10:4This proverb has implications for employer/employee relationships. Employees should ride out the temper tantrums of their employer. If we quietly do our work and don’t get upset, the employer will probably get over his or her anger and calm down.
Life Application Study BibleEcclesiastesChapter 10
Ecclesiastes 10
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1071, 1072
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
10Ecclesiastes 10
1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.
2A wise person chooses the right road;a fool takes the wrong one.
3You can identify foolsjust by the way they walk down the street!
4If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!I Is angry at y;A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
The Ironies of Life
55There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake é 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!
8When you dig a well,you might fall in.When you demolish an old wall,you could be bitten by a snake.
9When you work in a quarry,stones might fall and crush you.When you chop wood,there is danger with each stroke of your ax.
10Using a dull ax requires great strength,so sharpen the blade.That's the value of wisdom;it helps you succeed.
11If a snake bites before you charm it,what's the use of being a snake charmer?
12Wise words bring approval,but fools are destroyed by their own words.
13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,so their conclusions will be wicked madness;14 they chatter on and on.No one really knows what is going to happen;no one can predict the future.
15Fools are so exhausted by a little workthat they can’t even find their way home.
16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,*the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
17Happy is the land whose king is a noble leaderand whose leaders feast at the proper timeto gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
18Laziness leads to a sagging roof;idleness leads to a leaky house.
19A party gives laughter,wine gives happiness,and money gives everything!
20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.For a little bird might deliver your messageand tell them what you said.
The Uncertainties of Life
1 1 1 Send your grain across the seas,
Textual footnotes
- 10:16 Or a child, 11:1 Or Give generously, / for your gifts will return to you later. Hebrew reads Throw your bread
Life Application Notes 4 notes
10:5-7By describing these circumstances that aren't fair or don’t make sense, Solomon is saying that wealth alone can’t bring justice. Solomon continues to build to his conclusion that
10:16-18When the Israelites had immature and irresponsible teaders, their nation fell. The books of 1 and 2 Kings describe the decline of the kingdoms when the leaders were concerned only about themselves. These verses pinpoint the basic problems of these leaders—selfishness and laziness.
10:19Government leaders, businesses, families, even churches get trapped into thinking money can meet all their needs. We throw money at our problems. But just as the thrill of wine is only temporary, the soothing effect of the last purchase soon wears off, and we have to buy more. Scripture recognizes that money iS Necessary for survival, but it warns against the love of money (see Matthew 6:24: 1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Money is dangerous because it deceives us into thinking that wealth is the easiest way to get everything we want. The love of money is sinful because we trust money rather than God to solve our problems. Those who pursue its empty promises will one day discover that they have nothing because they are spiritually bankrupt.