Broken Wheel

- Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. - If you understood the interpretation of verse 19, you should be able to see a similar pattern already emerging in verse 20. The first thing we should notice is the contrast between verse 16 and today’s passage. What did it say?...

- Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. - This is a strange verse to find in your Bible. Typically, we look for moral teachings, especially in the wisdom literature. Why are we getting these lessons about wine and money? Are we not supposed to lean on God rather than our own resources? First, let’s just examine the veracity of these claims. Is bread made...

- Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. - I have a problem. I am a compulsive cleaner. That doesn’t mean everything I own is spotless. Rather I cannot feel at rest while something in my house is dirty. If the dishes are filling up the kitchen sink, I feel every single one of them, including the time and effort it will take to clean them. Can I sit on the couch and...

- Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! - The first part of this verse may rub you the wrong way if you are an American. We are known quite famously for our distaste for nobility. Not to mention this insane discussion about a king. This verse builds off the prior. As we read it, we need to...

- Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! - Woe is a stark phrase. It means that great sorrow or distress is coming upon whom the word is directed at. It’s dire language for a king to use. They are precisely aware of what kind of woe can befall a land more so than others. There might even be times in their reign when they themselves are called upon to...

- The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. - There is a strange dichotomy in regard to being a fool. You may have already noticed this in my previous posts. You do not want to be a fool. You are already a fool. Why do I know you are a fool? Because all men are fools in some area of their life. You simply cannot know everything. Imagine an electrician scoffing at a...

- A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? - Isn’t it amazing how everyone seems to know everything about everything? Perhaps you think I’m guilty of this as well. At times I definitely struggle with it. Why? Well, the information age makes us feel like experts. The right answers are only a google away. Yet, many of us have terrible m...

- The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. - Thou shalt not judge. It’s one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Many people outside of the church love it. They do so because they see people within the church judging them harshly. You cannot follow this simple command by your God? Then how dare you call yourself Christian. I am obviously mor...

- The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. - A mark of a good teacher is knowing when to ask your audience a question. This is most clearly seen in the poor discussion questions that accompany study books. The questions definitely can generate discussion, but not perhaps in the way the author’s intended. There is always the opportunity for the class to run...

- If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. - Once again, we have some useful proverbs to discuss that can guide us in our own life. By adopting them, perhaps we can utilize them prior to experiencing their veracity. Ever tried to cut something...

- He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. - Probably should have mentioned this in the last post, but the rest of chapter ten is going to consist of these pithy proverbs. They’ll wrap up in chapter eleven bringing us back to the problem that Ecclesiastes has been addressing, though these sayings are addressing it as well. Solomon can’t help but write a...

- He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. - Where in the world have I been? First, if you pay for this blog, I added some time to your subscription. You’re not paying for me not to post, and I apologize for neglecting my obligation. Second, this pause has been infertility related. My wife and I had a failed IVF transfer near the end of July. That...

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. Okay, you may not like these verses. For a lot of reasons, I think they can rub the reader in the wrong way. Let’s walk through it and see if there is any wisdo...

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. A ruler. Now that is an unfamiliar word to an American. Even the President must leave his post when his term ends. First, let’s identify what this verse means in the context of Solomon’s time. It’s not terribly complicated. Who is the ruler? It is the sovereign of the state. In the n...

- Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. - People do not like the meaning of the word sin. Perhaps Christians are happy to admit they are sinners in need of a loving savior, but if you define the term, you may find yourself surprised at the cold reception. Why? To understand that, we must begin by knowing the cultural definition of sin and...

- A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. - This is a verse that upon first reading makes perfect sense; however, that revelation seems to fade away as our modern minds begin to explore the verse. Our initial thoughts may go something akin to this: wise =’s good and right =’s good. Fool =’s bad and left =’s bad. Got it. Be like the wise man and always go to th...

- Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. - We are called to imitate Jesus. We are made in God’s image. We are to be holy because God is holy. Stating the obvious here, but that is a lot of pressure. Many times, when we read the gospels or the Old Testament stories, we look at the Jews and wonder how they could be so blind. Rarely do...

- Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. - A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. How can a kingdom divided against itself stand? Jesus’s words aren’t a perfect parallel, but there is a lot of common ground between the two phrases. One of the main thrusts of the New Testament is that the church is supposed to be united and actively living out its mission:...

Our lives are noise, noise, and more noise. Noise from our phones, noise from our roads, noise from the words spoken at the house too close to ours. You have to see this meme. You have to see this movie. You have to see this tv series. Have you seen what is happening in Portland? Did you see what Trump said? We need you on this meeting at 8 am. We need you to have this done today. We need you to h...

- There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. - Many times, we like to prete...

- I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. - I know. Why in the world are we talking about this verse. Have you ever watched a movie and been captivated by something within it? Maybe when you were a kid you experienced something similar when an uncle told you a story. That’s a strange phenomenon. Why are stories interesting? What makes them immersive? Why d...

- For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. - Men tend to ignore their mortality. That’s not to say men don’t think they aren’t going to die, they just expect everything to “go back to normal.” What do I mean? They don’t go to the doctor. Th...

- Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. - Stories are meant to show how humans overcome adversity, tragedy, or simply change their lives for the better. At times we lie to ourselves and believe it is plot that drives t...

- Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. - Remember, we are not supposed to trust the speaker of this group of verses. This truth I believe is apparent, yet again, in this verse. Why should you work hard? Well, because this is the only time you can. All those thoughts, feelings, efforts that ar...

- Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. - My wife and I have been married for almost eight years. When do most marriages end? Not all the studies agree, but they do all point to two distinct time periods. Marriages are most at risk during the...