Series: Ecclesiastes
Sermon #36: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!
Ecclesiastes
10:16-20
[Audio file from Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Ecclesiastes1016-20.]
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a
child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Blessed art thou, O
land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season,
for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18 By much slothfulness the
building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth
through. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but
money answereth all things. 20 Curse not the king, no not in thy
thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall
carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Outline:
I. As the Leaders, So the Nation (10:16-17)
II. The Slothful Domicile, and the Almighty Dollar
(10:18-19)
III. Bad Mouthing, and Birds in the Bedroom (10:20)
I. As the Leaders, So the Nation (10:16-17)
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a
child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Blessed art thou, O
land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season,
for strength, and not for drunkenness!
1. The Curses of Boy Kings and Breakfast Princes (10:16)
Woe
to thee, O land, when thy king is a child,[1] and thy princes eat in
the morning!
Is. 3:1-12 — 1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of
hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the
whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2 The mighty man,
and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the
ancient, 3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the
counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4 And I will give
children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his
neighbour: the
child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against
the honourable. 6 When a man shall take hold of his
brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our
ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: 7 In that day shall he
swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor
clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. 8 For Jerusalem is
ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against
the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. 9 The shew of their
countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom,
they hide it not. Woe unto their
soul! for they have rewarded evil unto
themselves. 10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with
him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of
his hands shall be given him. 12 As for my people, children are their
oppressors, and women rule over them. O
my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy
paths.
2 Chr. 13:1-7 — 1 Now in the eighteenth year of king
Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned three years
in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was
Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.
And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 And Abijah
set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred
thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with
eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour. 4 And
Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear
me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; 5 Ought ye not to know that the
LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him
and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled
against his lord. 7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the
children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son
of Solomon, when
Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
2. The Blessings of Noble Kings and Motivated Princes (10:17)
Blessed
art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in
due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Pr. 31:1-7 — 1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy
that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3
Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for
princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and
pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink
unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Is. 5:11 — Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that
they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame
them!
II. The Slothful Domicile, and the Almighty Dollar (10:18-19)
18 By much slothfulness the building
decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. 19
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all
things.
1. The Sad State of the Slothful Domicile (10:18)
By
much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the
house droppeth through.[2]
Pr. 24:30-34 — 30 I went by the field of the slothful,
and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it
was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and
the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and
considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
2. The Answer of the Almighty Dollar (10:19)
A
feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all
things.
Eccl. 2:3 — I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet
acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see
what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven
all the days of their life.
Judg. 9:13 — (1-21) And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my
wine, which
cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
Ps. 104:10-15 — 10 He sendeth the springs into the
valleys, which run among the hills. 11 They give drink to every
beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them
shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the
branches. 13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is
satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to
grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth
food out of the earth; 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to
make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
Eccl. 7:12 — For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the
excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Eccl. 5:10 — He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor
he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
III. Bad Mouthing, and Birds in the Bedroom (10:20)
Curse
not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber:
for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall
tell the matter.[3]
1. There is no Right to Privacy in God’s Kingdom
Curse
not the king, no not in thy thought;[4] and curse not the rich
in thy bedchamber
Ex. 22:28 — Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of
thy people.
Ac. 23:1-5 — 1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the
council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God
until this day. 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that
stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3 Then said Paul unto him,
God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the
law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? 4 And they
that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? 5 Then said
Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written,
Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.
There is a distinct Biblical focus on purity in the thought
life. God holds us accountable for holiness in our minds, and righteousness in
our thinking.
Getting “behind closed doors” does not make it right.
There is no right to privacy in God’s kingdom! Our thought life is under His
scrutiny, and subject to His judgment. Therefore it should be by us as well!
“3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;” (2 Cor. 10:3-5)
“In order to guard
your heart: keep your mind from vanity, keep your understanding from error,
keep your will from perverseness, keep your conscience clear of guilt, keep
your affections set on heavenly things, keep your thoughts from evil things,
and keep the whole of your heart from falling into the hands of the enemy. You
must exercise great diligence since the heart is naturally deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked. A strict eye must therefore be kept upon it. All
the avenues to it must be watched so that nothing hurtful enters and nothing
evil comes out. It is to be kept by every spiritual means available to us -- by
prayer, by hearing, by reading, by meditation, and above all by being filled by
the Spirit of God who is the only One who is really able to sanctify, preserve
and keep our hearts.” ~~ by John Gill
2. Be Sure Your Sin Will Find Your Out
for
a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell
the matter.[5]
“A little bird told me!”
Your bedroom is not bugged. It is “birded”!
