We have already defined wisdom as the "skill of living." Living well takes skill. It involves the development of positive habit patterns and it involves making the right decisions. And it involves doing the right thing when you find the you have made the wrong decision.

1. The Weightiness of Foolishness.

2. Wise and Foolish Choices.

3. The Fool is Self-Evident.

This is good advice on how to handle a hot-headed boss. The situation is described in which one in authority over you loses his temper. The Hebrew says, "rising, his spirit rises." The double use of the word is given to intensify the meaning of the word ("it soars").

How do you handle it when the one who is in authority over you becomes angry at you through no fault of your own? The wise man keeps his cool. He calmly stands his ground and keeps his composure. He doesn’t retaliate. He doesn’t respond in anger. He maintains his composure. And in doing so, he gains a hearing.

This is related to the previous section in that they both deal with rulers. The Preacher makes the observation that it is not always the smartest or the wisest or the richest or the most noble who get the credit. Notice the series of contrasts.

Do you remember the honor bestowed upon Mordecai in the days of Esther? It was to ride into the city on the king’s horse. It was considered to be a great honor to ride on a horse.

The Preacher notes that such honors are not reserved for those who are deserving. He has seen instances when those who are mere slaves have acted the part of princes and, correspondingly, he has seen princes walk as though they were mere slaves.

We tend to expect that people in authority know more than we do and that the higher the authority, the more wisdom that person has. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes it is the foolish which is exalted. Those in the very highest positions sometimes step into grievous error.

There are certain actions taken which can bring disastrous consequences. Notice the list:

These actions do not seem on the surface to be of a violent nature. The person who was digging the pit was not necessarily doing it from evil motives. He wasn’t necessarily digging so that someone would fall into his pit. He was merely digging. As was the man who was breaking through a wall. Or the stone mover. Or the log splitter.

And yet, each of these activities CAN be undertaken to someone’s hurt. Most instances in which the Bible describes the digging of a pit, it was so that someone else might be thrown into it. The breaking of walls and the removal of stones could involve the moving of property lines.

Here is the point. You will sow what you reap. Your actions will come back to haunt you. What you DO brings results and those results are often not the ones on which you had planned.

The wise man is one who has learned this lesson. And he guides his actions accordingly, determining what will be their outcome.

While there can be dangers in any pursuit, there are some special dangers when you walk the way of folly. Or to put it another way, life is hazardous enough without bringing stupidity into the equation.

1. Folly in the Use of Wisdom.

2. Folly in Words.

3. The Wearisome Life of a Fool.

We are given a series of contrasts. These contrasts are made up of two lands, two kings and two sets of princes.

What happens when a child comes to the throne of a kingdom? He has neither the strength nor the wisdom to rule and so a regent must be appointed who will rule until the child is grown.

The word for "lad" refers to a young man. It can be a young man who is still pre-adolescent - it is used of the child Moses as he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:6). Or it can be a young man who is an adult - it is used of the men of Abraham’s war party (Genesis 14:24), of the spies who entered Jericho (Joshua 6:23), and of Solomon himself after he had become king (1 Kings 3:7).

The point is not the age of the king. The point is whether or not he is a mature person - not merely in physical age, but in his level of wisdom and in his possession of a noble character. Does he "act his age"?

It is a tragedy when the leaders of a nation lack the wisdom and maturity to lead that nation - when they give themselves over to selfish pleasures rather than to discipline and self-control.

Verse 18 is an example of Hebrew parallelism. The thought given in the first line is repeated in the second line.

Both parts of this parallel are describing the quality of slothfulness. The term translated "slackness" is literally "in lowered hands." What happens when you develop a leaky roof? If you do not repair it, then the damage becomes more extensive. What could originally be repaired at a relatively low cost later must be completely replaced.

Verse 19 should not be taken out of context. It is still speaking of the characteristics of slothfulness. The actions and attitudes portrayed are the actions and the attitudes of the slothful. It is the attitude of eat, drink and be merry. It is the attitude which finds all the answers in outward pleasures. It is the attitude of foolishness.

In verse 16 we saw the king who was immature. But now we see that even a poor king is still a king and ought to be treated like one. After all, he is still in authority and has power over you. If you think that it is hard living under a king who is an immature fool, then wait until he finds out that you have been talking about him! Again, this comes in the form of Hebrew parallelism.

Why? Because that which you say might reach the ears of the one against whom you speak. Again this is in the form of a parallel.

We have a similar expression in English: "A little birdie told me..." The truth is that the things we say even in private have a way of becoming known as though some winged creature were carrying them with the speed of flight. Here is the principle. Never say anything that you do not want repeated from the rooftops because it just might be.