Shabbat Shalom, everyone. Please take your Bibles today. We are going to continue in our ministry on the book of Ecclesiastes. That is in Hebrew, the book of Kohelet. Kohelet was the preacher, that is Shlomo, the king of Israel, who gave Israel of old, our people of old, a lot of help. After he had much experience in his life, he failed, and he realized that he needed to turn back to God, and that God's ways are always the better ways, and he is now at his older age, gathering the people of Israel, and he is now instructing them concerning the way whereby they ought to live if they are to honor God here in this world.

And so, if you remember, I often time repeated this statement that is found at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 12. He is speaking to Israel, he is speaking to Israel, and he is leading them to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, before they are going to get older, and will find out that their life was wasteful, wasteful, because they didn't live for the God of Israel. Well, today we are in the 10th chapter, so if you turn with me to Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, there are 20 verses that we want to read in this ministry meeting, and I'd like you to follow me as I'm reading Kohelet, chapter 10, beginning from verse 1.

Shlomo is saying, Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor, so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart is at his left. Yea, also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he sayeth to everyone that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee, leave not thy place, for yielding pacifies great offenses. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler, folly set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it, and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith, and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, and he do not wet the edge, then must he put to more strength. But wisdom is profitable to direct. Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment, and a babbler is no better. The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

A fool also is full of words. A man cannot tell what shall be, and what shall be after him. Who can tell him? The labor of the foolish weareth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to their city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princess eat in the morning. Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princess eat in due season, for strength and not for drunkenness. By much slothfulness the building decayeth, and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things.

Curse not the king. 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 has wings shall tell the matter. And I'm stopping here in verse 20 of this chapter. Now I want you to notice that the whole chapter here, chapter 10 of the book of Kohelet, we have once and again repeated Proverbs, in Hebrew we call it Meshalim, that King Solomon is now quoting to our people of old, the people of Israel, some 3,000 years ago. King Solomon, to remind you, is the one who is called Kohelet here.

Kohelet is in the Greek Ecclesiastes, and Ecclesiastes means the one who gathered the Kehillah, the assembly, the congregation together in order to inform them and to instruct them concerning the things of the Lord. I would like to connect with this 10th chapter, a couple of verses in 1 Kings chapter 4. Please turn to 1 Kings chapter 4, and I would like to remind you that King Solomon was the greatest king of Israel. God had given to Solomon much wisdom. Solomon had received the grace of God. Remember when he was young, he didn't know how to come in and how to go out, how to lead our people of all the people of Israel.

And he beseeched the Lord to help him. And when the Lord asked him, "What would you want from me?" King Solomon said, "Only help me, give me the ability to lead this great nation." But in chapter 4, in verses 29 to 34, we find out very interesting remarks about King Shlomo. It says that God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding, exceeding much and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Shlomo's wisdom excelled, the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. And he was wiser than all men, than Eitan, the Ezrachite, and Haman, and Shalokol, and Darda, the sons of Machol.

And his fame was in all nations round about. Verse 32. Verse 32. And he speck 3,000 Proverbs. In Hebrew we say, "Shaloshet alafim meshalim." And his songs were 1,005. The word for songs, "Shirim," that Solomon wrote. Verse 33. "He speck of trees from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall." And he speck also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. "And there came all the people to hear the wisdom of Solomon from all the kings of the earth which had heard of his wisdom." Solomon was the wisest man on earth, specifically in his days. And Solomon is now giving instruction to our people of old, the people of Israel.

And you and I, beloved brothers and sisters, need this instruction from King Solomon in order to help us to live here in this world that is filled with vanity, that is filled with sorrow, that is filled with trials, that is filled with sins. And the believer in the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, take this instruction in order to help him, to help her to walk in this world in a way that is pleasing to God, honoring God and being a blessing to God's people." So chapter 10 is a remarkable chapter, because throughout the whole 10th chapter we have "Meshalim" in Hebrew. Proverb after proverb after proverb after proverb after proverb.

