Ecclesiastes 10:15-20

Ecclesiastes 10:15-20
Christian Standard Bible
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15 The struggles of fools weary them,
for they don’t know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time--
for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,
and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is prepared for laughter,
and wine makes life happy,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry the message,
and a winged creature may report the matter.

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Foolish people bring lots of trouble upon themselves that wearies them.  They often don't have anyone to turn to for help as they have burned many bridges and isolate themselves from others.

Solomon says the people suffer when they have a king who is young and immature.  This happened a couple of times in the history of Juda because their father was such a wicked king that the LORD caused him to die.  It was better for the people to have an immature but righteous youth ruling them than an evil king who was leading the people into the ways of King Ahab and the pagan nations around them.

The king should always come from the royal family--the covenant was made to all of David's family.  The children will learn the right way to govern and conduct themselves by watching their father and by listening to the lessons they were taught in the palace.  They will not be given to gluttony or drunkenness, nor feasting at inappropriate times.

A man must attend to his house and upkeep it.  If he fails to do the routine maintenance, one day, the roof will collapse, or the foundation will start to leak.  It is the same with our lives.  Failure to take care of the little things will lead to bigger things down the road.  Do the little things every day to avoid the big issues as much as you can.

The world thinks that partying with much food and alcohol is the solution to all their problems and as long as they have money, they can continue to make themselves feel good or they can buy things or pay people to fix their problems.  While that is the way many people think, we know that is far from reality.  Even with much therapy and medication with much money spent on both, people still have to deal with their consciences and the guilt from their sin.

Do not even think evil things against the one who is lord over you (your master or king or your boss or employer in today's world).  Likewise, do not say or think evil things against the person who has more money than you.  Eventually, word will get back to that person what you have said or what you think of them.  Solomon jokes that your words and thoughts may be caught in the air and a bird may carry the message to the party you are speaking of, but he's saying that news travels quickly and people love to gossip.  You never know who is listening and who will say what--you also don't know who can tell what you are thinking as your facial expressions may be enough to betray you or your conduct when someone approaches, or their name is spoken.  You may act in such a way where the words you would say are obvious.  Do your best to think and say good things about people, especially those you work with and work for.