The Book of Ecclesiastes - Part 12

Greetings, brethren. Happy Sabbath to everybody. It's a little cloudy now, but at least it wasn't. It's not like it was. It was a little bit precarious last night. I did see some trees ripped up out here as we were coming by, and I'm glad we didn't have to deal with any of that. I thought I would mention something funny just a little bit ago. We sang this song. Not the one we just sang, but earlier when we were singing a song, Annika asked me, why are we saying that statues of God are right and just?

So no statute is a law. It's good that she's concerned. I'm glad that she's concerned about that. So anyway, yes, we need to. Yes, very good question. I thought too. Well, today we are still in the counting up until Pentecost, as was mentioned. It's day 35. We've only got two weeks one day until Pentecost. It's just pretty amazing. But I'm not going to talk about that today specifically.

I'm going to continue on with Ecclesiastes, because if I don't, it will never conclude. So I want to definitely, whenever I have an opportunity, and I'm not right up on a holy day, I'm going to probably be talking about this. Just by way of reminder, and I don't want to give too much review, I just wanted to say that right now we are in the last section, the last major section of the book that began in chapter 8 and verse 16. And we're talking about removing discouragement and applying God's plan to the lives of believers.

And the first subsection under that was number one, according to the outline of Walter Kaiser that we've been mainly following. The remaining mystery in this subject must not diminish human joy. We saw that from 8-16 up until verse 9 and verse 10. And then the second part, which we're currently in, which is maybe the longest subsection of the book, the remaining mystery in this subject must not prevent us from working with all of our might with wisdom and diligence.

And that began also in chapter 9 verse 10, and it continues up through chapter 11 verse 6. I don't know how far I will get today, but I hope I get to the end of this subsection. But that may not happen. I'm not sure we will see where we end up.

But I do want to get right into it, where we are just again. We're in chapter 10 right now, and I would draw your attention again to where we are exactly. We're in the second part of this second subsection of the last major section of the book. And this part, this second part of this subsection starts in chapter 10 and verse 4. That's where we're told that, you know, if the spirit of the ruler rises against you, don't leave your posts, conciliation pacifies great offenses.

So he's talking here about dealing with human governments and leaders. And remember, one of the big themes of the book is, of course, this life is hard. This life is difficult.

Don't make it any harder. Don't make it harder than it already is. And if you don't know how to interact with the powers that be in a proper way, you're going to create a world of hurt for yourself. And so we need to be very wise in how we go about dealing with things. But of course, this is talking about even those who are in positions of responsibility, how they need to lead and conduct themselves and how they need, you know, to guide and direct things. But of course, again, how we deal with problem rulers is a big part of this too.

And then he got into, in verses 5 through 8, an observation that, or sorry, 5 through 7, an observation that Solomon had, about people being in the wrong positions. You know, people that are unqualified or, you know, are just bad people for whatever reason, that they're put in the wrong jobs. They're put in positions of responsibility. And he talks about, he sees those, you know, princes walking on the ground and the servants riding on horses.

Everything is backwards. Everything is upside down. And again, you know, we don't want to have this idea that the princes are just better people and the servants are worse people, so they shouldn't be exalted. The idea is just that people that are not fit for these responsibilities are in the jobs. And those who are fit for responsibilities are out of the jobs. And again, another way of looking at this idea of princes and servants and their station and life has to do with, that it has to do with nobility of character as well, probably, not just their actual position in society. It really is also talking about the kind of people, the caliber of people that we're dealing with.

And again, those who are the better people are out of the positions and those who are the worst people are in the positions. And this is not a good situation for the society. And then we saw in verse, starting in verse 8, and I think we made it up to verse 10, that, you know, where it talks about, he digs a pit, will fall into it, whoever breaks a wall, be bitten by a serpent, and Corey stones may be hurt by them. He splits wood, may be danger by it. The axe is dull. One doesn't sharpen the edge.

And it might not be an axe, it might be any kind of iron weapon or iron tool. One does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength, but wisdom brings success. Wisdom brings what's profitable. And that is that, of course, we need to use what's needful, what is needed. And we need to take time to prepare. And here you see people were kind of doing things without properly assessing the situation, without taking the proper time to prepare.

And we don't know exactly, you know, these are, again, I'll remind you, we're in a series of proverbs that continue all the way to the end of the book. And these could be standalone proverbs, so on their own, they could have a wide array of meaning. But in this context, you know, what exactly do they mean? Again, we're talking about this situation about leaders and how they govern and how we interact with them. And this could have to do with how the leaders are ruling and what they're doing and their projects and the dangers inherent in those projects.

And if people aren't cognizant of those things, they're going to get hurt. And that could go along with the wrong people being in the jobs who are not properly assessing these things. But it also could have to do with just the average person who's trying to interact with the powers that be.