And why does he give us these proverbs? And why does he give us these proverbs? In order to help us to learn spiritual lessons from earthly, you might say, experiences. Or some things that happen here in this world teach us many spiritual lessons. The primary subject here in chapter 10 is that foolishness brings harms. But wisdom is really profitable. Foolishness, and for a believer to act foolishly on an ongoing basis, eventually it will bring him or her harm. But the wisdom that a believer can glean from God as he or she walks with the Lord, it is only going to profit here in this world in which we live in.

Now let me just also remind you that the book was not written for the unbelieving world. The unbelievers need to be saved. They need to receive forgiveness of sins. They need to repent before God and turn their hearts to the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Believers who have already accepted the Lord, we need this guidance to help us now not to walk in the flesh, but to walk in the spirit. Like Paul said to the Galatians in chapter 5, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This is exactly what Shlomo is saying to Israel. You listen to the word of God, he's saying.

And it will help you in your life here upon the earth. Don't be fool. Don't act foolish. Because if you're going to live a foolish life, you are only going to find yourself harming yourself and harming others. Live under the guidance and the help of God. Live wisely. And you will see that blessings will flow to yourself and to others. So he began, you notice in the first three verses of this chapter, they are really linked with the last three verses of chapter 9. And there Shlomo present before Israel the sad results that folly produce. The sad result that folly produce. Notice in those three verses, three points he's saying here.

First of all, verse one, folly mar one's reputation. Folly mar one's reputation. Notice that I begin with verse one. Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor. So does a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. You know, you and I might have wisdom that we have gleaned as we walk with the Lord. But the moment that we begin to act foolishly, the word for folly comes from the Hebrew word sichlut. You know, sometimes you have the expression in Hebrew, sechel. Sechel means someone that has some brain, some thinking, you know. But a person who is unwise, who is foolish or folly, comes from the same word, sichlut.

In other words, what he's saying, that just like dead flies cause the ointment of the one that is a pharmacist to send forth a stinking savor, so does little folly him that is in reputation of wisdom and honor. In other words, what he's really saying, you know, the word here for ointment comes from the Hebrew word for shemen. It's basically olive oil. You know, we use olive oil for medicine. We use olive oil in food, for eating food. We use olive oil for many, many reasons. He used the word here, the one who is apothecary. We come from the Hebrew word rokeyach or a pharmacist.

A pharmacist will use the oil in order to make cream, to anoint someone, to help someone for medication. But it's also used for perfume in order to make someone smell good. Now imagine if you have dead flies falling into the ointment. And all of a sudden that perfume that's supposed to give nice order becomes stinking, does not any more smell and profitable as it was before. And so really what he's really saying, a person who is known by reputation as a wise man and have honor, the moment that he or she will begin to act foolishly and behave in a foolish way, for them it becomes like deadly flies that have, you might say, died in that ointment, in that oil, and it causes the whole perfume to stink and be no more valuable.

And isn't it true, beloved brothers and sisters, when someone will appreciate us in our life for some common sense that we have been used by the Lord to help others, because when we act foolishly, all of a sudden that wisdom that we used to be recognized by become no more valuable. It's stinking, it doesn't give us any more value. All the wisdom that we have given before is no more profitable to others. And we can really see Shlomo speaking about himself. He was the wisest man on earth. He was the one that everyone came to get counsel from. But he departed from the Lord. You read it in chapter 11 of 1 Kings, how he departed from the Lord.

He ended up marrying so many wives. He ended up worshiping so many idols. And all the wisdom that he had before did not anymore benefit the people of Israel. It's like a little folly to him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor. This is a wise thing for us to learn from. That's why sometimes, I mean, it's good to joke sometimes and to laugh sometimes. But sometimes our decision making will, if we are foolishly going in the wrong direction, eventually all the gain that we have gained before will no longer be a benefit to others. It becomes stinking. Not valuable anymore as it was before.

So folly harmed one's reputation just the same like deadly flies will harm an ointment. Therefore, Shlomo is saying be wise, glean godly wisdom and don't allow yourself to be carried away with foolishness. Secondly, in verse 2, he said that folly guides one to act in a wrong way. Notice verse 2, he said a wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart is at his left. Now, what does he mean here? You see, we all know that our hearts, the physical heart here, this pump here that we have, is basically on the left side of the chest. But this expression, a wise man's heart is at his right, what he means, that that right side or right hand is that which normally speaking is a place of strength, is a place of honor, is a place of power, the place of authority.

