“Common sense is increasingly uncommon” is an oft-repeated lament. Society seems to be getting stupider, we say. But is it really? As we heard from Solomon in the first chapter, there is nothing new under the sun. Social media may have revealed more of our stupidity than we thought existed, but there is no doubt that it has always been there.

Surrounded and ruled by fools…

Human beings have been inclined to folly and stupidity ever since the Fall. Even when wisdom shows its face and has positive results, we quickly forget about it and revert to folly.

Solomon uses a short story at the end of Ecclesiastes 9 to illustrate his point:

There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.” The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good. (Ecc. 9:14–18).

In this world, foolish people are often exalted to high positions, with dire consequences for the common citizen. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error proceeding from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, while the rich sit in a lowly place. I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants (Ecc. 10:5–7).

Later in the chapter, he laments situations where the king is ‘a child’ and where the princes spend their days drinking and partying rather than administering justice (Ecc. 10:16–17). Immature and selfish behavior among political leaders will cause a nation’s demise.

This actually happened when Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, took the throne. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king — quite old compared to many other kings of that era — yet he was immature and made foolish decisions. Consequently, the kingdom of Israel split in two and never regained the glory it had during Solomon’s time.

What can we do about a foolish society?

Despite knowing that immature, foolish rulers cause havoc, Solomon does not recommend rebellion, while he cautions against saying negative things about leaders:

If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; for conciliation pacifies great offenses (10:4) and: Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter (10:20). These thoughts line up with the ideas we covered in Chapter 8 — stirring up political strife rarely achieves anything good.

Instead, being industrious and working for the good of society is the better option. In a quick-fire little set of proverbs, he warns us that work and progress involve risks, yet this is no excuse to be idle.

He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits wood may be endangered by it. (Ecc. 10:8–9) And yet: Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks. (Ecc. 10:18).

The solution here is wisdom — to work smarter, not harder. If the axe is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success. (Ecc. 10:10).

Rather than complaining about the state of the world, we should be committed to doing what we can for those around us. By combining wisdom with honest work, we are not only making our small corner of society better, we are being good ambassadors for the kingdom of Heaven.

What can we do about our own foolish hearts?

While we may shake our heads at ‘society’ and feel self-righteous in our condemnation of the stupidity of others, we cannot forget the folly that lives in our own hearts. Society is made up of people like you and me, after all.

Christians have chosen to live God’s way, which is wise, yet we are just as prone to forgetting about God’s wisdom as anyone else. Just like one sinner can bring much harm to society, sin in our own lives can destroy an otherwise godly reputation. Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. (Ecc. 10:1).

God’s wisdom is like precious perfume — a rare and beautiful thing. If we are known as people who contain this perfume in our ‘earthen vessels’, then our folly will cause greater harm than the folly of others. The pain that people have experienced in church often hurts more than the pain inflicted by the world.

One of the distinctions between wisdom and folly is the words we use. As ambassadors of God and containers of His wisdom, Christians must pay special attention to what we say. When we do so, we will tend to speak less but say more. Our words will have more impact for the good of those around us. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. (Ecc. 10:12).

Be faithful stewards of God’s wisdom

These lessons from Solomon apply in many areas of our lives. Wherever we may live in the world, we no doubt have opinions about how our country is being run. Others prefer to follow celebrities and judge them for their foolish life choices or the things they say. Closer to home, many of us work for and with people who may frustrate or annoy us.

Criticizing other people is the easy way out. Everyone else is to blame for this or that mess, and someone else should do something to sort it out. Social media has brought out the armchair enthusiasts and keyboard warriors in us all. It is easier than ever to judge and say hurtful things to people we will never meet, with few or no repercussions.

The timeless wisdom of Ecclesiastes has much to say about this state of affairs. Those who follow the Lord and want to walk in wisdom must take special care to keep the dead flies out of God’s precious perfume. Rather than judging society for its stupidity or complaining loudly about our leaders (whether political or in the workplace), we should focus on being faithful stewards of God’s wisdom in all that we do or say.