Ecclesiastes 10 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Ecclesiastes 10 Short Summary:
Solomon continues his discussion on the value of wisdom, contrasting it with the destructive power of folly. He councils his readers to avoid the lifestyle of a fool and to embrace the benefits that wisdom can bring to their lives.
Ecclesiastes 10 Bible Study
ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Ecclesiastes 1 - Solomon declares that life on earth is vanity. Earthly pursuits are largely meaningless. Men are born and men die in the endless cycle of the earth’s spinning. History is forgotten and repeated generation after generation.
Ecclesiastes 2 - Solomon tested the offerings of the world and found them empty. Physical pleasure, wine, laughter, entertainment, accomplishing things, riches, making a name for himself, they were all vanity. Solomon discussed the fate of the wicked vs. the foolish, and lamented the short-term value of hard work.
Ecclesiastes 3 - The cycle of the earth repeats continually, and everything happens at its appointed time according to God’s design. God created mankind with knowledge of eternity, although much of His work is still hidden from them. Injustice is prevalent on the earth, but a time for judgment is approaching.
Ecclesiastes 4 - In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon expands on his reasons for calling all of life “vanity.” Life is oppressive, and the weak are victims of the powerful. There is vanity in hard work and in laziness. Companionship is preferable to solitude, even high-achieving solitude. Fame and power are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 5 - Solomon continues his discussion on vanity, bringing up at least 3 areas of life where vanity is observable. Solomon saw vanity in the way some people worshipped, when they offered empty words and promises to God. He goes on to describe the vanity of greed and the vanity of wealth.
Ecclesiastes 6 - Solomon contemplates the vanity of a life of riches, wealth, and honor when the possessor never gets to enjoy them. Solomon warns men that their life’s work could all be meaningless, because nobody knows what will happen to their work after they die.
Ecclesiastes 7 - Solomon concludes that wisdom is a benefit to men living “under the sun.” It can give a man advantages on earth, but that man will also have to come to grips with the reality that all of life is meaningless. Wisdom can be pursued, but it will never be fully grasped.
Ecclesiastes 8 - Ecclesiastes 8 begins by describing a man of wisdom. A wise man obeys his king and knows the inevitability of death. Solomon lamented injustice on the earth, how some men who deserve punishment are blessed and visa-versa. He declared God’s ways to mysterious to find out.
Ecclesiastes 9 - Solomon was frustrated by the seeming randomness of life’s events. It wasn’t clear to him why God allowed similar events to befall the righteous and the wicked. At the end of the chapter, he described the value of wisdom using a story about a poor wise man who saved a small city.
Ecclesiastes 10 - Solomon continues his discussion on the value of wisdom, contrasting it with the destructive power of folly. He councils his readers to avoid the lifestyle of a fool and to embrace the benefits that wisdom can bring to their lives.
AUTHOR:
Ecclesiastes was almost certainly written by Solomon (Ecc 1:1), the son of David, the 3rd king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah.
His palace and the Temple of God were located in Jerusalem.
Solomon became king in approximately 1015 B.C and reigned for 40 years.
OUTLINE:
WISDOM AND FOLLY (10:1-20):
Solomon continues his discussion on the value of wisdom from chapter 9.
He said that a little folly can ruin a great deal of wisdom. Like dead flies in perfume, 99% of the volume may be perfume, but 1 fly mixed in ruins the whole thing.
Wisdom is slow to anger, knowing that calmness is of great value when settling disputes.
In Solomon’s experience, he had seen many instances where foolish men were promoted to positions of authority over wise men. Unfortunately, kings and rulers aren’t always the best at picking people to be in charge.
A fool who tries to trap his neighbor will become a victim of his own scheming.
A thief who tries to break through a wall, will be bitten by a serpent (the serpent representing the negative consequences of his actions).
A fool goes to work without sharpening his ax head. A wise man sharpens it beforehand and makes his work easier.
A fool is like an inefficient snake charmer, who is bitten before he can get to work charming the snake.
A wise man’s words win him favor and friends.
A fool’s words are his downfall.
Fools are exhausted by any kind of work, because they lack the knowledge to do almost anything.
A weak nation is led by fools, princes who feast and get drunk at all hours of the day.
A strong nation is led by noble and wise princes, princes who know when its time for feasting and when it isn’t, and who feast to get strong rather than to get drunk.
Foolish rulers think food is for laughter, wine is for drunken gladness, and money solves everything, but their poor management of their kingdom causes the roof to cave in.
Solomon’s final word of advice in this chapter was a council to his readers not to curse the king (even if he was a lazy glutton), because it was very easy for someone to overhear them and report them.
He said, “for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter” (10:20).
APPLICATION
A wise person guards their words carefully and doesn’t speak freely to everyone.
A wise person doesn’t gossip about others, because they know their words have a way of circulating in ways they don’t intend.
If you’ve lived for any length of time around other humans, you’ll know that it’s very easy for your words to travel to places you never wanted them to go.
Sometimes you trust people to keep a secret, but they don’t. Sometimes you are overheard by a person who you didn’t know was listening. Sometimes a detail gets leaked that was only intended for certain ears.
A Christian who lets their mouth run unchecked is like the fool who multiplies words (10:14).