Most of us, I believe, are right-handed men or women. We work, we have strength, we don't have the same strength on the left hand as we have in the right hand. So he's saying, really, a wise man's heart, in the way he conducts himself or she conducts himself, it's really on his right side. He has a wise action or she is acting wisely. They are being guided in a right way. They are acting in a right way because the wise man's heart is at his right. And as thinking about that, I was thinking about the many verses that the Bible teaches us about the right hand.

You remember what David, the father of King Shlomo said prophetically about the Messiah? The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Shev leimini, sit at my right hand side, God said to Yeshua the Messiah. When he raised him from among the dead and placed him at the pinnacle of the universe, he set him at his right hand. Because the right side, the right hand represents authority. It represents power. It represents the place that belongs to the one that has a place of honor and of glory. And therefore, the wise man, he is the one that his heart is at his right side and not at the left side.

Because at the right hand is a place of honor and of glory. Could you turn to Mark chapter 16? This is in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament. Just this one verse, verse 19. And I'm going to read that verse. So then after the Lord, this is Yeshua, had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven. And listen to that. And he sat on the right hand of God. Why? Because the right hand is a place of honor, is a place of authority, is a place of power. So the wise man's heart is at his right hand. And the fool's heart is at his left.

Why? Because he does not listen to the counsel of the Lord. He does not take the advice that God is giving to him. So Shlomo, presenting before our people of all, the people of Israel, the sad result that folly produces. The folly, verse one, harms one's reputation. Folly, verse two, guide one to act in the wrong way. And then verse three, folly betrays itself to others. Notice that, you know, folly, actually, really, eventually, a person who is acting foolishly, he really betrays himself to others that he is really not wise in his action. And again, beloved brothers and sisters, I would like to suggest that King Shlomo may very well refer to himself when he speaks here these proverbs to the people of Israel.

You see, when a fool that walketh on his way, his wisdom faileth. That expression, his wisdom faileth, suggested that he had wisdom, but it failed him because he did not submit to God. And by acting foolishly and going in a foolish direction, what happened? The wisdom that one had. In other words, he said, his wisdom faileth him. It doesn't help him anymore because he does not submit to the Lord. And then what happened? He's saying by his action to everyone else, ah, this is a foolish way. You know, sometime in our decision making, and the young one can learn from that, the old one can learn from that.

In our decision making, in our path here in this world, we actually betray ourselves when we are going in a wrong direction. And another person can tell us, even though we don't listen the time, this is a foolish decision. You should have not gone in this direction. I told you this before, but you didn't listen. That's the way sometimes we speak for ourselves, of course. His wisdom faileth him, and he's actually saying to everyone that he is a fool. He is not wise. So in verses 1, verse 2, and verse 3, Shlomo presenting before the people of Israel, he presents before you and I the sad results that folly produce in our lives.

And that seemed to demand from us to be stirred in making wise decisions in our lives. So now from verse 4, all the way to the end of the chapter, to verse 20, Solomon presents before Israel how godly wisdom is eventually a really profitable and helpful in life. Now I remember listening to this message by another brother that spoke about it, about the whole book of Ecclesiastes. He says, listen, the book of Ecclesiastes only shows us that in the world in which we live in, there will be always problems. Don't think for a moment that because you and I became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, that we are going to be, you might say, relieved from the problem that exists here in this world.

A believer in God is not exempt from problems that exist here in this world. But how do we live our life in spite of this problem? In spite of the opposition? In spite of the sin that exists here in this world? How does a believer in the Lord Jesus, in the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, live in this world? Does he or she live in victory? Or are they defeated by allowing the world to take over the way in which they live? So Solomon in verses 4 to 20 now present before Israel how godly wisdom preserve one from a lot of problems. Keeps one somehow bringing glory to God in the midst of all the problems in this world.