And they may try to do some things in reaction to this that will get them in trouble. Because, again, they're not looking at all the ramifications of what it is they're doing. Whatever we do, remember this whole section is whatever you do, do it with your might. But also do it with wisdom. Do it carefully. Whatever you're doing, because everything has consequences. And we need to try what those might be. We need to be prudent in whatever it is we're doing. And, of course, leaders need to be prudent. And that's why we need good leaders who are going to be prudent as well. But, again, this is a very sound and good advice for a person in authority, or just a person who's following. And we all need to keep these things in mind. So I'm going to move on now to verse 11. And I stopped at verse 10 really last time, because verse 11 is a little bit of a controversial. It's just that it's not extremely clear as to what is being said in this verse. And I lost my place. Here I am.

So verse 11 has been interpreted in quite different ways. Let's look at it again. Actually, we'll read to the rest to the end of the chapter here before I start commenting on this. Verse 11, A serpent may bite when it's not charmed. The babbler is no difference. The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, and the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be, who can tell him what will be after him.

The laborer of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princess feasts in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princess feasts at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness. Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. Again, some of these things seem maybe a little disjointed here, but remember these are provers being strung together. Do not curse the king even in your thought. Do not curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter. So we're going to try to get through these before moving on to the next section here. But verse 11, again, a literal reading would be something like, if the snake bites without whispering, or being charmed, I guess is what people interpret that as, there's no prophet for a master of the tongue. That's what it actually says. If a snake bites without whispering, or being whispered to, I guess the idea, there's no prophet for a master of the tongue.

And you can find that in Young's literal, putting these various versions together, and the strong Zand Brown driver Briggs lexicons will give you that reading. The master of the tongue here is often taken to be the one whispering. A snake charmer. The NIV renders this as, if a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee. See how that's quite different from what you read here in the NKJV. So I'm going to read that again. If the snake bites before it's charmed, the charmer receives no fee. That is, he doesn't get paid. Yet, profit could be meant more generally as to merely say there is no benefit, or it does no good, to have a snake charmer if he doesn't charm the snake before it strikes, as in other versions. Other versions are rendered that way. This is not to illustrate the danger of acting too slowly. Remember, we just saw the people were acting too quickly without proper planning when they didn't sharpen their iron tool first. But here, this is argued to be acting too slowly in contrast to what we just saw. We have today the expression, he who hesitates is lost. Just so, here would be someone who has taken the time to prepare in learning the skill of snake charming but doesn't use it when needed. It should be noted that this is not speaking of mystical enchantment, but a method of holding a snake's focus mostly through movements. I think that's really what's happening when people do that. The preaching the word commentary follows this interpretation stating, taken together, verses 10 and 11, show us why we need wisdom from God. Sometimes it's important to take more time to prepare. Other times we need to act before it's too late. Wisdom comes in knowing the difference. Ovid, the famous Roman poet, is reported to have said, at times it is folly to hasten, at other times to delay.

The wise do everything in its proper time. That's true. It's very true we should act when needed and not dawdle or linger. In chapter 11, which we'll get to later, verses 3 through 6, will tell us as much. That's a principle we will find in Ecclesiastes. But it is not clear that verse 11 here in chapter 10 really intends a warning against delay. Indeed, it could, like verse 10, actually warn against being hasty. In this case, in terms of speech, you know, Proverbs 29.20, you know, we're supposed to think before we speak. The King James Version presents the serpent biting in verse 11 of Ecclesiastes 10. But instead of saying there is no good for a charmer in that, it says, quote, the babbler is no better. The latter word better being used instead of profit or advantage in other interpretations. In other words, the babbler has no profit or advantage. The NKJV interprets the KJV in stating the babbler is no different. That's what we read here if we've got the NKJV.

Now, this is saying that a person just talking and talking is no better than a snake not being charmed. The Farrar-Fenton translation renders the verse similarly. It says, quote, the serpent stings without a charm and an unbridled tongue is the same, the problem being uncontrolled speech.

However, these renderings leave out the conditional if at the beginning and the term master of the tongue, which is there literally, which seems opposite to a babbler or an unbridled tongue. You think, it's talking about a master of the tongue, how does that end up with a babbler?

But these versions may be accurately paraphrasing what's intended. Consider an untamed tongue being compared to a slithering, uncharmed snake. James 3.8 makes a similar comparison, telling us no man can tongue. It is an unruly evil full of deadly poison. Think about it. It's like a deadly snake with its toxin. So how does the phrase master of the tongue fit in such an interpretation of Ecclesiastes 10.11? This terminology would not designate a snake charmer, but someone who is able to speak well and who is being analogized here to a snake charmer. The verse could read this way, quote, If a snake bites when not charmed or when it's not tamed, even so, there is no benefit in being a master of the tongue. That is, if he does not tame his poisonous snake-like tongue and allows it to bite. A person can be a trained orator, yet still lash out foolishly in what he says. In other words, what's the advantage of being a good speaker if you are saying bad things to people?

