Ecclesiastes 10

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 134
• Hymn — O Bless Our God with One Accord (#400)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Psalm Reading — Psalm 28
• Hymn — For All the Saints (#358)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (#598)
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Keep Calm and Carry On — Wisdom Against Foolishness

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10

I. Keep Calm and Carry On as You Consider the Stench of Foolishness

A. A little foolishness goes a long way — Ecclesiastes 10:1

1. As one sinner destroys much good (Ecclesiastes 9:18), dead flies ruin precious perfume — a vivid picture of how small folly corrupts great wisdom and honor
2. The whole of Ecclesiastes aims to guard the heart from the stench of vain, foolish striving

B. Guard the heart, for folly begins there — Ecclesiastes 10:2

1. The heart is the core from which the aroma of a person's life issues
2. Proverbs 4:23 — Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life

C. Foolishness identifies itself — its stench can be learned and avoided

1. The fool stumbling on the road (Ecclesiastes 10:3), the man chopping with a dull axe, the talker betrayed by his words, the slothful homeowner with a leaking roof — all make the fool known
2. Learn the smell of foolishness as the African elephant learns the scent of danger, and be on guard

D. Wisdom responds to provocation with calm — Ecclesiastes 10:4

1. Calmness lays great offenses to rest; wisdom produces a steady, healing composure
2. Christ before Pilate: the supreme example of the sweet aroma of wisdom meeting the stench of foolishness — his calm obedience laid to rest the great offense of his people before God

II. Keep Calm and Carry On as You Consider the Sting of Foolishness

A. Foolishness brings its own sting in the realm of work — Ecclesiastes 10:8–11

1. The pit-digger, the stone quarrier, the log-splitter, the uncharmed serpent — each picture the fool whose carelessness turns back upon himself
2. The blunt axe requires more effort; lack of wisdom makes all labor harder

B. Foolishness stings in the realm of rulers and society — Ecclesiastes 10:5–7, 16–17

1. An upside-down order: fools in high places, the rich sitting low, slaves on horses, princes walking like slaves — injustice felt by all
2. Foolish rulers surrounded by self-serving counselors who feast from morning onward bring woe upon their land
3. Wise rulers and princes feast for strength, not drunkenness — a blessing to their people

C. Believers should expect, not be surprised by, the fool in leadership

1. The poor will always be with us; so will the fool, on this side of heaven
2. The preacher clears our vision so the rising and falling of order does not unsettle us

D. Our better King bears the sting on behalf of his people

1. Christ — reviled, dishonored, cursed by his own people — does not return vengeance but goes to the cross
2. He takes upon himself all the sting due to the foolishness of his people

III. Keep Calm and Carry On as You Consider the Silliness of Foolishness

A. Levity is woven through the passage to expose the absurdity of foolishness

1. The stumbling fool recognized by all, the homeowner needing an umbrella indoors, the axe-man mauling wood, the hole-digger falling in, the snake charmer bitten, the endless talker — all pictures of plain silliness
2. Even the note that money answers everything (Ecclesiastes 10:19) is ironic — the same money Solomon has said cannot be taken along

B. Without the bigger picture — the end of the matter — mankind lives toward silly goals

1. Men do not know what is good for them during their few vaporous days (Ecclesiastes 6:12)
2. Without Scripture's perspective, mankind is given to foolish living — Solomon invites sanctified laughter at this silliness to help us see more clearly

C. The end of the matter reframes everything — Ecclesiastes 12:13

1. Fear God and keep his commandments — this is the whole duty of man
2. Christ lived perfectly Under the Sun with the end of the matter always in view, fearing God and keeping his commandments — not for himself, but for his people
3. His perfect life becomes ours by faith; he is not merely the snake charmer but the snake Crusher; his body and blood are the only and ultimate cause of joy and gladness