2 Ki. 6:8-12 — 8 Then the king of Syria warred against
Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place
shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel,
saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are
come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man
of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for
this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me
which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants
said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of
Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
Lk. 12:1-3 — 1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together
an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another,
he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered, that
shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3
Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light;
and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon
the housetops.
Num. 32:23 — (1-42) But if
ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your
sin will find you out.
Don’t worry about Big Brother! Worry about the little “Bedroom
Bird”!
Conclusion:
As disconnected as some suppose these five verses to be,
perhaps you noticed a progression, or even more than one, from verse 16 to
verse 20.
1. A progression of levels of responsibility from the
corporate to the personal: from the state (vv. 16-17), to the home (vv. 18-19),
to the individual (vs. 20).
2. A progression of time, a chronological progression:
from morning (vv. 16-17), to the work day (vv. 18-19), to bed time (vs. 20).
[Sermon preached 24 JUL 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack”
Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
Complete Outline:
I. As the Leaders, So the Nation (10:16-17)
1. The Curses of Boy Kings and
Breakfast Princes (10:16)
2. The Blessings of Noble Kings and
Motivated Princes (10:17)
II. The Slothful Domicile and the Almighty Dollar
(10:18-19)
1. The Sad State of the Slothful
Domicile (10:18)
2. The Answer of the Almighty
Dollar (10:19)
III. Bad Mouthing, and Birds in the Bedroom (10:20)
1. There is no Right to Privacy
in God’s Kingdom
2. Be Sure Your Sin Will Find
Your Out
Select Sources on Ecclesiastes:
J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly
Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1
ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing).
William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes:
The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series
(Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012). Barrick’s lecture notes (PDF files) and audio (mp3) are
on Dr Barrick
at http://drbarrick.org/teaching/ecclesiastes/ [accessed 3 FEB 2016].
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes
(New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860); on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/expositionofbook00bridrich [accessed 11 MAY 2015]; on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=e4kOAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 11 MAY 2015]; and linked on Precept Austin at http://preceptaustin.org/proverbs_commentaries.htm#cb [accessed 11 MAY 2015].
C. Hassell Bullock, An
Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books: The Wisdom and Songs of Israel
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).
Franz Delitzsch, “Commentary on The Song of Songs and
Ecclesiastes,” trans. M. G. Easton, in Commentary
on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Vol. VI: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon:
Three Volumes in One (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d., 1975 reprint), III:179-442.
Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes:
An Introduction and Commentary, Vol.
16, Tyndale Old
Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983).
ESV Study Bible
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).
Sinclair B.
Ferguson. The Pundit's Folly: Chronicles
of an Empty Life (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1995).
Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary
(Nashville: Broadman, 1993).
Donald R. Glenn,
“Ecclesiastes,” in The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord, and R. B.
Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1985).
William Henry
Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review 29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].[6]
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn,
Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).[7]
Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes:
Total Life, in Everyman’s
Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).
Derek Kidner, The Message of
Ecclesiastes: A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Dance, in The Bible Speaks Today, Old Testament series ed. J. A. Motyer (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity
Press, 1976).
H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand
Rapids: Baker, 1952).
Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).
John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, rev. ed.
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).
Tim Mackie, “The book of Ecclesiastes explained with illustrations,”
on The Bible Project at http://www.jointhebibleproject.com
[accessed 18 JUN 2016]; includes downloadable full resolution video (700+ mb),
and poster; for the video see also “Read Scripture Ecclesiastes” (10 JUN 2016),
on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2wk
[accessed 18 JUN 2016].[8]
Roland Edmund
Murphy, Ecclesiastes, Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas:
Word, 1992).
New Geneva Study Bible
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995).
John G. Reisinger, Studies in
Ecclesiastes (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2008).
Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes:
Why Everything Matters, in Preaching the Word, gen. ed. R. Kent Hughes
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).
Philip
G. Ryken, Why Everything Matters: The
Gospel in Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus
Publications, Ltd., 2015).
Benjamin Shaw,
“On Reading Ecclesiastes,” in The Hope
Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson, ed. Robert L. Penny
(Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008), pp. 47-58.
Peter B. Steese,
ed., Ecclesiastes, gen. ed. Leonard
F. Dean (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1966).
Tom V. Taylor, Studies in
Ecclesiastes (Port Colborne, Ontario, CA: Gospel Folio Press, 2013). See also the “Thomas V. Taylor Library” on the Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute
at http://www.taylorlib.ibri.org/ [accessed 27 NOV 2013].
Addison G. Wright, “The Riddle of the Sphinx: The
Structure of the Book of Qoheleth,” in Reflecting
with Solomon: Selected Studies on the Book of Ecclesiastes, ed. Roy B. Zuck
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), pp. 45-66; originally published in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 30 (1968),
pp. 313-334.