The point would be to guard against hastily or carelessly saying something harmful. Rather, one should always think before speaking, as we'll see more about in a moment. This is vital for people in positions of leadership and for all of us. And knowing that no man can truly tame the tongue, we should all pray as David did. I'll just reference Psalm 141 verse 3. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth. Keep watch over the doors of my lips. Again, that's Psalm 141 verse 3.

So again, we have two quite different interpretations of this verse. By the first interpretation given here of having skill but not using it when needed, thus warning against delaying, the verse would be serving as a counterpoint to verse 10, which concerns failing to prepare and acting too quickly. So verse 10 would say, you know, don't be hasty, but this verse would be saying don't lag, don't wait around. But by the second interpretation of verse 11, warning against being too hasty in speech, because you're not taming the poisonous tongue, the verse would be giving another example of acting too quickly without proper forethought and preparation as in verse 10. And we should note that this is also the point of the next few verses, verses 12 through 14, so that verse 11 might well be grouped with these thematically. So again, what exactly is meant? It's not certain. I kind of think it's probably more toward the latter, that it's more in line with these others that it's saying. But both ideas are true. So moving on here, then, where verse 12 says that a wise man's words are gracious. Let's look at it again. The words of wise man's mouth are graced with the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. This could also be translated to say that they bring grace or favor on the wise man himself. In contrast to the self-destruction a fool's words bring in the second part of the verse, his own lips swallowing him up. Or the contrast could just be between a wise man's words being kind and helpful generally, and a fool's words being harmful ultimately of self. Verse 13 says that a fool's words may seem merely silly at first, but then unbridled become extreme in effectively raving madness, it says. And verse 14 shows the fool talking more and more even when he doesn't know what he's talking about, including acting like he knows how various matters will shake out despite what we've seen about life's unpredictability. The Holman Old Testament commentary points out, quote, a fool commits two errors. He tends to speak rashly, and it quotes Proverbs 12, 18 on that, and to say too much. Both can have disastrous consequences. It's better to hold one's tongue and wait for the best time to speak. A wise person knows when to be quiet. And we saw that earlier in Ecclesiastes 3, 7. We also see it in James 1, 19 through 20. You know when to bite your tongue. Another error that the fool makes is he thinks he can figure out the future, end quote. So he's presumptuous. That's the idea here. The fool is presumptuous. He thinks he knows more than he does. And the fool's, this is a quote from New American commentary, the fool's verbosity arises from too high a regard for his own opinions. The wise counselor, however, knows that he cannot predict the future and thus tempers his remarks with restraint and humility. As earlier pointed out in regard to life's uncertainties in chapter 9, verses 11 through 12, remember that's where the race is not always to the swift and it goes on and it says, but time and circumstance happens to them all. I mean, this is just how things go.

And in regard to that, James 4, verses 13 through 15 says, we should not declare as matter of fact how our lives or those of others will proceed since we don't know what will happen. You know, there it says we should say if God wills, this or that will happen. We need to remember that it's ultimately up to God. It was earlier stated in Ecclesiastes 5, and you can hold your place here and just flip back. You can look at Ecclesiastes 5, verse 3. Ecclesiastes 5, verse 3, that a fool's voice is known by his many words in parallel. And by the way, I'm not going to have you turn to all these because that's one thing that will really not let us get through the whole section if we're but some things I will have you turn to you, but I mainly want you to be looking here. But you can note these verses. And again, I have finished this commentary, so later if you want the details of where all these verses are, they are written down, but you won't have it for a while, so you might want to take to note it down if you need to. But Proverbs 15, verse 28, says, The heart of the righteous studies or ponders how to answer. You know, they think about it. They try to find out what's a good way to speak. But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

Proverbs 15 too says, The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. You see that also in Proverbs 12, 23. Again, this applies to those in leadership and all of us, particularly in our interaction with governing authorities. We need to think before we speak. Yes, we better think before we speak. And we're talking to the authorities to be very careful what we say. We have to be careful what we say to anyone, even our close friends. Continuing in Ecclesiastes 10, verse 15 speaks of fools' labor or work.

Look at it again, verse 15. The labor of fools wearies them. They do not even know how to go to the city. It seems to say that whatever it is they have to do, wearies them because they don't know how to go about it. Not even the simplest thing like going to town. That could tie back to verse 10 about the need to work smarter with needed preparation, lest the work be harder, and to the current subsection's theme of giving it one's all with wisdom and diligence. The fool failing on these counts and making things more difficult for himself. Or, perhaps, as the preaching the word commentary contends here, the fool is worn out by work because he's fooling around when he should be working, leaving him exhausted from guilt over lack of productivity and from realization of so much work left to do that he should have done already.

