Ecclesiastes 10, Part II
5/19/2013
Jack Abeelen
Some Foolish Things (Part 2)
Ecclesiastes 10:11-20
Much about the dangers of gossip and loose speech, the destructive nature of speech/the tongue out of control.
All text transcribed from above sermon:
"So this morning, and to the end of chapter 10, Solomon speaks to us about the mouth of a fool and words that we want to pay attention to because we’re to be witnesses in the world; and certainly our greatest influence can often be in what we say and don’t say and how we say it. And boy, you can sure undermine the message you bring by your mouth." -Jack Abeelen
"But may I suggest to you that the next time someone wants to share with you, “Just want you to pray, bro, just want to tell you, I trust you, got no one else to talk to but you,” to bring the latest gossip your way – let me suggest five questions you ask them. It’ll stop it. Because I get a lot of those people who come up, “Hey, Pastor, do you know about so-in-so?” “I don’t want to hear it.” -JA
"So here’re the five questions – use them. Number one, always ask them, “Why are you telling me that? Why do I need to know that? What do you want me to do with that information?” Second of all, “Where did you get your information from? Who are your sources?” And people usually don’t want to tell you. “Well, you know, I just heard.” “No, no. I’d like to know names. I want to know who you spoke to so I can use you and your source.” “No, never mind……..” Thirdly, I always say to them, “Have you gone directly to that person and talked to them yourself?” That’s invariably a “No” because gossipers don’t like resolving problems, they just like talking about them. Fourthly, “Have you checked out the facts? Do you know what you’re telling me is true, or did someone just tell you that? Are you just a mouthpiece for the last guy to lie to you?” And fifthly, if it gets that far, I’ll always say, “Can I quote you?” “Oh, no, no, no. It’s a confidence.” Can’t quote you. And that’s a problem, isn’t it? So, five good questions to ask."-JA
"We read here in verse 11 that sin is very destructive. Solomon says that just as an unattended snake may suddenly, without warning, bite you even though you’re not messing with it or charming it, eventually the words and the communication of a babbler will as well. A babbler – what a name - wagging, undisciplined, loose tongue, from an unattended wicked heart; who cuts and bites and destroys and has an edge; words that are carelessly spewed out. Solomon would write in Proverbs 12:18, and by the way, he says a lot about the tongue, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.” The blessing versus the cursing, the destruction versus the building up...
Do you know anybody who has a sharp tongue? That every word has a biting edge, the “verbal terminator.” How often have you said something only to say, “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that!” And you want to be like fishing – you wish you could just reel them in, 4 but they’re out there, aren’t they? And what we usually do is we immediately say, “Uh oh, shouldn’t have said that,” and we go into damage control. So people will say this, “Well, look, what I meant to say was…….” and what you say in your heart is, “Yeah, exactly what you said is what you meant to say.”
