Madness

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place. 7 I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants. 8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. 10 If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. 11 A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. 12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; 13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. 14 A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him? 15 The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city! 16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning! 17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time– For strength and not for drunkenness! 18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. 19 A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. 20 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. 

Ecclesiastes 10:5-20

The inane madness of this world is seen very readily today just as it was in the days of the King. It is meaningless and insane. Once again, the preacher breaks it down for us to see in plain fashion. Here are some thoughts about the madness of life.

**Solomon begins by telling us that the fool ends up in authority. This is one example of the vanity of life on this earth. Not every leader is a fool. However, some truly are.  It’s illogical, yet undeniably true.

**Though work is good and healthy, it can also be harmful in certain cases. Work doesn’t mean that all our wishes and desires will be fulfilled. Working hard does not guarantee material wealth.

**The foolish receive recognition and fame. Those who seem to be the least worthy of recognition receive fame and fortune. In our day, we have folks who are famous for nothing. They haven’t achieved anything of significance. But somehow, they end up well-known and even adored. 

**At times, rulers are self-seeking and foolish. This thought should not surprise us. Solomon has made this point several times already in the book of Ecclesiastes.

**Laziness can also lead to disaster. Some give in to laziness and fail to take care of God’s blessings. The results of this folly can be devastating not just for the slothful one but also for his/her family. God has blessed us with much and we ought to take care of it.

**Finally, Solomon teaches us that our words can be used against us. I would imagine that has happened to you. To be fair, sometimes we use our words to tear down and destroy and that is wrong. At times, language intended for positive purposes may be misused, resulting in misinformation or misrepresentation.

Tony French