Conversely, the wise man is energized by work and accomplishment, doing it all with his might and enjoying good in his labor, as we see in the books for frames. The expositor's Bible commentary gives yet another alternative in explaining the fool's wearying work and not knowing how to get to town. So, you see there's a number of different ways to look at this. All true, by the way. These are true principles, but exactly what's being said here we have to think about a little bit. But expositor's Bible commentary says, in the context, work may relate to the many arguments of verse 14. In a fine note of sarcasm, this proverb says that a person may be so involved in arguing about the universe or lofty matters that he misses what the ordinary person is concerned about, namely finding the way home. You know, he's just not going to give a simple answer. Not knowing the way could tie back to verse 3, where a fool is known for how he walks along the way. Then again, still another explanation given by the New American commentary says fools are here wearying others rather than themselves, stating, quote, verse 15 should be, alternatively translated, the effort of fools wearies him who does not know the way to town. In other words, the advice of foolish counselors is so bad that they cannot even give simple directions. Their long-winded explanations only wear out the confused traveler how much worse to take their counsel in affairs of state. This rendering would fit with Jesus' warning that if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. That's in Matthew 15 14 and Luke 6 39. While the verse doesn't carry all these various meanings, the verse doesn't mean all of these things. Of course, they all seem plausible as they all represent true ideas in any case. So take your pick. I would just say we don't know for sure because all those things are true and they all actually fit even in context they fit. But it's good. It's very thought-provoking in that sense what was intended there. But again, maybe you think this is a proverb that can have many uses, but it was put there for a particular reason. The next two verses in Ecclesiastes 10 verses 16 through 17 concern two divergent national destinies. Woe are blessing. See, look at again. Woe to you, O land, where your king is a child and your prince's feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles and your prince's feast at the proper time for strength and not for drunkenness. So this is two divergent national destinies based on the kind of rulers a land has. And verses 18 through 19 appear to continue the discussion of this matter, as we'll see. These verses return to the evil or disaster Solomon saw in verses 5 through 7. We just talked about that earlier. Of the wrong people, the foolish and unqualified, being in positions of responsibility. So this ties this all together. You see, we just read that in verses 5 through 7. You got the wrong people in the jobs. And that's what we're reading here. It's a disaster of the wrong people, the foolish and unqualified, being in positions of responsibility. And we're coming near the end of an apparent literary in Cluzio. Verse 4 was the beginning of that, you know, dealing carefully with the rulers. And verse 20 is also a timeout. You better be careful in what you say about dealing with rulers.

The woe or disaster in verse 16 comes when the king is a child or a youth. You'll find that either the New King James says a child, the young's literal says a youth. Or other versions say a servant or a slave. The NIV says a servant. The New English Bible says a slave. So what is it? Is it when your king is a child or when he's a slave? With princes feasting in the morning, this seems to denote an inexperienced or immature ruler with other subordinate leaders who are immature in self-indulgence. The Tyndale commentary says that the Hebrew nahr, which is translated child here, refers not to age but to general maturity. The term often means servant. In 1 Kings 3.7, Solomon considers himself a child and recognizes his immaturity as a disadvantage to be remedied only by God-given wisdom. You know, that's when he said, here I am a child. That's why he asked for wisdom. Because how was he able to do this? And it could, in Ecclesiastes 10.16, refer to, as Tommy Nelson says, a king who acts like a child. A king who acts like a child.

Yet the word could alternatively refer to a servant or slave, as noted in parallel to the servants exalted on horses in verse 7 as part of the upside-down problem of wrong people in the wrong positions. Though a clearer word for servants or slaves, ebedim is used there, not nahr. That's ebedim is used up in that earlier verse. Ebed is servant for surely or slave. And this word, here, this would be a direct contrast to the blessing in verse 17 of having a king who is the son of nobles. See, that's why you say, well, do you have a king who's a slave or do you have a king who's the son of nobles, or literally of free men, as it says in Young's Literal. A footnote in the easy-to-read version says, quote, this is a person who was never a slave and whose parents were not slaves. That is a free man. So that's what it's talking about in the latter part. The blessed are you when your king is the son of free men. The New American commentary says that as in verses 5 through 7, once again, servant and noble in verse 17 refer to the moral character of the king more than to his genealogy. Expositor's comments that a meaning of servant or slave for the king in verse 16 would, quote, indicate that the king is someone who has suddenly come to the top by others and who keeps his power by letting his deputies do what they want. So that's one possibility if it means slave in that sense. He's saying that's what that would do. While a meaning of child or lad would indicate that the real power is that of the deputies.

In any event, those under the influence of such leaders get no benefit from them, end quote. So, you know, it's saying it really could be either there in that sense. The king in verse 17 who brings blessing to the land is not led around by self-serving lower officials. Tyndale comments, the son of free men is one whose position in society enables him to act with an independent spirit. The contrast, therefore, is not so much between young and old as between a mature, bold approach to life and an immature servile manner, end quote. Perhaps there's a contrast here between being a servant or slave to foolish ways, as is too often the case, versus the free man who is not confined to that predicament. You know, he's not going to be a slave to these these ways. The same commentary states that, quote, another criterion of national wisdom is self-control, the lack of which is seen in verse 16 with the profligate deputy rulers feasting in the morning. This is not speaking of merely having a big breakfast, for a contrast is drawn with the blessing in verse 17 of princes who feast at the proper time for strength and not for drunkenness. Notice that shows that the errant feasting in verse 16 is for the opposite. It's for drunkenness and not for strength. This can be taken to mean either that the indulgent princes get up in an NKJV party before they've done their work, or the NKJV Study Bible says they spend their nights banqueting into the early morning. Isaiah 5.11 pronounces woe on both. The NIV for Isaiah 5.11 says woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. Participation in wine-bibbing and gluttony is of course wrong. You see that in Proverbs 23.20. And Tyndale notes that drinking in the early hours of the day marked a dissolute, slothful approach to life with emphasis on personal indulgence. And it is surely no coincidence that laziness and idleness are condemned immediately after in verse 18. You see that there in verse 18. That's the next thing. And not only are the deplorable leaders of verse 16 taking advantage of the nation's wealth, it seems they are appallingly flaunting their ability to do so. Look at us! We're just going to have a good time.