But notice a babbler will talk and talk and talk, and like an unattended snake, without warning he’ll get you, won’t he? It is best to stay away from those who talk constantly. However, not only does he hurt others, notice at the end of verse 12, he also hurts himself. “The lips of a fool are going to swallow him up.” You can lose your friends by not having control of your mouth, or you can lose a job or your reputation or your credibility. People understand that that’s how you are. A sharp tongue can invite a split lip – a fist sandwich. Babblers are self-destructive, and they’re devoid of any content. Notice verse 12, the words of a wise man – out of the mouth of the believer comes grace, encouragement, support." -JA
"According to verse 13, babblers begin without a valid premise, and then they become more unreasonable as they talk. In the end, I like Solomon’s words, “raving madness.” Ever start talking with somebody who’s not saved – about eternal things – and then they start to tell you their philosophy? And pretty soon you’re going, “You gotta be kidding me!” And the more they talk, the less they even understand what they’re saying, but they’re on a roll now. “Don’t stop me while I’m on a roll.” It’s interesting how quickly and weirder their premises become. It’s a far cry from what Solomon says in Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” They stand out. They’re framed. They leave an impact, if you will. A fool’s words aren’t like that. They’re not full, they’re not powerful. They’re empty, they’re devoid of content." -JA
"You open your Bible, and you go to Colossians 4:6, and it says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” There’s such a difference between a heart that is right with God and a heart that is not – in terms of what comes out of our mouths. And not that we don’t battle with that, but the distinction has to be clear. It has to be different, you and I, from the babbler in the world. The children of the King should use the language of the King, and so often we don’t. We should be encouraging and uplifting and fitting, not empty words without content. We should be that grace that comes from the lips of the saints.." -JA
"Notice in verse 14 that we read, “A fool also multiplies words; no man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him? The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!” Babbling is a disproportionate response to the need." -JA
"Talk is cheap, but action is where it’s at. Notice the fool is selfserving. The saints serve others, and their lives show it. That’s the distinction. Solomon, in looking around, said, “Man, there’s a lot of self-service out in the world.” -JA
"But wicked talk always begins with self talk. You don’t usually say those things until you’ve thought about them. And in the privacy of your bedroom, by poetic license, when you begin to confide in others that you think you can trust, don’t think that you can because wicked speech has a life of its own. And it somehow is able to get out, isn’t it? And in a place we believe was safe to voice our opinion, that speech never stays hidden. That’s not the way you and I, as Christians, are supposed to live. The Bible is replete with encouragements to us to be transparent, to be encouraging, to bless and to inspire, to be open – everything’s on the table, no hidden agenda, no two-faced comments. And unfortunately, when you whisper in the ears of some, it’ll come shouting out of someone else’s mouth." -JA
"And notice he says, “A bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.” Notice it isn’t just in an open mouth that’s the problem. There’re a lot of open ears that are the problems as well." -JA
Take Aways:
Jack Abeelen
Some Foolish Things (Part 2)
Ecclesiastes 10:11-20
Much about the dangers of gossip and loose speech, the destructive nature of speech/the tongue out of control.
All text transcribed from above sermon:
"So this morning, and to the end of chapter 10, Solomon speaks to us about the mouth of a fool and words that we want to pay attention to because we’re to be witnesses in the world; and certainly our greatest influence can often be in what we say and don’t say and how we say it. And boy, you can sure undermine the message you bring by your mouth." -Jack Abeelen
"But may I suggest to you that the next time someone wants to share with you, “Just want you to pray, bro, just want to tell you, I trust you, got no one else to talk to but you,” to bring the latest gossip your way – let me suggest five questions you ask them. It’ll stop it. Because I get a lot of those people who come up, “Hey, Pastor, do you know about so-in-so?” “I don’t want to hear it.” -JA
"So here’re the five questions – use them. Number one, always ask them, “Why are you telling me that? Why do I need to know that? What do you want me to do with that information?” Second of all, “Where did you get your information from? Who are your sources?” And people usually don’t want to tell you. “Well, you know, I just heard.” “No, no. I’d like to know names. I want to know who you spoke to so I can use you and your source.” “No, never mind……..” Thirdly, I always say to them, “Have you gone directly to that person and talked to them yourself?” That’s invariably a “No” because gossipers don’t like resolving problems, they just like talking about them. Fourthly, “Have you checked out the facts? Do you know what you’re telling me is true, or did someone just tell you that? Are you just a mouthpiece for the last guy to lie to you?” And fifthly, if it gets that far, I’ll always say, “Can I quote you?” “Oh, no, no, no. It’s a confidence.” Can’t quote you. And that’s a problem, isn’t it? So, five good questions to ask."-JA
"We read here in verse 11 that sin is very destructive. Solomon says that just as an unattended snake may suddenly, without warning, bite you even though you’re not messing with it or charming it, eventually the words and the communication of a babbler will as well. A babbler – what a name - wagging, undisciplined, loose tongue, from an unattended wicked heart; who cuts and bites and destroys and has an edge; words that are carelessly spewed out. Solomon would write in Proverbs 12:18, and by the way, he says a lot about the tongue, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.” The blessing versus the cursing, the destruction versus the building up...
