratifications, to be so
intent upon them as not merely to sit up late indulging them, but
to
rise up early for the purpose of renewing them, is to degrade their
dignity, and trail their honor in the mire, besides shaming
virtue and outraging decency.
Ø
Moderation, dutiful in all, is specially
promotive of health. Those who
live to eat and drink seldom live so long as they might, but by
indulgence, setting up disease in their bodies, often shorten their
days and die before their time. Those who eat and drink to
live,
and therefore eat in due season and in due measure, which is
what
is meant by temperance, take the best means of maintaining
themselves
in health and strength.
·
A Virtuous People.
Ø Industrious. “By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of
the hands the house leaketh” (v. 18).
What is true of a material edifice is
also true of the body politic. As the timbers or rafters of a private dwelling
will decay unless watched over and from time to time
repaired by its
inmate, so the fabric of the state
will go to ruin unless it be surveyed by
vigilant eyes and upheld by untiring hands.
Ø Joyous. Not only is there nothing
sinful in feasting and wine-drinking
when these are kept in virtuous moderation, but the absence of
gladness
from
the face of any people is a bad omen.
Gloom on the countenance and
wretchedness in the heart mean that social disorder and perhaps
revolution
are at hand. Everything that
contributes to the happiness and contentment
of a
people is a distinct contribution to
THE STABILITY OF A
STATE!
Ø Moneyed.
A people without money or money’s worth is a people on the
verge of starvation; and no
state can stand long whose population consists
of paupers. Money there must be, or its equivalent in material
goods, and
this not concentrated in a few hands, but distributed as
widely as possible.
The main problem of
statesmen should be to secure a population, not only
industrious and happy, but well paid, and therefore well fed,
well clothed,
and well housed.
Ø Loyal.
A people given to treasonable practices cannot be either
prosperous or happy. Hence the Preacher dissuades all good
subjects from
cursing the king even in their thoughts. The impossibility of
escaping
detection under the all-pervading espionage of an Oriental
despotism
rendered it unsafe in the times of the Preacher; but, even in
times when the
liberty of the subject is respected, it is
not always prudent to be hatching
conspiracies against the crown, however secret these
may be; and
certainly it is not conducive to the welfare of a
people that such
should be common in the land.
Ø Law-abiding. As little given to curse the rich as to plot against
the king.
Not communistic,
socialistic, or revolutionary in the bad sense of these
expressions; since a people may be all of these in a good sense
without
losing its character for virtue.
Duties of Rulers and Subjects (vs. 16-20)
Some of the evils of life arise from errors and follies
which may be
corrected by diligence and prudence, and among them are:
o
the caprices of
unworthy princes,
o
the vices of
courtiers, and
o
the disloyalty of
subjects.
Both kings and those over whom they rule have duties
towards each other,
the
violation of which bring many mischiefs; both need to have
before their
minds the ideal of righteousness belonging to their
respective stations.
king is a child in years or in
heedlessness, whose princes begin the days
with revels instead of attending
to the management of affairs of state and
the administration of justice. The incapacity of the prince leads
to the
appointment of
unworthy ministers, and prevents a proper check
being put upon
their profligacy and neglect. The
result is soon seen
in the disorders of the state. “Through the slothfulness of rulers,” he
goes on to hint, “the fabric of thy state decays; the neglected roof
lets the water through. And meantime there is high revelry within the
palace walls; and gold and
silver supply
all their needs” (Vs. 18-19).
Illustrations of such an unhappy
state of
matters recur only too readily
to the student of history.
land is happy, governed by a king
of undisputed title (v. 17), who sets an
example of integrity, and not by some upstart adventurer. He derives his
title from his noble descent,
but he may establish his power on a firmer
foundation if the excellences of
his ancestors are reproduced in him; he will
secure a large measure of
prosperity for his people if he choose for his
officers men of simple tastes, who think more of discharging their
duties than of self-indulgence.
Even if the sovereign is
personally unworthy of respect, the office he
holds should be honored; he is
still the servant of God, even if he is grossly
neglectful of his duties. There
is a worse evil than misgovernment, and
that is ANARCHY! “Curse not the king” — he may not deserve it;
there may be reasons of state to
explain what seems to be capricious or unjust
in his conduct; yield him
reverence for conscience sake, because it is right to do
so. And even if he be in the
wrong, it is prudent to abstain from words of
blame, since he has the power to
punish those that speak against him, and
may hear in unexpected ways what
has been said about him in secrecy.
Such counsels are of a kindred
character with those which the apostles
have given (Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-18). At first it might seem
as if they commended the
cultivation of a slavish spirit on the part of
subjects towards their rulers,
and it is well known that many have deduced
from them the preposterous
doctrine of “passive obedience.”
But it must
be kept in mind that while these
portions of Scripture prescribe the duties
of subjects, they prescribe also
the duties of kings; and that it is no slavish
doctrine to hold that those who
rule in equity have an absolute right to the
devotion and loyalty of their
subjects. When they depart from equity their
claim to implicit
obedience is proportionately diminished.
The prudential
maxim of v. 20 warns men to
count the cost before they assail the power
of even a bad king — to beware
of provoking his wrath by heedless
conduct — but does not command
passive obedience to him.
Misgovernment may reach such a
pitch as to make it a duty for subjects to
brave the wrath
of kings, and to attempt to put a check upon
their folly.
We have not here a mean-spirited
and time-serving piece of advice, suitable
only for those who languish
under the tyranny of Eastern despots, but a
warning against rashness which
is not inapplicable to the most public spirited
citizen of the freest state. The
examples of:
o
Isaiah under Ahaz,
o
Jeremiah under
Zedekiah, and
o
Paul under Nero,
show that it is possible to have a love of righteousness and hatred of
iniquity, and yet not be wanting in respect to a bad leader.
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