The strength sought in proper feasting in verse 17 includes bodily nourishment, but also the promotion of a strong nation through healthy leaders and guests, as well as elevated camaraderie and morale and connectedness within and with allies. Think state dinners, religious festivals, national celebrations, other special occasions. Those are good, as opposed to foolishly draining state resources in drunken revelry, which is what the problem here is. Now, as stated, verses 18 through 19, which are two proverbs, appear to have been placed here as a further comment on the preceding verses about national mismanagement through profligate leaders in positions they aren't suited for. Although there is certainly an application to the average person as well, especially if these proverbs are taken as standalone aphorisms, as they could have been used outside the present context. Let's look at them here. Verses 18 and 19. Because of laziness, the building decays through idleness of hands, the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. Now, the problem in verse 18 is laziness or idleness, which, as noted earlier, ties in with the nation's leaders wallowing in drunken feasting and evidently not getting needed work done. This results in the building decaying and the house leaking. While these could be little needed work, they're probably also metaphorical of problems in the ruling administration and in the nation as a whole, both compared to a building or house. Consider the references in Scripture to the house of David and to the house of Israel or the house of Judah. So you've got a metaphor there that these are literal houses in one hand, but they're also figurative of the administration and of the nation, this terminology. Of course, in a broader context, this is a problem that affects all people. Quoting New American commentary, the proverb of verse 18 can obviously apply equally well to the administration of the whole state and the private economy of one's own household. Recall that idleness among individuals was earlier decried in Ecclesiastes 4-5. I'll hold you place here. I'll have you look at that again. Just a reminder. Ecclesiastes 4-5 said, the foolish folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. He's not doing what he needs to do. He's not doing the work he needs to do. He's just letting down, not remaining vigilant and diligent, will result in the breakdown of our literal homes, as well as our households or families and our lives in general. You gotta do the upkeep.

And the need to counter this tendency is the major theme of the current subsection of the book, working with all one's might, giving it our all with wisdom and diligence, care. This is what the whole section is talking about. So what we're reading here is people not doing what's needed to be done in that regard. Now, the next verse here, chapter 10 verse 19, says, a feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry, but money answers everything.

Now, this saying by its placement here also appears to comment on the feasting and drinking by those in charge of the national wealth in verses 16 to 17. But what exactly does it mean?

As the Tyndale commentary notes on verse 19, it is difficult to decide how to take this verse.

Summit points out, see in verses 16, 17, 18, and 19 a woe bliss sequence, so that the laziness and breakdown in verse 18 is, quote, concerned with the woeful results of the foolish life, while verse 19 refers to the happy results of the wise life. This would mean the feasting for laughter, the wine making merry, and money answering everything that is addressing all needs and wants, perhaps, is viewed as a positive, corresponding to their proper use by wise leaders in verse 17. Of course, these all do have positive application in Ecclesiastes, as we've repeatedly seen. Even money as a defense. Remember, we saw that in chapter 7 verse 12. Money is a defense. Wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense. Others, however, including the Tyndale commentary itself, disagree with this interpretation, taking verse 19 as instead a negative commentary on the licentious life of verses 16 and 18. Quote, from Tyndale here, the failure of the slothful life is seen here. Bread, wine, money is the limit of its horizon. That is, these are the height of what immature, self-indulgent people have to live for. The Holman Old Testament commentary agrees with that, stating, quote, although verse 19 is somewhat enigmatic, it does seem to point to the fact that the fool believes that earthly things are the way to achieve the good life. End quote.

