Ecclesiastes 10:11-20 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 10:11-20. Let’s go!
Ecclesiastes 10:11 (NIV)
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
On verse 12: In other words, control your temper. Save your bite for the right time. Otherwise, you’ll gain nothing and in fact lose out by snapping too early.
Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NIV)
12 Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
On verse 12: In other words, wise people use their words in other-centered ways, in ways that bless and encourage others, whereas foolish people can’t stop talking about themselves.
Ecclesiastes 10:13-14 (NIV)
13 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness–
14 and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming– who can tell him what will happen after him?
On verse 13-14: The more you listen to a fool, the worse it gets, from a little bit of folly to a lot of madness (v13) that you can’t predict or make sense of (v14).
Ecclesiastes 10:15 (NIV)
15 A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.
On verse 15: Qohelet says that rather than finding joy, purpose and satisfaction in their work, the work of fools wearies them, such that the fool has no direction in life (“does not know the way to town”). The fool just works and works and forgets why they are working or where they are going in life.
Ecclesiastes 10:16-18 (NIV)
16 Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time– for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.
On verse 16-18: Jesus taught that the greatest will be a servant and Jesus Himself is sometimes called the Servant King. Does this contradict what Qohelet says in verse 16? Not at all. The “servant king” Qohelet is referring to here is something different. He’s talking about a king who does not deserve to be a king, who does not act like a king or work as a king should. He’s going after corrupt leadership and laziness, and saying that when a person is lazy, the house where they live will leak, and everyone in their care suffers.
Qohelet is basically saying that we should work when it’s time to work and feast when it’s time to feast.
Ecclesiastes 10:19 (NIV)
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
On verse 19: You can’t have a feast or wine without money. Practically speaking, we need money to meet needs and to enjoy life.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 (NIV)
20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
On verse 20: Be careful what you say because you never know who might be listening. Jesus says that God will hold us accountable for every careless word we say (Matthew 12:36). Jesus also says in Luke 12:2-3: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”
Of the several lessons we can learn from Qohelet’s short statements above, which one do you need to especially keep in mind today?
Father, I pray that my words would be gracious, full of care and a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
