. †. Ecc 4:13-16 . . Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer has the sense to heed warnings. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
That passage teaches the instability of political power, and the fickleness of popularity. The incumbent ruler may have at one time heeded his advisors' input and lead his country wisely. But when he got old, he stopped listening to them. As a result, a younger generation despised him for being egotistic, out of touch, and insensitive to his countrymen's feelings. His arrogance and egotism made him a prisoner of his own foolish mind and eventually, he was either deposed, or voted out of office.
A younger man, unknown till now, an underdog, whose platform preached political reforms, a hope you can believe in, environmental improvement, and economic recovery; made impressive speeches and won the people's hearts. He took over, led his country out of economic depression and to great victories over their enemies. His country enjoyed worldwide prestige and great prosperity. But the younger leader's popularity didn't endure. He himself aged and stopped listening to the voice of the people and his advisors' input, and he too then became unpopular with a younger generation; who then began clamoring for his overthrow just like his own generation had done to his predecessor. It's an endless cycle. Politicians are loved when they are voted in, and hated when they are voted out.
Oliver Cromwell, who took the British throne away from Charles l, and established the commonwealth, said to a friend: "Do not trust to the cheering, for those same persons would cheer just as much if you and I were going to be hanged."
†. Ecc 4:17 . . Be not overeager to go to the House of God: more acceptable is obedience than the offering of fools, for they know nothing [but] to do wrong.
Old Testament Judaism was built around a fully functioning Aaronic priesthood whose duty was to collect sacrifices and offerings from the people. But the worshippers abused the system because they lived like the Devil during most of the year and tried to make up for it with sacrifices. To see how God feels about that kind of religious hypocrisy, just read the first chapter of Isaiah.
In no uncertain terms, God angrily spurned his people's offerings: their prayers, their holy days, their festivals and feast days, and yes even their sacred Sabbath observances because although they were very religious, they were, at the same time, a hard-hearted, stubborn pack of scofflaws.
You can see the very same thing going on in Christianity. Many pew-warmers live utterly worldly, carnal lives all year long and expect that church attendance on Easter Sunday will somehow make up for it. That day is the most heavily attended church day in Christendom. People who normally wouldn't step over the threshold of a church door all year long, will attend on Easter Sunday so they don't feel completely heathen. Easter service, to them, is some sort of redemption day, somehow wiping away a whole year's worth of impiety and is supposed to convince Jesus they truly love and obey Him after all.
†. Mtt 15:8 . .This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
. †. Ecc 5:1-2 . . Keep your mouth from being rash, and let not your throat be quick to bring forth speech before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is why your words should be few. Just as dreams come with much brooding, so does foolish utterance come with much speech.
You know, prayer is not a mandated requirement. Here in America we have the right to remain silent. Now, some might consider it impolite if you don't respond to their dialogue; but nevertheless, the law is the law, and impolite or not, Americans have the right to remain silent.
Prayer is a lot like that. After all, it's supposed to be a voluntary dialogue. Nobody has to talk to God if they don't want to; however, when you do (if ever), then get down to business and don't get all bombastic about it.
†. Mtt 6:5-8 . .When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
If you've nothing to say to God, then say nothing; remembering that God is a king, and kings shouldn't be treated as if they're stupid and have time to waste listening to silly drivel.
†. Ecc 5:3-5 . .When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. For He has no pleasure in fools; what you vow, fulfill. It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill. Don't let your mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your talk and destroy your possessions.
A vow, like a prayer, is another voluntary kind of thing. People are sometimes pressured into vows like the so-called Faith Promise. But a holy vow is between you and God, not between you and your church. So don't be rash with your promises.
The "messenger" is your pastor or church treasurer, or rabbi or priest— the one whose duty it is to collect your vow. Don't make excuses for reneging or for non-payment. A promise is a promise; and God will hold you to your vows even if you can't afford it. You just try to be lax in your payments with a shylock and see what happens. You risk fractured ribs by men who are very good at breaking things over people's heads. When the points are due, that's when they're due; not later. If shylocks are to be feared, then God needs to be feared even more.
†. Ecc 5:6 . . For much dreaming leads to futility and to superfluous talk.
If there is one thing all of God's people should be known for it's keeping their feet on the ground, and their head out of the clouds. Religion is not supposed to be in words. It's supposed to be in shoe leather, in your every day life. It's supposed to be in honesty and integrity— it's in few words, and it's in keeping your word.
