A Dead Fly in the Ointment: Wisdom for an Uncertain World

Introduction

How do you find the balance of a wise life in a world gone mad? That question weighs on a lot of Christians. And the sixth part of the series on Ecclesiastes tackles it head-on, with a title that sets the scene: the clarity of Christ for an inconsistent world.

The preacher opens with a kitchen image: he loves cooking with buckwheat flour, because of family allergies. It's a very strong-tasting flour, one you have to pair carefully with the right ingredients, oats, for example, to soften it. Otherwise, the buckwheat flavor takes over everything. Foolishness works exactly the same way. A little is enough to dominate a lot, if no one steps in to soften it with wisdom.

The passage takes on two inseparable realities, then: the uncertainty of life and the impact of foolishness. All of it to highlight, in Zack Eswine's words, how Jesus makes you wiser.

Outline of the message

1. Life is uncertain : you don't know how things will turn out (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

• "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also doesn't know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them."
• Be careful not to misread this text. Ecclesiastes isn't telling you: life is uncertain, so don't bother preparing, just ride the wave. Elsewhere, it clearly reminds you of the need to work hard, to be serious about this life. The problem is the moment you invest so much that everything becomes your hope. That's when the illusion turns on you. Simply because life is uncertain.
• It's not always the best who wins in sports. It's not always the shrewdest who earns the most money. It's not always the best candidate who wins an election. The preacher points to Apple: Steve Jobs wasn't the one who had all the technical skills; he met Steve Wozniak, who had them, but Wozniak wasn't gifted at business. Left to himself, neither one had what it took to build what we know today. And even together, they weren't necessarily the smartest or the best equipped.
• Uncertainty is burning current events. A Wednesday in Paris hits 64°F in late February, unheard of. That Saturday morning, war breaks out somewhere. A friend loses someone close this week; at the funeral, people talk and notice how fast everything moves. The day before, you're caught up in your own little conflicts, living life alongside people and ideas in person; the next day, that person is gone.
• C. S. Lewis writes: "Death is not natural. Of all the beings we know, we alone hope for it most and are least reconciled to its unnaturalness. We know that we were not made for it. We know how it crept into our destiny as an intruder." Death has no place in the garden of origins. God created man to live with him, that's the plan you read again at the end of Revelation. If you have any hope in the face of death, it's the hope of passing into eternal life. That's why, no matter the death, that sense that this isn't normal never quite leaves you. And it's true.
• That's precisely what can throw your mind off balance. But knowing that Jesus has conquered death, that he still reigns, and that he is the resurrection and the life, you hold on to a wise perspective to keep going.

2. Wisdom is better than strength : even when the world forgets it (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18)

• "I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man."
• "Then I said, Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good."
• It's an illustration, as is often the case in wisdom literature, a teaching by parable, in the same way the Lord will teach. What is it showing you here? Wisdom is necessary, but very poorly appreciated, especially because of the random injustices of this world. People forget fast.
• Why would this powerful king choose that small city, if not simply to display his power? It's unjust. This poor man's wisdom delivers the city, and because he is poor, he is despised. In a world tilting more and more toward foolishness, wisdom leads back to a peaceful life. There is nothing more foolish than a king who wants to assert himself and takes a city just because he can.
• But if you also recognize that, even in your own world, a poor wise man is quickly forgotten, that should make you ask yourself: who are your heroes? Whose lives do you let inspire your own? What model are you following, when you have the one who is greater than Solomon?
• Proverbs 16:16 says it: wisdom is better than fine gold, and understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. That lines up with Ecclesiastes: your hope is in God. And that wisdom begins with the fear of the LORD. Yet in our world, no one preaches that you should fear anything, we're anti-fear by nature. Is Ecclesiastes, is Solomon, asking you to be fearful? No. Fearing God means knowing how to live in his presence. It's not that he's up there, far away from you. Yes, he is transcendent, sovereign, above all things, but through the Holy Spirit, he is in you, immanent.
• The fear of God is living with this awareness: when temptation pulls you toward your own desires, there is something in you that wants to reject the evil, that seeks the Spirit's help to say no, or to repent after a fall, once you realize the great foolishness you just committed. That is wisdom. It's not foolishness pulling you in that direction.
• The preacher compares this to the Transfiguration. Jesus goes up the mountain with Peter, James, and John. He is a man like them: he talks, he sweats from the climb, maybe he laughs. Then, while he is praying, everything changes. His clothes become dazzling, the light of his person shines around him. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with him. It's so overwhelming that Peter wants to put up three shelters. But there is only one Master, and the Father has to step in: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Then things go back to how they were, but Peter, James, and John are changed forever. There's no going back after that.
• In this world, you're still putting up with vanity. But one day, everything will be changed, transformed by the beauty of Christ, and you will stand in the blazing light of his presence. There will be no going back. It's that perspective that steadies you in an uncertain world.