Well, he began with verse 4. And with verse 4, when the spirit of a ruler rise up against you, don't run away. Stand still and allow things to happen. Trusting in the Lord because he said vengeance is mine. I am the one that eventually going to deal with it. I will recompense. Notice in verse 4. If the spirit of the ruler, that comes from the Hebrew word Moshel or the governor. If the spirit of the governor, the ruler, rise up against thee, against you. It says in verse 4b, leave not thy place for yielding, pacifiers, great offenses. A time we might come to a point in our life that some leadership will attack.

And leadership eventually, the ruler, rise up against us. What do we do? How to handle the situation? Do we run up and go? Or do we oppose and fight back? Shlomo is saying no. He says no. He says yielding, yielding, pacifies great offenses. In other words, you are able with the Lord's help to yield, to allow this to happen. Yield to the Lord. And eventually, you'll be able to rise up and to continue on. Because it's not worthwhile to fight back. Remember what the Lord said through the apostle Paul. Vengeance is mine. I will repay. He says you trust in me. Don't fight everything. I will eventually will help you.

He will help you. You think of the Lord Jesus of Yeshua, the Messiah. When he was reviled. He reviled. Not again. When he was threatened. He threatened not. But committed himself to God to do righteously. How the Lord Yeshua became an example for us. He submitted himself to the authority of God. And he allowed God ultimately to lead him into victory. And this is what Shlomo is saying. A godly wisdom will be submissive to the authority that we are under. He continues in verse 5 and 6 and 7. And you notice what Shlomo have observed. And he shared it with Israel in verse 5, 6, and 7. He's observing and he says, listen, I've seen that evil is existing here under the sun.

There will always be wrong and evil here in this world under the sun. And so he's saying, there is an evil which I have seen under the sun. As an error which proceedeth from the ruler. For he is set in great dignity. And the rich sit in a low place. I have seen, he says in verse 7. Servants upon horses and princes walking as servants upon the earth. He says, things are messed up here in this world. There is so much disorder. I have seen under the sun that there is evil. There is evil, beloved brothers and sisters. Since Adam and Eve fail into sin in Genesis chapter 3.

Since that time on, no one can fix the problem here in this world. This world and King Shlomo have observed. He says, listen, under the sun. Tachat Hashemesh. Here on earth. Not in heaven, but here on earth. Under the sun. I have seen it. I have observed. I have experienced this in my life. There is evil here in this world. For he is set in great dignity. And the rich sit in a low place. Verse 6 is very interesting. It is amazing how the world reversed the way things should be. They put the rulers to lead the world. People that are making foolish decisions. And everybody else is suffering because of their decision making.

And he says the rich sit in a low place. He doesn't mean rich in merely financial richness. But the rich, those who are capable to produce something good for the nation. Or for a country. Or for a family. They are sitting in a low place. Don't you find out that sometime the people who lead a country. Or perhaps lead a company. Are people who shouldn't be there in leadership. Because they do not make a right decision. And the people who should be leading. Who have an ability to produce. They are underneath them. Getting instruction from the decision makers. In a certain company or a certain nation.

By people who are making wrong decisions. And we live in these days. When there are some of the leaders here in this world. Which we live under. Making a decision. And leading the whole country astray. Or the whole city astray. Instead of having a godly, wise person. Who take leadership. And pulling things in the right direction. That will be beneficial for the whole nation. Amazing what Shlomo is saying. I have seen under the sun. He said folly. He sat in great dignity. But he says. Those that are rich in ability. They are sitting in a low place. They are not recognized. In verse 7 again. I have seen servants upon horses.

And princes walking as servants upon the earth. What does he mean here? You see. People who are not have the capability to lead. They sit on horses. They ride. And they seem to be the ones who are making the decision. But on the other hand. I see the people who are princes. Who should lead. Who should take the direction of a country or a nation. They are walking like servants living here on earth. They are not being used. They are not being recognized. They are not being promoted. You know. It reminds me for a moment. If you turn with me to the book of Esther.

To chapter 3. You remember what happened in the history of our nation Israel. When our people of old Israel were in Babylon. And then Persia. And you remember what we read there. In the book of Esther. In chapter 3. How the wrong men had been promoted. Esther chapter 3 and verse 1. After these things. Did King Achashverosh promote Haman. The son of Hamadatta. The Agagite. And he advanced him. And he set him above all the princes that were with him. Here's a man. That was promoted. Who was an evil man. Who brought so much evil upon the Jewish people in his days. But he was promoted. And a man like Mordecai.