Yet there are a few other ways to view verse 19 that makes sense in context. The New American commentary sees it addressing the foolish life of indulgence and lack of industriousness of verses 16 and 18 in these terms. Quote here, verse 19 should be rendered, people prepare food for pleasure and wine makes joyful but money pays for both. The point, still quoting, is that at least some money is essential for enjoying life and steps must therefore be taken to ensure that the economy, be it national or personal, is sound. End quote. Or maybe the proverb here just means that feasting and wine make for a good time but all this has to be paid for. This would be a warning not to squander one's resources which would of course apply to the national wealth as well as to the personal income. You know, I just want to interject here. If you think about the refrains of the book have been telling us to rejoice and enjoy wine and enjoy food and all this but you've got to be balanced about that. If you just use it all up, you've got nothing. You're not going to be able to enjoy anything so you still have to have the money to be able to do that. That's why you need to labor and earn to be able to enjoy things. This would tie into verse 18 quite well as it's not just idleness that causes the house to decay but resources going to feasting instead of being used to meet vital needs. Or yet another possibility is that verse 19 could mean that money is what allows us to feast and enjoy life. It pays for both to borrow the wording proposed above so we must work to earn to continue to experience the enjoyment not be idle in line with the section theme of working wisely and diligently. This too would apply individually and nationally. So again, exactly what this verse is saying, I cannot say. But it's probably one of those things that we just went through. All of those would actually fit in context. I tend to think it's here along the latter part of what we just said. Normally, by the way, when I go through things like this, I will give what I prefer as the last thing usually, unless I'm just kind of throwing something out as maybe another possibility after I've gone through what seems likely to me. Verse 20, again, let's look at that. Do not curse the king even in your thought. Do not curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter. Okay, this apparently ends the inclusio beginning in verse 4 concerning dealing with ruling authorities. Verse 4, we saw earlier, encouraged the wise course of sticking to one's duty and conciliatory efforts in the face of an upset or offended leader.

Then serious problems with ruling officials were highlighted, being unfit for their positions and licentiously indulging and feasting and drunkenness while failing to address needs leading to national decay and vulnerability. We saw that in verses 5 through 7 and then later in verses 16 through 19 that we just went through. This could obviously lead one to curse or speak evil of such rulers. You know, if this happens, you might be inclined to do that. So the problem of reverse 20, again, gives the wise course to follow. Don't succumb to the temptation to do that. It states, do not curse the king even in your thoughts. This might be better put, don't curse the king, don't even think about doing it. It's kind of what the contemporary English version has there. It doesn't mean you can't think in your thoughts that a ruler is an awful person.

You know, we're going to think that if there's evidence for us to think that. But don't think of going ahead and cursing him with thoughts leading to actions. This is in line with God's law, which states in Exodus 22, verse 28, Exodus 22, 28, you shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. And we find that also in Acts 23, verse 5. That's where, you know, you had Paul there cursing this person who he didn't know was the high priest there. And had he known that, he wouldn't have done it because of this commandment. So he apologized about that. Speaking evil of rulers, even bad ones, can promote personal arrogance and hardening against authority in general. And it leads eventually to further societal breakdown, as others are influenced. Others, too, are in the events of the offices, but the offices themselves, and even the nation's laws. Don't let foolish leadership provoke you into disrespecting offices of authority and lashing out. It's personally detrimental, and you'll actually be contributing to society's decline. It can also pose an imminent danger if you do that. The problem further says not to curse the wealthy and powerfacy, even in your bedroom, it says, as it may get back to them, leading to serious consequences. The picture here of a bird telling the matter is a metaphor of something being overheard and passed on, and with flight, the bird flies, it gets around fast. It's not meant literally, although it could be based on the fact that a number of birds can mimic human speech and repeat what people say. Since Solomon had great interest in animals, including birds, it says that in 1 Kings 4 and chapter 10, it's quite possible that he had talking birds, perhaps even in his royal bedroom at times. This would not be that odd for Solomon. The earliest record of such a bird, possibly a parakeet, is from the Greek physician and historian Ctesias of the 5th century BC, and the metaphor was around then and before that. This is a quote from the NIV cultural background study Bible. It says, stories of little birds who told or were aware of secrets are found in Aristophanes as the birds, classical Greek comedy of 414 BC, the Hittite tale of Al-Qahirtsa before Solomon's time, the words of Ahikar, Assyrian around 700 BC.

This last one asserts that a word is like a bird and that one who releases it lacks sense.

It's also been suggested that the imagery here could fit with someone overhearing another and sending a written message about it by a carrier pigeon. However, it's not known if this method of communication was used in Solomon's time. It was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans and is thought to be as old as the ancient Persians. Yet it could be even older. Whatever the case, the image is still merely figurative of the private denigration of powerful people being eventually found out. Those initially passing it on may not even intend ill in doing so. It may be passed to one who says it to another and that person to another, and so on, and so on, until it's heard on a level that could bring retaliation. The course of wisdom is to not do jeopardy this way.

Recall that one can recur and message of ecclesiastes is that while lamenting the frustration of this life, we should make wise decisions to avoid increasing the frustration. We don't want to increase that frustration.

Okay, looks like we've got about 15 minutes. I'm going to move into the next section here.