3. The impact of foolishness : the dead fly in the perfumer's ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1-4)

• "Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left. Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everybody that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don't leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest."
• The impact of foolishness is massive. It only takes a tiny bit to touch a great deal. One of the best examples the preacher gives is from his own country: September 2001. It took just a small handful of people to change everything for everyone. Security, passports, the price of vacations, and above all, how many deaths. A little foolishness, massive damage.
• Facing this uncertainty, there are several possible responses, but Ecclesiastes identifies three major ones: simplicity, folly, wisdom. Simplicity is knowing the risks but hoping nothing bad will happen, in other words, naivety. Folly is refusing to listen to instruction and stubbornly pleasing yourself. Wisdom, though, comes from Christ.
• And in the church? Don't you sometimes act with foolishness yourself? When you react on emotion without thinking, when you serve your own interests instead of serving others, those are dead flies in the ointment. They spoil it. And sometimes that foolishness wrecks your testimony.
• The preacher loves the story in Luke 9:51-56. Jesus wants to pass through a Samaritan village, and they refuse to welcome him. Move along. Two disciples clearly saw an opportunity here: James and John. "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky and destroy them?" Where does that idea come from? Of course, they're thinking of Elijah (2 Kings 1), who really did call fire down from heaven. But did Jesus ever call for fire to come down? Are the situations truly identical? Did Elijah really act on his own initiative, or did God give him an order for one specific moment in history?
• This matters, because what Jesus says next is decisive: "You don't know what kind of spirit you are of." That's the spirit of foolishness. We want to please ourselves. We want to protect our honor. The preacher admits he too often finds himself in James and John's shoes. And he invites you to hear what comes next: "The Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

4. Social reversals and avoidable mistakes (Ecclesiastes 10:5-11)

• "There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler. Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth."
• It's always sad: when an authority, someone who should be standing firm in their role, bends before foolishness. These situations never inspire confidence, especially for the people of wisdom, because deep down you know it's really just chasing after the wind. Vanity in its purest form. It's unsettling.
• A friend of the preacher, going through a hard season, gets a simple text: "How are you doing?" His reply: "I'm okay. And by the way, don't forget it was the same thing last year." He thought he was encouraging his friend, turns out his friend was the one who ended up encouraging him. The preacher then quotes Michael Eaton: "Life has to be taken day by day from the hand of God. There is no security anywhere else, not even in wisdom. Each day we must receive from God what we need." The temptation is always to put your trust in your training, in the economy, in plenty of other things. But your security comes from him.
• This becomes strikingly relevant in the scene of Jesus before Pilate. Jesus says: "I have come to testify to the truth." And Pilate answers: "What is truth?", standing right in front of the truth in person. He is your story. He is the one who gives you a perspective of eternity, something more durable, something solid.
• And when it comes to wars, hope is not found in this world. There's Isaiah 2:2-4: "It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh's house shall be established on the top of the mountains… Many peoples shall go and say, Come, let's go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and Yahweh's word from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." In this world, there will still be wars. Your hope is not in this world.
• Verses 8-11: "He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it. If the ax is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success. If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer's tongue." There are avoidable mistakes in life. Wisdom teaches you to avoid them. And the foolishness around you throws you off balance, but the wisdom of the one greater than Solomon, the perspective Jesus gives you on life, brings you back into balance.

