Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 says,...Bible reading week 12, day 2, 3, 4

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 10:16-20, which reads,

v.16,17 - Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning.  Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate times--for strength and not for drunkenness.

We have two opposing statements given here by Solomon.  The first is a woe and the second is a blessing.  We have seen that Jesus follows this example of teaching also in the New Testament.  The woe is where leadership is naive, the king is a lad, and those following after, the princes, are apparently feasting at the wrong time or whenever they like.  The blessing is where leadership is honorable, the king is noble, and those following after, the princes, are using self-control in their decision making and eating at the appropriate times and not getting drunk.

How the leadership goes and those following in the steps of the leadership determines the woe or the blessing of the land.  A lad king produces princes who act like lads and a noble king produces princes who act appropriately for strength.  Let's make sure to apply this principle to the leadership positions we have in life or the areas where we have influence over others, our land, and see how our actions have an impact on those around us.  When we are selfish, we teach selfishness.  When we are thinking of others, we teach self-control.  

v.18, 19 - Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.  Men prepare a meal for enjoyment and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.

 Solomon brings us back to the definition of a sluggard in the Book of Proverbs.  To be indolence is to be lazy or sluggish and to be slack is to be idle or be of inactivity.  It is like looking at a house that has rafters that are sagging and then be inside and see the evidence of a roof that is leaking.  You know this is not a good scenario and something needs to be done to correct the problem.  The roof needs to be attended to instead of it being neglected that got it in this condition.  Solomon goes to the next verse to describe why the roof, representing our lives, is in this condition.  

Instead of tending to the roof, the man has looked to food, wine, and money to satisfy himself.  Instead of fixing the roof, which we can do anytime, the answer is to have another meal, drink a little more wine, and go shopping.  How many times have you set off the right thing to do and indulged yourself in things that don't solve the problem but actually make it worse because you are not tending to it?  The roof is sagging and leaking but you go and have a party instead.  Solomon is telling us that these are not the answer for apparent problems in life that need our attention.

v.20 - Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.

Another way to try to solve the problem is by talking down of others or to compare yourself to others.  Instead of solving your problem you speak ill of others or make excuses of why your roof is sagging and leaking.  You are not a rich man or you are not the king.  You don't have their resources or they are the cause of why you are in the state you are in.  You complain instead of start constructing the repairs needed.  You vocalize negatively instead of visibly getting up on the roof of your life to make repairs.  Let's talk about it and point fingers at others and put the blame on them.

The result of this solution is that it will be known by God and others.  "A little birdie told me" might have come from this verse.  The curses of the king and the rich man get out and nobody likes to be the blame of someone else's laziness.  The ones who might be able to help you are the ones you are speaking ill about.  I wonder if they will come to your aid now when the birds and winged creatures are singing songs of your cursing them?  We don't solve our problems by blaming others is the point Solomon is making here and we finish the chapter with that thought.  

We have influence upon others.  Which is it going to be, a woe to them or a blessing to them?  We have things in our lives to tend to, the sagging and leaking roof.  Will we climb up on the roof and start making those needed and necessary repairs or will be eat, drink, and be merry or better yet blame someone else for the way our roof, our life, looks?  Will we put it off for another day and resolve that we are not to blame?  Instead of starting the construction we settle from some more complaining.  Let us pray.

"Lord, Solomon gives us some real life today.  We live for ourselves and therefore we influence others to do the same.  We neglect the important things in life to satisfy the things that are fleeting.  We point the finger at others instead of using those fingers to grab the tool from You needed for the task ahead of us.  We resort to this world's solutions that don't solve the problem for the betterment of ourselves and others.  May we see the difference today and get up on our lives' roofs and fix the sags and leaks.  Amen."

Pastor Adam