The Jew. Who should have been there in promotion. And been a blessing to the whole kingdom. He was rejected at first. But later on. God had placed him in this place of honor. And he was a blessing to the whole kingdom. So verses 5 and 6 and 7. Solomon has seen the evil that is existing. The wrong action that is existing here in this world. The one who should be promoted. Is the one who has become like a servant. Like a no one. The one that should be serving and listening. Get the counsel from the wise one. They are the ones who are being promoted. Things are in disorder in a world in which we live in.

I am just thinking for a moment. Just coming from Japan. I am thinking about North Korea's leader. Who is a young man. Who is leading the nation. Into developing certain bombs that will destroy a multitude of people. He is the leader. He is the decision maker. And no one can say a word. Because if he or she will say a word. Their lives is at stake. But you see beloved brothers and sisters. That's what Shlomo is saying. I have seen under the sun. The evil that is existing. The wrong that is existing. I have seen the people who are servants. Being promoted. And the people who should be promoted.

Are demoted. Things are in disorder. That's what Shlomo is presenting before Israel. And I want to read one more verse in the book of Proverbs. Turn to Proverbs chapter 19. And in chapter 19 again. Shlomo is the one who wrote the book of Proverbs. Proverbs. He's the one that wrote Proverbs. The Song of Solomon. And Ecclesiastes. He says in chapter 19. And verse 10. Delight is not seemly for a fool. Much less for servant to have rule over princes. It's just not right. Things are in disorder here. In the world in which we live in. He continued beloved brothers and sisters. King Shlomo. To give us proverb after proverb after proverb.

To illustrate spiritual lessons. In verse 8, 9, 10 and 11. Solomon shows that those who practice folly. Will actually eventually not only harm others. But eventually they will harm themselves. I'm reading verse 8. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it. And whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. And I think there is a good spiritual lesson that we can learn from that. What does that mean to dig a pit? To dig a pit. To dig a pit means to prepare or to organize or to plan a fall for someone else. It's a terrible thing. It's a terrible thing to plan and to imagine to dig a pit in order that the person will pass by and he or she will fall into that pit.

It shows us the evil of foolishness that one can do in his or her life. So he says, listen, be careful, Israel. You want to dig a pit for somebody else? Well, you watch it. Because you are bound to fall into the very same pit that you are preparing for somebody else. He is speaking also immediately in this same verse. The one that breaks a hedge. A serpent will bite him. You know, breaking a wall, a hedge. You never know what is inside that wall. Why are you breaking a wall? You are breaking a wall. You are breaking a hedge in order to enter in.

To get your own way. To get your own direction. Your own will in that. Well, watch it. Because eventually it will bite you. Notice he used the word that serpent shall bite him. You never know what is creeping in the hedge. That when you try to break it to force your own way. You will see it may harm you. And eventually you are going to be bit by the very same thing that you seek to do against others. So don't dig a pit for someone else. Because you may fall into that pit. Don't force yourself in such a way that you eventually want to break hedges.

Because you eventually might receive the biting from a serpent that will harm you as well. He continues. And in verse 9, he says, "He that removes stone or split wood for evil purpose, he eventually can harm himself." "Whosoever removes stones shall be hurt therewith, and he that claveth wood shall be in danger thereby." In other words, if you do something for a wrong reason, be careful that it will catch you. It will ultimately harm you. The verse that comes to my mind as I am thinking about that is what the Lord said in the book of Numbers to our people of Israel. "Be sure your sin shall find you out." Or he says, "Whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap." That's what he is really saying here.

Eventually, it's going to catch up with you, especially when you wish to do evil to someone else. In verse 10, he continues and he says, "If the iron is blunt or dull, and he do not wet or the edge is not sharpened, then must he put more strength, more force in order to accomplish his own way." But then he says, "But wisdom is profitable to direct." It's like trying to do, to break something or to cut something with a dull axe. Or trying to, with an unsharp edge of an axe, to try to break something. That's what really happens when a person tries to force himself.