Flowery prayers, and showy vows and pledges don't please God near as much as just simply being a man of your word. You can't buy God off with churchianity nor can you fool Him with it into thinking you are somehow pious and above reproach when the truth is; you're not.
. †. Ecc 5:7 . . If you see in a province oppression of the poor and suppression of right and justice, don’t wonder at the fact; for one high official is protected by a higher one, and both of them by still higher ones.
Existing alongside America's elected officials, is a shadow government called the bureaucracy. Bureaucrats are non-elected officials who are actually the ones conducting much of the government's business. High profile bureaucrats would be the President's cabinet. But many others operate completely invisible to the general public until they become implicated in a news-worthy scandal.
Too many bureaucrats are looking out only for themselves; most especially their jobs. So they tend to make every effort to please their superiors; often to the detriment of the voting public's best interests. No one should be shocked at this. It's pretty normal because after all, human government is staffed by human beings.
†. Ecc 5:8 . .The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Government officials are sometimes said to be feeding at the federal trough. Like greedy swine, they gobble up a large percentage of the gross national product to pay their own wages, perks, and benefits and to finance pork and pet projects. But citizens benefit in many ways from taxes too. So the government is not the only one taking a piece of the country's wealth.
†. Ecc 5:9 . . A lover of money never has his fill of money, nor a lover of wealth his fill of income. That too is futile.
Money may not be the number one thing in life; but it's way ahead of whatever is number two.
People obsessed with money actually love it, and make any and every sacrifice to get it. They stay up late, work long hours, disconnect from their families, and even alienate their friends to get it. Their minds are filled with thoughts about it, their lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it, and while they have it, they feel a great sense of achievement, security, and independence.
The amount of money they possess pales in importance compared to their rabid desire to simply amass it. I've heard it said that success is the best revenge. There are too many people out there in the business world who need money simply to feel better about themselves, and to get one over on their foes.
†. Ecc 5:10a . . As his substance increases, so do those who consume it;
The wealthy often find themselves hounded by foundations, causes, charities, and freeloading relatives and friends. MC Hammer, a very popular rapper in the 80's and 90's, was quite rich at one time but spent it all on not just himself, but on his entourage as well.
†. Ecc 5:10b . . what, then, does the success of its owner amount to but feasting his eyes?
The one time world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis used to say; I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves. Yes, money is good for feasting the eyes, and provides a certain sense of security. However, money is no guarantee your nerves will be calm, nor that your sleep will be sound; nor that your security is assured.
†. Ecc 5:11 . . A [slaves'] sleep is sweet, whether he has much or little to eat; but the rich man's abundance doesn't let him sleep.
When you have nothing, you don't worry too much about losing it. But when you have a lot, then you fear going broke; and along with riches comes eating gourmet foods which sometimes cause indigestion and acid reflux.
As I got older, I became concerned I would die before owning a really good watch. So, I took some money out of our equity line and bought a Rolex Explorer II, a TagHeuer Chronograph, a Rolex Datejust, and an Omega Double Eagle Chronograph. All totaled, I spent roughly $20,000. I've very happy with the watches, but now I worry all the time they might get stolen. I didn't have those kinds of worries when I owned time pieces no more expensive than a Casio G-shock.
. †. Ecc 5:12-13 . . Here is a grave evil I have observed under the sun: riches hoarded by their owner to his misfortune, in that those riches are lost in some unlucky venture; and if he begets a son, he has nothing in hand.
That is so sad. The ENRON scandal brought to light the dangers of investing in a retirement system that is solely dependent upon just one company's prosperity. When the stock price of ENRON collapsed, the value of its employee retirement system plummeted too; and so steep was the collapse, that many of ENRON's employees were left with zero dollars in their retirement accounts. The saddest of all were the employees who were very near retirement age and had invested many years of employment in the company. The recent stock market dip did the very same thing to a pretty good number of 401K's.
†. Ecc 5:14 . . Another grave evil is this: He must depart just as he came. As he came out of his mother's womb, so must he depart at last, naked as he came. He can take nothing of his wealth to carry with him.
I once heard a story about a very famous rich man who died. At the reading of his will, newspaper reporters were required to remain outside and not allowed to interview the heirs until later. When the reading was over, a reporter approached one of the lawyers and asked how much the old gentleman left. The lawyer replied; He left it all.
Yes, the rich man couldn't take a single dime of his wealth into the next life. It all stayed here and he went into eternity completely broke.
