8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
12 Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
13 At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming—who can tell him what will happen after him?
15 A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.
Once we know what our lot in life is, we need to recognize the need to be careful. Bad stuff happens - snakes bite you, stones land on you, you never know. Wise people have a plan. No, that doesn't prevent everything bad from happening, but it sure does help!
Wise people assess their lot in life, determine what it is that God wants them to do, and then they plan. And after they plan - they execute! All the plans in the world don't help a thing if we don't follow through.
Mark Driscoll says...
Wisdom starts way back here, foresees all the potential problems and puts together a life of prudence and practice that works towards a different alternative toward the peril. The peril is not where we’re going. Fools, though, don’t know it. They don’t correspond their spending and their debt. They don’t correspond their diet and their health. They don’t correspond their work ethic and their income. They don’t correspond their home maintenance and their home equity. They don’t correspond their oil change and the longevity of their vehicle. They don’t. Goes on: know your lot, foresee the problems, make a plan, get to work.
v12 tells us that in order to do that, we need to seek wise counsel. Don't listen to just anybody! You need selective listening. First - do they love and respect God? Second - do they know what they're doing? (You don't ask for parenting advice from the parents of the wildest, most disrespectful kids in church). Seek advice from wise people to counsel you in your plan.
But remember - like v14 says - we need to stay flexible, because no one knows what the future holds.
V15 - Foolish people have no plan and they just wander through life wasting time and energy....Fools get worn out because they’re wasting their time.
Lots of practical advice in Ecclesiastes - a lot more than I thought!
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ecclesiastes 10:16-20
1 comment:
Very practical advice indeed! Great post!
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