But wisdom, notice verse 10, "Wisdom is eventually profitable to direct one in his or her path." And verse 11, he says, "Surely the serpent will bite. The foolish, evil ruler will eventually will seek to do to you harm." And I'm reading verse 11, "Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment, and the babbler is no better." In other words, the ruler here, or the serpent here, represent the leader or the ruler of a country. Just like we have read from the beginning of this chapter. That a person who is ruling without wisdom, without allowing God to control, he is the one that eventually will seek to harm those that seek the will of the Lord.

So, verses 4 to 11, "Wisdom is submissive to authority." And because of submissiveness to authority, one will not allow himself to be harmed by going in a wrong direction. Well, he continues, and I'm going to follow through here in this chapter. Verse 12, 13, 14 and 15, "A wise man knows how to control his very own tongue." You know, the tongue is the smallest member of our body. And with this same tongue, we bless God and curse others. The tongue is often that which betrays us. The Lord Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth, the tongue is speaking." And here we have also to be extremely careful with how do we use our mouth and our tongue?

Do we use it for edifying others? Do we use it for building up? Do we use it to praise God and to bless the people of God? Or do we use it in order to dishonor the Lord? And so notice that, verse 12, "The words of the wise men are gracious." Verse 12, "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself." Reading this verse remind me immediately of Yeshua, the Messiah. You remember when he was here on earth where the Gospels present us about him, how he spoke word in due season. And everyone that heard him will marvel at the words that he spoke.

Gracious words came out of his mouth. He spoke words that edified, that blessed those that were around him. And so he's saying, "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself." The words that are unkind words, foolish words, will eventually not benefit the fool. But a wise man take out of his mouth words that are gracious. That someone can hear him and be edified by the words that come out of his mouth. Turn with me to Luke chapter 4, please, dear brothers and sisters. Just to read about Yeshua, our Messiah, how he spoke graciously. We read in verses 21 and verse 22.

It says there that "He began to say unto them." This is Jesus. This is Yeshua the Messiah. He began to say unto them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." And he read in the synagogue in Beit HaKneset, there in Nazareth, in Nazareth. And people sat and listened to what he said. And he read the passage from Isaiah, which says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted." He says to preach deliverance unto the captive and recovering of the sight of the blind.

To set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. In verses 18 and 19, he's actually quoting Isaiah chapter 61 that speaks about himself, the Messiah. And as the people in the synagogue were listening to his reading, he says, "This day," verse 21, "this scripture is fulfilled in your ears." And then everyone who sat in the synagogue said, "And all that heard him witness." And they wondered at the gracious words which had been proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Ben Yosef, Joseph's son?" I wish I could have sat there 2,000 years ago and just listen to the words of Yeshua the Messiah.

Words that have touched the conscience in the heart of every hill. We hear that they were marveled, they said in this verse. They wondered and they said the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. Oh, beloved brothers and sisters, how much we need to learn from our Lord, from Yeshua the Messiah. And not be like that fool who is speaking words that are not edifying. Because we read in our chapter, Ecclesiastes 10 and verse 12, "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself." Eventually, it will not benefit the fool. Verse 13 of Kohelet chapter 10, "Again, the fool began speaking foolishness, but he ends with mischief." See, this is exactly what happened.

It's only words, but it ends up with mischief. Notice, I'm reading the beginning of the words of his mouth. This is the fool's mouth. It's foolishness. But eventually, at the end of his talk is mischief and madness. Mischief and madness. In other words, he began to speak foolishly, but he ends with mischief and with madness that is unhelpful. And eventually, it led him or her astray. And so, we continue. And he says in verse 14, "The fool is full of words." Empty words. He cannot know the future. He's only speaking things without actually knowing anything of what he says. It does not benefit anyone. Verse 14, I'm reading verse 14, "The fool also is full of words." This is foolish words.

