Ecclesiastes Chapter Ten, Putrefied Ointment

Ecclesiastes 10:1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

The preacher elicits a contrast in this verse. He invokes the idea of dead flies somehow being mingled with expensive perfume, likening that to a man renowned for wisdom, giving way to folly, even if for a moment or just a little. For someone lacking an outstanding reputation for internal integrity and honesty, erring through folly seems like a slight thing. It might be hardly noticed by most, and forgiven more easily. But when someone who is held to a high level of esteem, especially in religious circles, falls through folly, it is cataclysmic.

Why? Such a leader is held to a different standard than what the commonwealth would refer to as the norm. Partly because we put them there by idolizing them for something they are not; partly they are there because their actions and words separate them from the masses and demonstrate that they appear at least to be cut from a different cloth. Many examples could be pulled from modern headlines about this pastor or that teacher being revealed as a hypocrite that didn’t practice what he preached, to the horror of his flock and the disillusionment of onlookers, further jading them from interest in Christianity.

Rather, Scripture gives numerous examples of men who have fallen from grace, as it were. Mind you, before beginning this venture the purpose of this examination is not to cast aspersions on the character of those involved. Neither is it to pull them down to make us feel better about our own life choices. Rather, the Bible is always crystal clear about the faults and foibles of the people depicted within its pages. No one is a saint in the way that poor, misused word is modernly defined. To be a saint is simply to be saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sainthood is not some cultish church sect awarding it to individuals deemed worthy; that was never the purpose of that word in the New Testament. One is a saint by our position in Christ; but those who attain to such a position are called to a moral standard different than the world accepts, and so tend to become noticeable for what they do or do not find acceptable. So saints became known for their moral outlook and charitable behavior by and large, confusing the position of the saint with the deeds of the saint. Now sainthood is doled out by Rome much like knighthood is rewarded by the crown for outstanding deeds. But the “saints” this church recognizes are not always recognized by the God they stole the term from.

Diversions aside, we find the account of Noah in Genesis chapter 9. Noah, after the Flood, decided to become a farmer, Genesis 9:20. What happened in the course of time was that he sampled the fruits of his vineyard a little too heavily, became drunk, and stripped naked in his tent for all to see, Genesis 9:21. His son Ham mocked his father, while his other sons avoided looking and covered him to preserve his dignity, Genesis 9:23. This was the same man who found grace with God (Genesis 6:8) and was preserved alive through the Flood. Now, after the world had changed and humanity was starting anew, he became drunk and shamed himself in front of his family. Ham seemed to revel in it, doing nothing to fix the situation, but rather choosing to share it like a story to his brothers. Had it been modern times, this would have been a trending moment on the internet. Noah demonstrated that, receiving God’s grace or otherwise, he was just a man in the end. We sometimes place unreasonable expectations on those we admire or respect, so it hurts all the more when they fall. And they will fall. They, like us, are altogether human and fully capable of sinning.

A second example would be Moses. During the wilderness wanderings Moses was driven to irritation with the tribes of Israel, and honestly who could blame him? During one particular incident he overstepped his bounds in public. God commanded Israel’s human leader to speak to the rock and bring forth water, Numbers 20:8. Instead, Moses said to the congregation, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” and struck, rather than spoke to it, Numbers 20:10, 11. God honored Moses by letting the water flow, but Moses did not honor God by obeying an express command, and by inserting himself with the addition of the simple word, “we.” For that folly, Moses was consigned to never enter the Promised Land, Numbers 20:12. To whom much is given, much is expected. And for those who lead, they stand in the precarious position of having potential failure ruining much good, destroying trust and reputation, and sullying God’s word and the God who gave that word.