Ecclesiastes 10
A Little Folly
A little folly finds me, like King David
whose heart, that was said to be like unto God's,
A little folly destroys one's standing.
What if David had considered his honor?
A little folly, sets me to no particular direction.
I am lost, like King David,
From justices right hand.
What if David had turned away
and let wisdom steer his way?
A little folly walketh by my way.
I walk, like King David
drunken with my lust so that
everyone who sees me
knows my shame.
What if David had walked
wisdom's path?
A little folly causes me to flee.
I flee, like King David,
before the wrath of my God,
pacifying my great offense.
What if David had stood his ground
when his heart screamed
out its reprimand?
What if he had held to his wisdom
that said stand strong?
Accept your weakness.
Ask God?
But alas a little folly
does not allow for error.
It brings only blind anger,
like what King David, saw
when he turned himself
inward to discover
his mischievous madness.
A little folly sets in motion a
revolution that finds itself set
in the dignity of evil and sets
the rich into lowly stations.
It unravels a noble's tapestry.
A little folly comes to us all,
To rulers as King David,
in its own time,
by its own chance
like that of a serpents bite
or a stone fall midst a quarry.
A little folly, unchecked
by wisdom's weight
will unsettle the grandest ruler.
A little folly, unchecked by honor
will unravel the stature
of the wisest of men.
Help me not, oh Lord
to play the fool's part,
to choose the left side,
of my fool's heart.
Keep my wise man's heart
on God's protective right hand
Keep my wisdom strong
And with God's courage let me stand.
Linda Conkey Shaw copyright July 11, 2010
A little folly: What are my little folly's? We all have them. They are called mistakes. errors of judgment. A little white lie? A lustful glance at something we should not? (David Bathsheba) A angry outburst? A misunderstood communication? A hurt feeling?
What do our little follies cause us? Where do they lead us? How do we over come them? Solomon felt that we could only overcome them with the weight and balance of wisdom.
As the mother of children, I am all too well made aware of our follies. Children make them all day long. It is what they were meant to do. We learn from our mistakes. As a mother I too make my mistakes. Sometimes we get into the mode of thinking that because someone is in charge, they are not allowed to make errors of judgment or mistakes. They are not capable or their wisdom, experience, or generosity towards us will not allow them to make mistakes that might cause us pain. David fell into this trap when he believed he was above the law, and somehow had grown incapable of doing wrong. His position became a hindrance to his humility.
People are placed into positions of authority by various means. As parents all we have to do is give birth and this places us in the position of teacher, decision maker, leader, mitigater, communicator, etc. the list is long. Other leadership positions come via our job, our social contacts, or we might even be elected to a post. It doesn't matter how we obtain the authority over others, we only have to remember that we too are human. We will make mistakes. We will err. We need to say we are sorry. We need to recognize the need for humility and communication. We need to allow others close to us so that they can point out what we cannot see. If we cannot do this we are destined to fail at our personal relationships.
The saddest part about King David's story is not that he wanted Bathsheba. It is that he did not ask God for her. He could have had her. He had many concubines. What he really wanted was "a little folly". Maybe he thought that his wisdom had elevated him above everyone so that he could have whatever he wanted. God tells us in 2 Samuel that if he had but asked.
A little folly comes to us when we forget to ask. When we allow our anger, our lust, our gossipping tongue to rule our actions. When we forget the wisdom of our youth. When we grow weary and decide that we are entitled to "a little". ?.... t.v., entertainment, etc...
Most of us realize that "a little" folly leads to more. There is no such thing as putting your toe into the door and then not wanting the door to open wide. Usually if we go after a little, we want it all. When we entertain the idea for a little, we have given way to forget the wisdom that we need to direct our paths. We want to be set free. We want to find freedom. David found his freedom and then it destroyed him.
A little folly says Solomon causes the ointment of apothecary to stink.
He is warning us to beware of our "little follies" and what they might actually lead to.
Words and Phrases
vs 1Dead flies of the ointment of the apothecary - an apothecary was a person of medicine and ointments used for healing. Even though he had ointments of healing and was well revered for his ability to help the sick heal, dead flies would collect within the ointment and cause them to stink.
vs 2 A wise man's heart at his right hand- the right hand is typically considered to be one of justice and rightness, while the left hand is considered to be have no direction, no justice.
vs 3 his wisdom faileth him - when we walk the way of a fool the wisdom we have cherished does not uphold us. We must choose between folly or wisdom and when we choose it helps us find what each gives: strength or swagger
vs 4 spirit of the ruler riseth up - when someone over us becomes angry at us, do not flee or run away, but stand strong (do not leave your post) and let the consequences fall where they may. If we yield, we offer great offenses.
vs 5 an error from the ruler- the evil says that rulers are not human, they are not allowed to make mistakes. Parents, teachers, bosses, doctors, anyone whom we give authority to in our lives are not allowed to make mistakes. Wisdom says... we all makes mistakes, apologize and move on.
vs 6 -7 folly set in great dignity - pride causes great revolution of the people where no one knows there place and there is great evil at the disorganization.
vs 8 diggeth a pit. - Folly comes to all of us no matter our standing. We often are caught unaware by chance happenings that cause us to fall into the pits of our own making. Be careful for what you do, as it may in fact claim you. If you dig pits for a living, it may come back to your own demise. .. If you gossip for a living, etc.
vs 13 mischievous madness - when we talk to much without consideration of who we are talking about, it causes great foolishness for both the person spoken about and the person who is speaking. It is difficult to unravel too much talk.