Verses 1 through 6. The next part here is, I've titled this next part, diversify your efforts and don't procrastinate. Diversify your efforts and don't procrastinate. So, having in Ecclesiastes 10 verse 20 concluded his counsel on dealing with the human powers that be, both political and economic. New American commentary says, the teacher moves, next at the start of chapter 11 here, into his concluding remarks on financial prudence and on more broadly contending with uncertainties in living life. Yet, we should again observe that, as in the transition from 918 to 10.1, so you've got a new chapter at chapter 10, there is no narrative break there. And there's not one here either between chapter 10 verse 20 and chapter 11 verse 20. Say, oh, we are a new chapter. But if you're just reading in the Hebrew, there is no break. You just real sequence that began in 9.16 continues on. Yet, the change of subject and the interrelatedness of the next several verses show that we've again moved into a new unit. This being where we are now, right here in verses 1 through 6 of chapter 11.

These last admonitions about wealth and more broadly living life, while coping with uncertainties in Ecclesiastes 11, 1 through 6, formed the last part of the current middle subsection, beginning with or following chapter 9 verse 10, focused on living boldly with wisdom and diligence. The New American commentary states in its introductory on these verses 1 through 6, the teacher sees two great dangers connected to the making of money. The one is to become consumed with work and the quest for wealth. And there's verses early in Ecclesiastes on that, chapter 4 verses 6 through 8, chapter 5 verse 10, chapter 6 verses 7 through 9. You know, money, it could just disappear on you. That shouldn't be what it's all about.

You aren't going to have those. It doesn't last because you don't last, right? That's in the flesh. But the other problem it notes here that's been noted in Ecclesiastes is to fall into poverty and the suffering it entails through laziness or misfortune. And we find that in chapter 4 verse 5, chapter 5 verses 13 through 14, chapter 6 verse 2, chapter 10 verse 18. We just read about laziness. We must guard against both. We must guard against making money such a big object that we need to follow, and we must guard against not doing anything to earn money. We need to be focused here on both things. The same commentary says that the strategy presented here against the latter threat, especially in the light of the problem of unforeseen circumstances that we already saw, you know, time and circumstances can happen, is to, quote, diversify investments.

Or spread one's resources and energies around into different enterprises and pursuits. A safe, insane approach to financial security. I'm going to read these verses here right now, and then we'll look at this again. Let's read them, verses 1 through 6. Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a serving or portion, actually it should be, to seven and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. He who observes the wind and will not sow, and he who regards the clouds, will know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child. So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, whether both alike will be good. So again, what this commentary in New America says, it is not a program to get rich quick, but it will save one for many sleepless nights. That is this idea of diversifying investments. We'll get more consideration of this concept in going through the individual verses. We should further realize that diversification here applies beyond financial security. As it's a strategy for well-being more generally in whatever your hand finds to do. Ecclesiastes 9 and 10, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your mind and do it with wisdom. This diversification applies to everything you would do. It's important that what your hand finds to do not be just one thing, which may come to naught, but many things. Dr. Walter Kaiser explains, since we cannot comprehend the totality of God's providential acts, the only proper course of action is to be diligently and wholeheartedly involved. Some of this activity will succeed even if all of it does not. Solomon lists several proverbial illustrations to make his point. With a series of imperative direct exhortations among them. These start in verse 1, cast your bread upon the waters. You will find it after many days. Viewing this literally, we might think, no, the bread would be soggy, and by many days it would be dissolved or eaten by fish. Or, as Kaiser notes, the bread on the water may not be a literal reference to throwing thin cakes of bread in the water like chips of wood, and to hope those cakes will one day turn up in some distant place where we will be, and there be a need of bread cakes.

The figure may come instead from the realm of foreign commerce, wherein ships finally return with gain after an indefinite period of time. This appears to make the most sense. The NIV Cultural Background Study Bible mentions the suggestion that the verse could refer to beer brewing with Akkadian texts presenting dates and bread thrown into water and mixing ingredients to make beer so that the bread comes back as beer, with the servings to seven and eight, and verse two supposedly meaning the beer is to be shared. But the same study Bible says it's more likely that the reference is to commerce. The Zondervan NIV Study Bible likewise says that Ecclesiastes 11, quote, probably means, ship your grain across the sea, for after many days you may receive a return. That is, be adventurous, like those who accept the risks and reap the benefits of seaborne trade. Do not always play it safe, end quote. The Tyndale Commentary elaborates, quote, the illusion is to the element of trust in much ancient business. Ships on commercial voyages might be long delayed before any profit resulted, yet one's goods had to be committed to them. Solomon's fleet, which brought back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks, says in 1 Kings 10, 22, and 1 Kings 9, 26, 28, sailed once in three years. Similarly, the preacher has called his readers to take life from the hand of God and to enjoy it despite its trials and perplexities. This is still a quote from Tyndale. Such a life contains within it the elements of trust and adventure, demands total commitment for your bread is used in the sense of your goods, your livelihood, as in Deuteronomy 8.3 and Proverbs 31.14, and has a forward look to it. You will find, you will find it, a reward which requires patience because it says, after many days. So that takes patience, end quote there. Proverbs 31.14, which is cited here, says of the virtuous woman or the wife of noble character in the World English Bible. It says, she is like the merchant ships, she brings her bread from afar. So the association of bread with shipping and another of Solomon's works is certainly noteworthy. That's probably exactly what's meant here. We're talking about shipping grain.