"A man cannot tell what shall be, and what shall be after him." Who can tell him? The fool, speaking words without to know what he's saying. He doesn't know what the future may bring, but just speaking as if he knows everything. But eventually, his words are empty boasting. They are not edifying. And they are not valuable. Eventually, he actually cannot know what the future may bring. And so, King Solomon is admonishing the people of Israel to recognize it. And I can just imagine, as he's speaking, he really doesn't speak really about himself. He's realizing that he became a fool when he turned away from the Lord.

And he's looking back. And he's giving those Meshalim, those Proverbs to Israel. He's saying, "Listen, I'm going to teach you some lessons from my experience because I have sinned under the sun. I have experienced this in my life. I'm giving you this counsel for your own benefit so you will not make the mistakes that I have made in my life." He continues now in verse 15. And in light of the godly wisdom, control his tongue. In verse 15, he says, "The labor of the fool eventually exhausts and exasperates everyone." "The labor of the foolish wearieth." It comes from the Hebrew word, "teyaganu," which means "exhausts everyone." "The labor of the foolish exhausts every one of them because he knoweth not how to go to the city." In other words, he doesn't know how to direct his life.

He doesn't know how to go into the city. And that expression, the city, perhaps lead us to think about the city of God. The city where God has his rights. He's so foolish, unwise, not submissive to the Lord, not controlling his tongue. He's not even able to be led into the city. That city, beloved brothers and sisters, by application, remind us of the city that God is in control. That God is in charge. You remember about Abraham we read in the book of Genesis. God said to him, "Abraham, you leave your country. You leave your family and go into the land which I will show thee of." And Abraham believed God.

And God, in spite of the problems that he experienced in his life, he led him all the way to the promised land. And I want to connect with this verse in Hebrews chapter 11. Just go to Hebrews 11. And in Hebrews chapter 11, we learn of the city which Abraham was looking for. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 8. There we read, listen to this brothers and sisters. By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, he obeyed. And he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith, he sojourned in a land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and with Yaakov, the heirs with him of the same promise.

Now, listen to verse 10, beloved brothers and sisters. Why? For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. See, there is a great lesson. I believe that we can learn from that expression that the fool, because of his folly, he is not able to know how to go into the city. And that expression, Ha'ir, the city, represents the place where God is. And God will direct his people who will follow him to get into that city. Well, Abraham left his homeland, not knowing whither he'd go, but he trusted God. He realized that God called him to go into a place that he will bless him, he will give it to him.

And as the scripture tells us, the book of Hebrews, the writer, the apostle developed this to those Hebrew believers. And he says, listen, he had faith in God. He waited on God, not knowing whither he went. By faith, he sojourned in a land of promise. And eventually, he was really looking for a city which has foundation, whose builder and whose maker is God. You see, Abraham was looking for a place that was not made by men, but the builder and the maker is none else but God himself. He was looking beyond, even beyond this natural world. He's looking to a place where he's going to spend eternity with God.

He was looking for a city and a foundation whose builder and maker is none else but God himself. But you see, the fool who does not submit to God, he does not know what he's saying. He wearies everyone because he doesn't know even how to go right. Now, you want to help someone else to be led to the Lord? You want to help a discouraged brother to be encouraged? You want to help a wayward brother or sister to be drawn back to God? Well, where do we get this? How can we help them unless we have the wisdom that comes from above? Then we will be able to lead others to the Lord, to restore other believers to the Lord, to have that which is honoring to God.

A person that is acting foolishly cannot be helpful. He actually wearies everyone, exhausts and exasperates others. But a wise brother or sister can lead others to the city, to the place where God is. I often think of the verse in Matthew 18:20 where Yeshua said, "For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them." The Lord is in the center of his gathered saints. He is the object. He is the one that refreshes our hearts. We must allow ourselves to lead others to the person of Yeshua, the Messiah, because a foolish man cannot even know the way how to get into the city, to the place where God is, and where God's peoples are.

He continues in verses 16 to the end. And with this we are going to conclude, beloved brothers and sisters. Verses 16 to the end: "A godly wisdom is a blessing to the land, but also to the people who are in that land." And I am just going to read those last five verses. Notice in verse 16: "Woe it is to the land whose king is young and immature, and the princes start the day by feasting." Now can you imagine? Usually when you start the day, you don't start with drinking and feasting during the day. You get up in the morning, you have some responsibility, some order. But an immature leader and immature king cannot help the land.

