The Wicket Gate

Good Morning! This blog post will review chapter sixteen of Brian Borgman’s Don’t Waste Your Breath, coinciding with Ecclesiastes 10:1-20. This chapter is titled “The Lives of the Wise and Foolish.”

“Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler— folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land. He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him? The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness. Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything. Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.” Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 NASB95

The Teacher continues to contrast wisdom and folly in chapter ten, a few examples of his illustrations- wise men head right and their words are gracious, fools head left and multiply words to no end. I will make the bold statement that anyone who has made it this far into Ecclesiastes is searching for wisdom, and fools with no fear of God have already shut the book and walked off.

Every chapter has been challenging and convicting to both groups. The enjoyment of God cannot be had without a foundation of fear of God, acceptance of the knowledge that His sovereign hand controls all. Avoiding the fear of God’s complete control is a symptom of pride “Our pride stands in the way of looking honestly at the portrait…We need an objective gaze at the portrait” (162). So if the fool has walked away from the book already, this chapter is full of warning to those who seek wisdom with the fear of God. Do not fall into foolishness or in other words, take your eyes of Jesus, rely on yourself, take courage from inside instead of wholly on the Trinitarian Fulness of God. A man of wisdom today can easily make a mess of tomorrow by pridefully trusting in oneself and not seeking to glorify God.

The teacher illustrates the way of folly in verses two and three, Borgman’s thoughts are spot on, “Folly is a heart problem. The fool takes no counsel. He scorns advice. He chooses the path of least resistance. As he refuses to listen to wisdom, his folly is on display for everyone to see” (163). Our Wednesday night class has been working through Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney. I would encourage everyone reading this blog post to read this book, Whitney does a superb job of illustrating our responsibility as regenerate Christians to draw near to God. We have been given a new nature and reordered affections by the power of God, we have been raised from our sinful nature to be made slaves to righteousness.

The problem the fool falls into mentioned above can be one that the Christian seeking wisdom can fall into as well. This is why I mention Whitney’s book, to what end do we practice spiritual disciplines? To what end do we seek wisdom? Yes, of course, because we have been commanded, however God has a reason for the command- to draw us into closer fellowship with and complete reliance on Him. When we start the day with scripture and prayer, use our time to build up our families and the body of Christ, and learn more about Him by the power of His Spirit, our hearts will be ready to make wise decisions.

Making wise decisions includes taking counsel, listening to advice and quite often it means taking the path of greater resistance. We seek union with Christ, He is doing that by sanctifying us throughout our life according to His plan- practicing spiritual disciplines daily, taking time to pray “I am wholly reliant on you, without you I can do nothing, lead me Lord, strengthen me, allow me to accomplish the things you have set forth for me today,” starting your day by acknowledging your regenerate heart and your complete reliance for every breath. This is part of how we avoid the foolish trap of prideful self-reliance. “The heart is the center of the mental and emotional faculty and thus the seat of wisdom…The fool lacks a heart of wisdom and thus a heart for God. He lacks a heart that loves the truth…he lacks a heart that has godly priorities and deep convictions”(164).

The Teacher is making the wrong path clear, not that Christians will not still fall in from time to time- Borgman uses the example of David completely trusting in God when slaying the giant but losing sight of God when lusting after Bathsheba and falling prey to foolishness(162-163). Spiritual disciplines must be our focus, to be clear not a works-based righteousness, but rather the creature taking time to acknowledge his place in relation to his Creator and to pursue the one he loves, his Savior, by the indwelling Spirit. This acknowledgment and pursuit bring joy and fear, then slowly wisdom and ever-increasing reliance on the Trinitarian Fullness of God, this reliance pushes back folly.
“To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:1-11 NASB95

In verses 8-11 Teacher encourages us to “Apply wisdom to your daily tasks, make preparations, take precautions, and you will live longer. For example, change the oil in your car, back up your hard drive, use your turn signal before you change lanes and look both ways before you cross the street” (165). Please don’ t take away from the text the need to be quicker in your snake charming! Lol, avoid snakes in general, and don’t kill non-poisonous, useful kinds. The Teacher and Borgman as well are encouraging Christians to respect your body in this world. This body is not just a piece of trash to be demolished because “the Lord said he was going to give me a new one anyway,” no, Paul by the Spirit make it very clear in 1Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” “We were bought at a price” goes back to earlier references in this post, we are no longer slaves to sin but are now slaves to righteousness.