Do you know anybody who has a sharp tongue? That every word has a biting edge, the “verbal terminator.” How often have you said something only to say, “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that!” And you want to be like fishing – you wish you could just reel them in, 4 but they’re out there, aren’t they? And what we usually do is we immediately say, “Uh oh, shouldn’t have said that,” and we go into damage control. So people will say this, “Well, look, what I meant to say was…….” and what you say in your heart is, “Yeah, exactly what you said is what you meant to say.”
But notice a babbler will talk and talk and talk, and like an unattended snake, without warning he’ll get you, won’t he? It is best to stay away from those who talk constantly. However, not only does he hurt others, notice at the end of verse 12, he also hurts himself. “The lips of a fool are going to swallow him up.” You can lose your friends by not having control of your mouth, or you can lose a job or your reputation or your credibility. People understand that that’s how you are. A sharp tongue can invite a split lip – a fist sandwich. Babblers are self-destructive, and they’re devoid of any content. Notice verse 12, the words of a wise man – out of the mouth of the believer comes grace, encouragement, support." -JA
"According to verse 13, babblers begin without a valid premise, and then they become more unreasonable as they talk. In the end, I like Solomon’s words, “raving madness.” Ever start talking with somebody who’s not saved – about eternal things – and then they start to tell you their philosophy? And pretty soon you’re going, “You gotta be kidding me!” And the more they talk, the less they even understand what they’re saying, but they’re on a roll now. “Don’t stop me while I’m on a roll.” It’s interesting how quickly and weirder their premises become. It’s a far cry from what Solomon says in Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” They stand out. They’re framed. They leave an impact, if you will. A fool’s words aren’t like that. They’re not full, they’re not powerful. They’re empty, they’re devoid of content." -JA
"You open your Bible, and you go to Colossians 4:6, and it says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” There’s such a difference between a heart that is right with God and a heart that is not – in terms of what comes out of our mouths. And not that we don’t battle with that, but the distinction has to be clear. It has to be different, you and I, from the babbler in the world. The children of the King should use the language of the King, and so often we don’t. We should be encouraging and uplifting and fitting, not empty words without content. We should be that grace that comes from the lips of the saints.." -JA
"Notice in verse 14 that we read, “A fool also multiplies words; no man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him? The labor of fools wearies them, for they do not even know how to go to the city!” Babbling is a disproportionate response to the need." -JA
"Talk is cheap, but action is where it’s at. Notice the fool is selfserving. The saints serve others, and their lives show it. That’s the distinction. Solomon, in looking around, said, “Man, there’s a lot of self-service out in the world.” -JA
"But wicked talk always begins with self talk. You don’t usually say those things until you’ve thought about them. And in the privacy of your bedroom, by poetic license, when you begin to confide in others that you think you can trust, don’t think that you can because wicked speech has a life of its own. And it somehow is able to get out, isn’t it? And in a place we believe was safe to voice our opinion, that speech never stays hidden. That’s not the way you and I, as Christians, are supposed to live. The Bible is replete with encouragements to us to be transparent, to be encouraging, to bless and to inspire, to be open – everything’s on the table, no hidden agenda, no two-faced comments. And unfortunately, when you whisper in the ears of some, it’ll come shouting out of someone else’s mouth." -JA
"And notice he says, “A bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.” Notice it isn’t just in an open mouth that’s the problem. There’re a lot of open ears that are the problems as well." -JA
Take Aways:
- Watch your ears and mouth.
- Too many words are a bad thing. It's okay, even preferable to speak less.
- A babbler is trouble, be on guard.
- Our words as Christians should bring life and healing
- Wicked thought precedes wicked words....the work starts in the mind.
- 5 questions to put context to potential gossip/really receiving any such talk
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