Thursday, February 14, 2008

Foolishness is obvious

Eccles. 10:1-4
10:1 Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,
for calmness [1] will lay great offenses to rest.
Footnotes[1] 10:4 Hebrew healing
  • What illustration would you use to communicate the impact of foolishness?
  • Why does it seem that foolishness and evil outweigh wisdom, honor, and righteousness?
  • How does a person's heart demonstrate their wisdom or foolishness?
  • What did Jesus say about the relationship between the heart and actions?
  • How does a fool demonstrate his/her foolishness in their daily walk?
  • Why might society not recognize a fool for what s/he is?
  • Why did Solomon seemingly jump from talking about fools to talking about rulers?
  • What would a fool do if a ruler rose against him/her?
  • How much composure do you have when someone in authority gets upset with you?
  • In your opinion, are you a wise person or a fool?
  • What areas of your life are evidence of your wisdom?
  • What areas of your life are evidence of your foolishness?

1 comment:

waynew said...

I like the usage of the dead fly in the perfumer's ointment. This has the analogy of one sin can tear down a person's reputation. I had forgotten Solomon's illustration of the perfumer's ointment.