Ecclesiastes 10:1-4
10 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left. 3 Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee,
leave not thy place;
for yielding pacifieth great offences.
In Ecclesiastes we see that despite all of Solomon's wisdom, he made foolish choices. Solomon thought money, success and fame would bring him happiness but he came to realize that any efforts to live without God are meaningless. This is the beginning of true wisdom for all.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 states that dead flies spoil a fine ointment which gives off a foul odor. This is much like when we expect wise sayings to come from someone's mouth, and instead, they speak foolishness; it is a disappointment. Just as one would throw out an entire bottle of perfume because of a foul odor, so people often reject a man of importance because of one mistake or character flaw.
The right hand has always been regarded as the side of strength, skill, and favor, and the right side of the body has been known to symbolize the spiritual side of mankind. Therefore, the wise man’s heart is known as a strength to him. This is not true of the fool; whose heart is at his left and the left hand speaks of his earthly nature. A wise man will let his spirit control him, and not his flesh. When the fool goes out into the world, everyone he comes in contact with, knows he is a fool. A person lacking wisdom will manifest that in daily conduct.
We as God’s children must learn to lean on Him to discern between the wise and the foolish. We cannot lean on our own understanding of each person we come in contact with or even our own speech. We must always seek God before we speak and especially if we encounter a fool, we cannot not merely react. Even in a difficult situation, we must be faithful to our positions and be wise.
The scripture (10:4) appears to caution us to not respond in a haste manner, or with pride or revenge. Leave not thy place for yielding pacifieth great offences; DO NOT MOVE OR REACT IN HASTE, BUT STAND IN FAITH AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS. We have to seek God’s direction, not our own. We all encounter foolishness from people and sometimes even by someone who may have been wise in the past. We are to stand on faith thru Jesus Christ and not merely on the world or our own understanding of things. We should continue in a diligent and faithful discharge of our duty; do not return anger for anger, but modestly and humbly submit ourselves. The same applies to the church, or the body of Christ, that all the members should have the same care one for another.
The beginning of chapter 10 is a metaphor that confirms the truth that is stated at the end of the last chapter;
Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Wisdom is better than strength, better than foolishness – but all the good that wisdom does can quickly be taken away by one sinner who destroys much good. This is a parable about how an unstoppable military operation against a small city was prevented by the wisdom of one poor but wise man. This shows that wisdom is preferable to strength and should be heeded. In Chapter 10, we learn how one mistake, one sin; can destroy good and cause man to reject even those labeled as wise men.
I encourage you to stand with God and HIS WISDOM; seeking Him in every situation. I know there are times where we feel that we do not have the time to stop and pray, but we must stand and wait for God’s direction in all things.
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