With all of our soul and body in this world we are to strive for God’s glory. This body is created by God for good works- for us to rightly enjoy according to His will. The human body is wracked with signs of living in a fallen world, however, we as Christians respect our bodies as gifts from God. So, we take care of them in a way that enables us to go out into the world for Christ, for the glory of God. This is not to bind your conscience against alcohol, tobacco smoking, parachuting, base jumping, Ju Jitsu training, ultra marathoning, eating salads, or body building (Acts 10:15, Galatians 5:1, James 1:25). All things are good when rightly ordered toward the glory of God, which includes using the mirror of the moral law to determine what is rightly ordered (Romans 3:20,31).

To use this passage further, we need to take care of all the gifts He has made us stewards of. Our homes, cars, pets, chickens, churches all need our care as stewards, by the strength God supplies. We don’t cry out “O Lord make this oil new!” when we change our vehicle’s oil, we use the ability he has given us to change the oil, or the funds he has provided to pay someone else to do it. Either way the point is clear, we need to take care of the car to get to church and work, spreading the gospel in action and words- to accomplish the tasks he has set forth for us. We take care of our homes so that they will be hospitable and a good environment to educate our children about the gospel, to host others from our church family and community- to bring unity and spread the gospel. He has a purpose for everything He gives, and He has made us stewards and given us strength, funds, and heart to take care of and use all gifts to His glory. The Teacher says later “money answers everything,” money is a gift from God that can keep your house from leaking (vs. 18).

I am repeating myself at this point, but I will again say, when rightly ordered money can fix issues and glorify God, it helps us steward what God has given us, and stewarding funds wisely can help the church grow as funds grow. Money will not get you into heaven (Acts 8:20), but as a gift to the creature, in this world it will pay for doctors, dentists, car repairs, new air conditioning units, and vacations. Taking care of things with a purpose, to glorify God, spread the gospel, and build up the church.
Further, -keep your axe sharp, not just as a steward but because dull axes waste time (Hebrews 6:12)! Short time of sharpening cuts (pun intended) down on total time spent on the job and increases time with family. To take it one last step further efficiency is ok and is a blessing from God when rightly ordered. Efficiency to spend more time with family and church family, and efficiency to increase life expectancy and quality of life is a blessing from God that we shouldn’t resist. Increasing efficiency in life to have more time to make more money or spend more time on the phone is wasted breath, but increasing efficiency to the glory of God is worthwhile effort.

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” … Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:13-16, 22-23 NASB 1995

I am amazed how much Borgman covered in this one chapter, so many thoughts I don’t have time to cover here regarding the government and handling folly. I have time to address just one more piece, verse 20 as the beginning of social media. Borgman’s book was written and published before the 2024-2025 nonsense war on battlefield X. “An unkind word spoken in secret has the uncanny ability not to remain secret” (170). The Teacher is warding off those who think they can lob grenades from an anonymous position or one of secret and imagine that their words will remain secret or anonymous. History tells us that is not true, “they can fracture relationships; they can get you into hot water” (170). All that has been, will be again, and so it was before Borgman wrote this chapter and so it has been since he published his book. To make too much of a comment would be to willfully enter the nonsense world, which I decline to do.

It is folly to pridefully thrust your thoughts out into social media with the thought it will change anything or anyone. It comes across as loneliness looking for a verbal joust. Use your time wisely under the sun, while social media and the internet has helped some to spread the gospel, it has aided others to spread nonsense. I would hope no one is making decisions on theological issues based on rants found on X. Tough conversations belong in private, with your elders or pastor, not in public. Tough theological thoughts may require one to read well researched books and follow up with those books used as research, not reading angry comments with angry replies. X has become disordered, not to say there is no truth spoken, only that presentation and reputation matter, even with the truth. If Phillip had told the Ethiopian “Isaiah is so clear, am I really going to have to come up there and explain this?” Before someone asks me for an example, again, it’s not what you say it’s how you say it, and in written media that is amplified, see any YouTube video highlighting how many different ways a text can be read/heard (que emojis).

Some would reply “So you’re saying we shouldn’t do this at all,” I won’t bind your conscience, but yes in my opinion public opinion of truthful ministries have been damaged by using X far more than they have been built up. And I realize some Christians love to sit in the stands of the coliseum and watch the gladiators kill one another’s reputation, not good for spreading God’s word and at the minimum a waste of time. Any good that a book an author spent months writing could do in the life of new convert ruined when they look the author up on X and him/her raving about nonsense and assaulting others that they may be saved from opinions the author deems put their souls at risk. Lol.

I really appreciate Borgman’s thoughts on this chapter of Ecclesiastes, all around a very practical chapter. We will struggle against folly as we walk in this world, we must focus on Christ as the foundation for our decisions, our lives. Be good stewards of our bodies and all of God’s gifts- not so that we may live forever or that we can pride in our well-kept lives, but that God’s gifts would be ready to serve Him, to Glorify Him, to make Him known, and to unify and edify the body of Christ – purposefully living to the glory of God.