And that's why he is saying, "Woe unto thee, all land." And I am sure he has a reference to the land of Israel in its context. It says, "Woe unto the land of Israel when your king is a child and your princess eats in the morning." They began the day, he's not talking about breakfast, but they're eating in immaturity and they are feasting in the morning by not leading the nation in the right way. "Woe unto that land." But on the other hand, verse 17: "Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of a noble, and thy princess," notice, "eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness." In other words, you're so blessed land of Israel where your king is actually a noble person, an honorable person who is leading the nation in the right way.

And whose princes do not eat and drink in order to start the day by partying, but the strength comes from being obedient to the Lord, eat in due season, and not in such a way that will harm the people of the land." He finalized this passage in chapter 10 and verse 18, 19 and 20. Let me just read those verses. "By much slothfulness the building is decayeth, and through idleness of the hands the house is droppeth through." You know, when one is idle, and when one is slothful, the Hebrew word for slothful is atzaltayim, one who is atzel is slothful, he is not eager to do the work. And when idleness, speak about shiflut, doing nothing, not using the hands in the right way, a building will decay, and a house will drop through if there is idleness and there is slothfulness.

You know that even to build in the body of Christ, in the body of Messiah, it demands a lot of work, a lot of labor. You know that if you and I are going to be builders in the body of Messiah, it means that we'll have to work hard. And to work hard does not mean, physically speaking, you have to take your time, you have to pray about it, you have to labor among the people of God, to visit the saints, to help the discouraged. It takes a lot of labor in order to build a house. Can you imagine if none of us are going to do anything, even in the local little fellowship that we have, and all of us are going to say, well, one day I might come, one day I might not, one day I might help, one day I might not.

It will be slothful and idle. Can we build anything this way? If you would have a business, would you sit at home and say the business is going to be fine on its own? Even the world knows how to conduct themselves better than many times us. Shlomo is saying to Israel, Israel, slothfulness, much slothfulness, and through idleness, house will be destroyed. Building will be decayed. You got to work. You got to work. Paul said, 1 Corinthians 15:58, be always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain. That's why we are members of a body. Every member has a gift. Every member has a responsibility.

I'm thinking about my dear son, Joab, who broke his leg. When the leg is not functioning, you can't walk. You need crutches. And that's the way it is, beloved brothers and sisters. In verse 19, as we are drawing to the end, a wise ruler will provide through joy and he will meet every need. As we said, the feast is made for laughter and wine make us merry, but money answers all things. What he's really saying here, in contrast to verse 18, a proper and an ordered celebration, feast, is eventually can provide blessing. He makes us merry and eventually, and here he used the word for money answers all things.

What does he mean? It doesn't mean that we're supposed to only glean, only seek for money. But actually, if you work and you earn a living, you'll be able to provide for your family, to provide for the people of God. You remember what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians? Whosoever doesn't work, doesn't eat. Why does he say to the Thessalonians? They were believers. They loved the Lord. He teaches them practical things. In order for benefiting the people of God, you need to have a proper attitude. And therefore, a wise ruler will provide true joy. And he will meet the needs of those to whom he is responsible for.

And Shlomo is concluding here in verse 20. "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber." Why? "For a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter." You know, have you heard this expression, a little bird told me? Where do you think it comes from? Shlomo! The king of Israel, a long time ago. He says, listen, there is a little bird who can fly from one place to another and tell it to another person what you said about another person. A little bird. A little bird. So, he is saying, listen, a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which has wings shall tell the matter.

Be wise, Shlomo is saying to Israel. And he is saying to you, be wise. Don't be a fool. Don't be practicing folly. Be wise. Godly wisdom will eventually will be profitable. But foolishness will harm not only ourselves, but it will harm others and eventually will not be to the glory of God. So, King Shlomo is the wisest man that ever lived, have gone astray. And now at the end of his life, he is giving counsel to our people of old. And we are going to get it in chapter 12. "Remember now thy Creator in the day of thy use." Be wise. Don't be a fool. Listen to the word of the Lord.

Can we say amen to that?