Ecclesiastes Chapter Ten, Prognosticating Fools

Ecclesiastes 10:14b No man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him? [15] The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!

The latter portion of verse 14 has been repeated numerous times in Ecclesiastes. This refrain may be found in Ecclesiastes 6:12 and 7:7. Here, then we have lucky number three. It is an earnest plea from a hopeless worldview that only sees as far as the horizon permits. Life under the sun is concerned with daily life and everything within the earth’s grasp.

We read in Proverbs, “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness,” Proverbs 15:2. Earlier in our passage we learned that the fool begins his conversation with foolishness and descends into raving madness; as well as this, he multiplies words, adding more noise to the conversation but nothing contributing to substance. It is not a coincidence that the preacher asks this question on the heels of rebuking the fool and his many words. Israel’s history is replete with men that sullied God’s name with their many words, including prophecies of peace when God had already declared calamity. Such was the case in Jeremiah’s time. God tells the prophet, “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’” Jeremiah 23:25. He denounces them in no uncertain terms, informing Jeremiah, “Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their heart,” Jeremiah 23:26. Those who have God’s word are to speak it faithfully; that is faithfully to the God who inspired that word and delivered it to us as a revelation of His will, Jeremiah 23:28. The fool claims knowledge that he does not have and broadcasts it loudly, hoping that through sheer confidence and force of presence he will convince the people that he speaks on God’s behalf.

Sadly, many people listen to this nonsense. Many times the end of the world has been predicted by Bible students and ardent Christians, or those who pretend to be. They speak in error because we are informed that no man will know the time of Jesus’ return, see Acts 1:7, Matthew 24:36. There will be no revelation of things to come. Why? The world was vouchsafed a reliable revelation of things to come in the form of Scripture. But still men speak about things beyond the pale of their understanding and mislead many. The SDA church was founded upon such a gross error, initiated by William Miller and perpetuated by Ellen White. The Second Coming, which was supposedly in 1843, then in 1844, finally became the Investigate Judgment: a doctrine that is wildly unbiblical and the SDA’s largest “contribution” to Christian theology. Was William Miller a fool? I cannot say, I didn’t know the man. But I can attest that he behaved very foolishly by trying to predict something that we are expressly told cannot be predicted. And while he repented of his folly, The Millerite movement became the SDA church and founded their body on an enormous mass of error they still coddle today.

Solomon cautioned that the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. When I turn my sink on, I expect water to pour out. When the fool speaks, Solomon says that we should expect foolishness to spew forth. No topic is sacred, and seemingly harmless idle talk has led many into gross error. To answer the preacher’s inquiry, no man alive has ever or will ever be able to tell us what is to come with accuracy. But God has done so; He gave us an open window into the future, so that we may know with certainty that He is in control, and history will unfold and finally end in the way He has deemed.

Verse 15 expresses vexation with the fool, who is wearied by his work. This is a universal, since everyone is weary from work from time to time. But the fool is focused upon, because as it happens, he conveniently forgets how to make his way to town, presumably where his employment may be found. A similar excuse may be found in Proverbs, where we read, “A sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!” Proverbs 26:13, 22:13, NIV. The fool and the sluggard do not comprehend or value the responsibility of gainful employment. It is an impediment to their lifestyle; and so they treat work as something adversarial rather than necessary and in fact fruitful. A busy person has less time to become occupied with gossip or hobbies that devolve into something sinful. Eschewing work as something contemptible nurtures a selfish view of life; life is seen as something that should always be beneficial and enjoyable; they do not view work as beneficial in any way, but an obstacle to be gotten around.

I cannot begin to relate, as an employer, how many excuses I have heard over the years as to why people are late, absent, or quitting. They range from elaborate, to petty, to nonsensical. I will not linger here because it is not my intent to shame anyone or speak ill of others (the Lord knows my own faults and failings), but I bring the point up because it is fitting in this context. The fool is unprepared for daily life; responsibility and accountability is beyond their scope. Parents, raise your children with an eye to God. We aren’t rearing children, we’re rearing adults. What kind of adult do we want them to be? Teach them wisdom and accountability. Impress upon our youth the need to be selfless and responsible toward others. And above all, teach them about the Lord who loves them and paid the price for their sin, so that they may be set free to be sons and daughters of God, born again to serve as His beloved children. There is nothing foolish in that endeavor.