College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Ecclesiastes 10:12-15
E. THOSE WHO WORK CONTRARY TO WISDOM ARE REPREHENSIBLE. Ecclesiastes 10:12-20
1. Talkers and workers Ecclesiastes 10:12-15
TEXT 10:12-15
12
Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;
13
the beginning of his talking is folly, and the end of it is wicked madness.
14
Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?
15
The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to the city.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 10:12-15
384.
How dangerous are the lips of a fool?
385.
The fool's words start out as folly and end up as what?
386.
What effect does this have on the fool?
387.
What effect does a fool's work have on his direction?
PARAPHRASE 10:12-15
The words of a wise man bring him honor and respect while a fool is actually consumed by his own words. The fool begins his conversation with light-hearted and foolish nonsense, but before he is finished he is caught up in wicked and perverse madness. The fool may brag about his future plans but no man knows for sure what the future holds or what will happen after he is gone. The activities of a fool are so exhausting to him that he loses his orientation and can-'t even find his way to town.
COMMENT 10:12-15
Ecclesiastes 10:12 The same word used for charming the snake is used for prayer (lachash) in Isaiah 26:16. So in contrast to wrong speech, the verse begins with the idea that words from a wiseman are gracious. Such gracious words of praise or encouragement of one's fellowman are considered sacrifices (Hebrews 13:15-16) as they proceed from the mouths of those who possess the true wisdom. On the other hand, the poison in the mouth of fools is reprehensible. This is true not only because it destroys others, but because it consumes the fool himself. A close parallel is found in the tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly (Proverbs 15:2). On the matter of gracious words, read Proverbs 22:11; Psalms 45:2; Luke 2:52; Luke 4:22. On the matter of the self-destruction of the fool, read Psalms 5:10 and Proverbs 18:7.
Ecclesiastes 10:13 As the proverb of the ancients says: -Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness-' (1 Samuel 24:13). The very beginning of the fool's conversation is foolishness. (Cf. James 3:8-13) While it is true that the beginning of the conversation of fools is found in jest and folly, before it is ended the element of evil characterizes their words. Here it is called wicked madness. (Cf. COMMENT Ecclesiastes 7:25)
Ecclesiastes 10:14 The multiplying of the fool's words implies his boasting about tomorrow, his promised accomplishments, his own greatness, and his importance to his society. Yet, when he boasts of tomorrow, he is speaking of that which he knows the least. (Cf. James 4:13; Luke 12:18-20) The word used for fool in this verse (sakal) means one who is a dense, confused thinker. In verse twelve the word for fool (kesil) means one who is possessed of an unwarranted self-confidence. There is undoubtedly a mixture of both as there would be in most fools. The words what will happen, and what will be after him, speak to the immediate future as well as the distant futureeven after death. No man can predict the events of tomorrow with any certainty, how foolish to go about boasting of what one will do in the distant future.
Ecclesiastes 10:15 Two additional indicators of the fool are noted: (1) The toil or labor in which he engages is apart from God's approval. It is of such a nature that he toils for nothing and is wearied by it. Habakkuk described nations who toil and grow weary for nothingshowing no profit (Habakkuk 2:13). (2) The second mark of the fool is the total absence of common sense. He is so void of understanding that he doesn-'t know his way home. Current American proverbs which parallel this are: He doesn-'t know enough to come in when it rains; He is so ignorant that he can-'t tie his own shoe strings. He is indeed a fool because he brags endlessly of his future success, and yet his labor isn-'t productive. If he cannot find his way over clearly marked roads, one could not expect him to succeed in his plans. The way to the city is the way most traveled and thus the easiest road to follow. Such facts heighten the ignorance of the fool.
FACT QUESTIONS 10:12-15
510.
Poison in the mouth of fools will destroy whom? (Cf. Ecclesiastes 10:12)
511.
The conversation of fools starts with jest but ends with what?
512.
What characteristics mark the fools of verse fourteen?
513.
Identify both ways one is proven to be a fool according to verse fifteen.
514.
What is the significance of the statement: He does not even know how to go to the city?