Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

Irony is when we see that reality is not how things should be in our mind.  There are many ironic things that happen on the earth in which we live.  As we go through our lives we will find that there are situations that turn out just the opposite of how we would expect them to happen.  It is comforting to know that all the things we identify as ironic are still under the sovereign control of God.  While we live in an irony filled world, we must be careful to protect ourselves for cynicism and complacency.  Our observations of the ironic will often bring us to a place where we excuse or even promote foolishness.  It is important for us to remember these principles.

DON’T BE FOOLISH IN YOUR WORK: We all have foolishness in our hearts that constantly plagues our thinking and if we are not careful it will influence every area of our lives.  Solomon warns us of the powerful influence that foolishness has on our lives.  Only a little bit will go a long ways towards destroying us.  Foolishness only leads one way so we must not allow it to have sway in our lives.  Wisdom and foolishness will always lead in opposite directions.  Foolishness will always make itself known.  When we are being rebuked it is important to listen carefully but not panic.  It is unfortunate that the foolish will often be given places of authority over the wise but that, ironically, is the way that things are so we must learn to live with that reality and strive to make sure that we are not the ones being the foolish rulers.  The fools work will often backfire on him and he will fall in the hole he has dug or the pile he has made will fall on him.  It is always better to work smart than to work hard but the best possible result will come from working hard and smart.

DON’T BE FOOLISH IN YOUR WORDS:  Perhaps the hardest area of our lives to control our own foolishness is in the area of our speech.  Wise words will open many doors for us but foolish words will destroy us.  One of the best ways to keep ourselves from foolish words is simply to keep quiet.  Many words reveal much foolishness.  When a fool works it is becomes wearisome because it is so unproductive.  It is very ironic that many fools are in places of leadership while many wise men are in the places of servitude.  When fools are in charge of a nation they will speak and act very foolishly.  There will be frivolity when there should be work but this will always end in bondage.  There is a place for relaxation and feasting but it is at the end of a day of hard work and not at the beginning.  Even if we find ourselves under the authority of fools we must learn not to be foolish in the words we speak about them.  They are established by God and they have authority over us.  Our negative words will inevitably find their way to the ears of our authorities and we will find ourselves out of a job or in prison.  When we think our leaders are foolish we must learn to keep our thoughts to ourselves.