Now, Kaiser and a number of other commentators take the bold venturing of resources here to be engaging in charity, arguing that this is what is also meant in the next verse about giving servings to seven and eight. But many others dispute this. Tyndale says the idea that verse one is, quote, a commendation of philanthropy has in its favor a parallel in the instructions of Anxishonki from Egypt in the fourth century BC, quote, do a good deed and throw it into the river. When this dries up, you shall find it, end quote. However, the parallel is not exact. The Hebrew reads bread rather than good deeds. The point, therefore, is not to urge shrewd foresight and calculated philanthropy, is what Tyndale says, but shrewd insight in business. The parallel in Proverbs 31.14, quoted above about the noble woman doing business, likewise points more to the realm of commerce than philanthropy. Expositors concurs, says this idea of investment in charity does not belong to the teacher's thought elsewhere. So we may prefer the alternative that links the meeting with verses four through six. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as a proverb says. Be like the merchant who uses his capital for trade, including trade across the seas. New American commentary says this is not an exhortation to charity, but advice on investments. To cast bread upon the waters is to engage in commercial enterprises involving overseas trade. Eventually, the investments will pay off, end quote. Yet those who see only commerce here are probably viewing the proverb too narrowly. As it can easily apply beyond the financial realm, charitable investment may well be part of the meaning too. Indeed, this verse along with verse two probably means to expend one's efforts and resources in a variety of ways in every area of life. Church, family, home, friendship, career, education, finances, charity, recreation, you name it. And even more generally, to be outgoing and daring and do as much as we can. Put yourself out there. Nothing ventured, nothing gained applies to everything in life, including our service to God in all its forms. Tyndale concludes that, quote, the preacher probably has in mind the wider subject of obedience to his God, end quote. Of course, that should apply to the whole of life, for whatever we do is to be done hardly in service to God. Told that in Colossians 3, 23.

The same commentary refers to our willingness to engage in various pursuits and accept whatever results as a, quote, venture of faith. Again, this is all part of living life boldly, giving it our all with wisdom and diligence. The accompanying proverb here specifically states, give a serving, actually it's a portion, give a portion to seven and also to eight, for you do not know what evil, that is what calamity or bad occurrence, will be on the earth. We've seen the pattern of a certain number and one more in other passages to show that only some examples are given or to emphasize the last part of a sequence, such as three, yes, four. You'll see some proverbs say that. Proverbs 30, 15 through 31 has that several times. Amos 1 and 2 has several proverbs like that. And 6, yes, 7, these six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are abomination. Proverbs 6, 16, Ecclesiastes earlier showed the strength of not just two together, but a threefold cord is not easily broken. Chapter 4, verse 12, the step up in Amos of the sins of various nations facing judgment probably signified that the measure of guiltiness was more than full. And indeed, with regard to the current verse, seven often symbolizes completeness or fullness in Scripture, while the word for eight also carries the meaning of overfilled or superabundance, that is, of more. So the point would be, as Kaiser notes, to distribute, quote, to as many as you can and then some, that that's what it's really saying. Yet, as already mentioned, Kaiser and various other commentators take verse two and verse one before it to refer to being generous, giving liberally to others, while others see both verses in a strictly commercial sense. Some interpret verse one in terms of commerce, but still see verse two as referring to charitable giving. The evil in that case of charitable giving would be a problem to eliminate or alleviate through such generosity. However, the evil seems more likely to be a disastrous circumstance, causing various undertakings or investments to fail. The multiplicity of the enterprises serving as a hedge and safety net against this. After all, verse six essentially is going to counsel the same thing, keep sowing seed, not knowing which will prove fruitful. In both, commercial business ventures appears to be in view, as in verse one, though the application is broader. In this light, verse two is a strategy for coping with potential hardship and disappointments. As the Expositor's Bible commentary states, we must use common sense in sensible planning and in eliminating as many of the uncertainties as we can. The Zondervin and Ivy Study Bible says that verse two, quote, probably means invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight, for you do not know. That is, diversify your efforts, because you never know which ventures may fail. Don't put your eggs all in one basket.

Diversify your undertakings and reduce the risks. Of course, as in verse one, this refers to more than just finances. It concerns all areas of life. That would certainly include charitable giving and being generous. But it goes far beyond that, impacting everything we do. Where verse one says to put yourself out there. Verse two says, spread yourself around, not too thinly, but giving your all in everything you set your hand to do. Some efforts will succeed and bring the return, sah, in verse one. Others will prove fruitless. In all this, we do what we can, yet trusting in God, for whatever successes He will grant, as what happens, is ultimately up to Him. So we're at an hour. I'm going to stop it right there, and we'll continue on the next time going through this.

It's a really interesting thing we're going to read about here. If a tree falls, whichever way it falls, that's where it lies. What is it talking about? We'll get to that, and we'll get to the rest of the book. But I'll end it for there.