J. Stafford
Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed.
Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).
J. Stafford Wright, “The Interpretation of Ecclesiastes”, in Classical Evangelical Essays in Old
Testament Interpretation, ed. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1972), pp. 135-150; from J. Stafford Wright, “The Interpretation of
Ecclesiastes,” Evangelical Quarterly
18 (1946), pp. 18-34; on Rediscovering
the Bible at http://rediscoveringthebible.com/InterpretationOfEcclesiastes.html
[accessed 7 MAY 2015].
Ronald F. Youngblood, “Qoheleth's 'Dark House' (Eccl.
12:5),” in A Tribute to
Gleason Archer, eds. Walter C. Kaiser and
Ronald F. Youngblood (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), pp.211-228; also published
in Journal of the Evangelical Theological
Society 29:4 (DEC 1986), pp. 397-410; on Biblical Studies at http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/29/29-4/29-4-pp397-410_JETS.pdf
[accessed 4 APR 2016].
Notes:
[1] On
the usage of the Heb. word trans. “child” (youth) see William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012), pg. 179, on
Rehoboam (2 Chr. 13:7; 1 Ki. 14:21); Absalom (2 Sam. 18:12; cp. 14:7); Solomon
(1 Ki. 3:7-9).
[2] On 10:18 see Hans Walter Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament,
trans. Margaret Kohl (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974; from Anthropologie des Alten Testaments,
Munich: Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1973), pg. 130, pp. 129-131. s.v. Ch. XIV, Waking and Working, §2. Industry and sloth in proverbial wisdom. In addition to Eccl. 10:18
Wolff cites on this subject: Pr. 10:4; 13:4; 12:24; 11:16b; 12:27; 14:23; 21:5;
24:30-34; 19:15; 6:6-11; Jer. 8:7; Pr. 26:13-16; 19:24; 21:25; and 20:4.
[3] “We look in vain for the word conscience in the O.T.,
except in the margin of Eccles. 10:20, where it represents part of the word
Yada ’, to know (Assyrian, iduÆ ).”
— Robert Baker
Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old
Testament: Their Bearing on Christian Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d., 1976 reprint of 1897 ed.), pg. 72; see pp.
72-74, s.v. Ch. V, Heart, Will,
Conscience, Understanding. §5. Conscience;
on Study Light at http://www.studylight.org/lexicons/gos/ [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; and on NTS Library[3] at http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books%20II/Girdlestone%20-%20Synomyns%20of%20the%20OT.pdf [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; in an earlier
edition, Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms
of the Old Testament: Their Bearing on Christian Faith and Practice
(London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1871), pg. 120; see pp. 120-124, s.v. Ch. V, Heart, Will, Conscience,
Wisdom, Understanding. §17-18; on Internet
Archive at https://archive.org/details/synonymsofoldtes00gird [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; and on Google Books at https://books.google.com/books?id=D3YcA72rnqQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 JUL 2016].
[4] On
the NASB translation: “…bed chamber…sleeping rooms…,” as opposed to the ESV,
HCSB, NIV, and NLT: “…thoughts…bedroom…,” see esp. Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale
Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL:
Inter-Varsity, 1983),
pg. 156.
[5] On
the cultural significance of birds in ancient literature see esp. Eaton, pg.
157.
[6] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. inexplicably refers to this as
an “unsigned article” on at least two occasions in his commentary despite the
facts that: 1) William Henry Green is clearly indicated as the author under the
title on the first page of the article (pg. 419), and 2) one of his own faculty
members (Ted Hildebrandt) has posted the article on the school’s web site where
Kaiser served as both faculty member and President. Walter
C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life,
in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979); and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping
With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus,
2013).
[7] Although not indicated on the copyright page, this
appears in all respects to be a revised edition (2nd ed.) of the Moody Press
1979 original. The relationship to the original is referenced in the “Preface,”
where the author mentions the inclusion of his own translation of Ecclesiastes
in this revision as one significant change. “Dale Ralph Davis compares the two
and says, “the ‘bones’ are much the same but the whole has been updated and
expanded.” Source: Tim Challies, “Best Commentaries on Ecclesiastes” (18 NOV
2013), on Challies at http://www.challies.com/resources/best-commentaries-on-ecclesiastes [accessed 7 NOV 2015].
[8] “This video explores the main ideas and flow of
thought of the book of Ecclesiastes.
The Bible Project is a
non-profit creating animated videos that explain the narrative of the Bible.
These videos are free to use for personal and educational purposes. Download a
full resolution version of this video along with a study guide at
www.jointhebibleproject.com.”
“About the author: Tim
Mackie is a Pastor of Door of Hope church and a Professor at Western Seminary -
timmackie.com”