5. Jesus makes you wiser : the conclusion

• You are wiser with Jesus, because he has given you his Spirit, the Spirit who teaches you in all truth (John 16:13).
• Haven't you too felt the impact of foolishness, especially when you were the one causing it? That weighs on you. But Jesus forgives. Confess your sins: he is faithful and just, he will forgive you, he will welcome you (1 John 1:9). Look at what he suffered precisely to forgive you.
• Jesus, he knows tomorrow, you don't, but he does. He comes to you in your time of need as the great physician who heals your soul. Because you are shaken by these uncertainties, he comes to you as Prince of Peace, Counselor, Redeemer. He is the portion your world needs. Amen.

Key takeaways

• Life is uncertain and you don't know your own time: neither speed, nor strength, nor intelligence guarantees the outcome, everything depends on circumstances, and on the God who holds them.
• Wisdom is better than strength, even if the world quickly forgets it: the fear of God isn't fear itself, it's living in his presence when temptation pulls in the direction of your desires.
• A dead fly in the perfumer's ointment: a little foolishness is enough to spoil a great deal of good, in your testimony, in the church, in the history of the world.
• Facing a world gone foolish, there are three possible responses: naive simplicity, foolishness that refuses instruction, or wisdom that comes from Christ. The two disciples who want to call fire down from heaven are a sobering mirror.
• Jesus, greater than Solomon, makes you wiser: he forgives, he knows your tomorrow, and he comes to you as Prince of Peace, Counselor, Redeemer.

Personal application

1. Where have you placed your hope so deeply that uncertainty throws you off balance? Your education, your bank account, your health, your plans, what has taken God's place?
2. Who are your heroes? Whose lives do you let inspire your own, and does the "one greater than Solomon" hold first place there?
3. Is the fear of God, for you, an old religious word or a living reality when temptation pulls you toward your desires? When have you felt the Spirit help you say no, or lead you to repent?
4. What "dead fly" is currently sitting in your ointment: an emotional reaction, a personal interest put ahead of others, a word that spoiled your testimony?
5. Are you, like James and John, tempted to call down "fire from heaven" on those who reject you, at work, in your family, in the church? How does Jesus' word ("You don't know what kind of spirit you are of") reshape your prayer this week?

Verses cited

• Ecclesiastes 9:11-18
• Ecclesiastes 10:1-11
• Proverbs 16:16
• Luke 9:51-56
• 2 Kings 1 (Elijah calls fire down from heaven)
• Matthew 17:1-8 (Transfiguration)
• Isaiah 2:2-4
• John 18:37-38 ("What is truth?")
• John 11:25 ("I am the resurrection and the life")
• John 16:13
• 1 John 1:9
• Isaiah 9:6 (Prince of Peace, Counselor)

FAQ

What does "the dead fly in the ointment" mean in Ecclesiastes 10:1?

It's an image drawn from perfume-making: a few dead flies are enough to make the whole batch of fragrant oil ferment and spoil. In the same way, a little foolishness is enough to outweigh wisdom and honor. The lesson is practical: in your life, in your church, in your testimony, a small dose of foolishness (an impulsive reaction, a selfish interest, a careless word), can spoil a great deal of good. Wisdom means not letting that small amount take over.

How can the "fear of God" be a good thing?

Fearing God isn't trembling before some distant tyrant. It's living in his presence, knowing that he is both transcendent and immanent, through the Holy Spirit, he lives in you. This fear shows up very concretely: when temptation pulls you toward your own desires, it's what, in you, wants to reject the evil and seeks the Spirit's help to say no, or to repent after a fall. It is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), not unhealthy dread.

Why does Jesus rebuke James and John for wanting to call fire down from heaven?

Because they cite a precedent (Elijah in 2 Kings 1) without discerning what spirit they are acting from. Elijah acted on God's specific command, for one particular moment in the history of salvation. The two disciples, by contrast, are reacting out of wounded pride: the Samaritans wouldn't welcome Jesus, so let's burn them. Jesus corrects them plainly: "You don't know what kind of spirit you are of. The Son of Man didn't come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:55-56). That is the spirit of foolishness speaking through them, and it can speak through you too.