There is a story, in Luke 16:19-31, of a rich man who died and went to the fiery portion of Hades. In life he lived sumptuously, eating the best of foods and drinking the best of wines. But in Hades, the poor fellow doesn't even have so much as a glass of water. You know, restaurants put glasses of water on our tables as a matter of courtesy. The water is free. It's on the house. You don't need to be wealthy to merit a glass of water in a restaurant. But in the fiery portion of Hades, nobody is given any courtesy whatsoever no matter how prominent they may have been in life.
†. Ecc 5:15 . . So what is the good of his toiling for the wind?
It isn't intrinsically evil to save and invest. After all, Solomon wrote in Proverbs that it's wise to look ahead, and parents are wise who lay something aside for their children. But the people who hoard, and who amass wealth simply for the sake of possessing it, are laboring for the wind. They can't possibly keep it into the next life, so the best thing for them to do is share it while they are here where it will do the world some good. It's okay to keep enough for yourself for now and for the future, but when there's a ridiculous surplus, find a way to disperse it. Otherwise, your hoarding serves no useful purpose, and at death your wealth is surrendered anyway.
†. Ecc 5:16 . . Besides, all his days he eats in darkness, with much vexation and grief and anger.
Wealthy people don't usually eat in the dark. Many have very nice chandeliers over the table. But in their hearts often lurk evil thoughts, bad memories, grievances, resentments, disputes, hard feelings, and a bad conscience. They're really no different than the average man in that arena. Like they say: So and so puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.
. †. Ecc 5:17 . . Only this, I have found, is a real good: that one should eat and drink and get pleasure with all the gains he makes under the sun, during the numbered days of life that God has given him; for that is his portion.
Solomon mentions death so often that you might think he was obsessed with it. But really, he wasn't. His philosophy of life was such that he took death into consideration so that his days weren't spent as if they were infinite and he expected to live forever. A balanced philosophy of life has to include the very real possibility of imminent death to keep things in proper perspective.
†. Jas 1:9-11 . . Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
†. Jas 4:13-14 . . Come now, you who say; Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit— you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
†. 1Pet 1:24 . . For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away
†. Isa 40:6-8 . . A voice rings out; Proclaim! Another asks; What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, all its goodness like flowers of the field: Grass withers, flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Indeed, man is but grass: Grass withers, flowers fade
Man is but a frail insect. If you've seen pictures of people cut out of car wrecks with the Jaws Of Life and seen the damage an impact against glass and steel does to their bodies, you can't help but shudder at the softness of human flesh-- it just tears away like wet paper. Everyone's days are numbered; and finally one day, that number comes up and it's all over.
†. Ecc 5:18-19 . . Also, whenever a man is given riches and property by God, and is also permitted by Him to enjoy them and to take his portion and get pleasure for his gains— that is a gift of God. For [such a man] will not brood much over the days of his life, because God keeps him busy enjoying himself.
Within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes, a "gift of God" should never be taken literally. It's just a colloquialism, like the common term "act of God" used to identify the cause of natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, storms, miscarriages, and stuff like that.
I'm in my retirement years, and one of the things I avoid is keeping too busy because I don't want the final years of my life to pass quickly. They'll pass soon enough; but when you keep busy, time really has a way of flying. On the flip side is one's mental health. Keeping busy does have a way of preventing people from doing too much introspection and reminiscence thereby developing a chronic case of the blues. One's mind can atrophy too if they never do anything to exercise their intelligence. So I try to strike a balance: I keep somewhat physically busy, and I keep somewhat mentally challenged too; while carefully avoiding excess in either area.
. †. Ecc 6:1-2a . .There is an evil I have observed under the sun, and a grave one it is for man: that God sometimes grants a man riches, property, and wealth, so that he does not want for anything his appetite may crave,
Here we go with that "gift of God" thing again; but these are typically a genre of gifts that Solomon observes "under the sun" rather than in the sphere of true divine favor and/or inspired revelation. Just because somebody is rich is no indication their prosperity was engineered by God. Even career criminals and corrupt politicians are often rich; no thanks to God. Some feel the Kennedy clan is cursed, yet they are very well off.
†. Ecc 6:2b . . but God does not permit him to enjoy it; instead, a stranger will enjoy it. That is futility and a grievous ill.
That is the classic "the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord" attitude. Calling any act of God "futility and a grievous ill" would normally be considered accusing God of sin, except that in this case, Solomon doesn't really mean it that way. To an intellectual, the concept of God is merely academic; and an "act of God" is really no more literal than a literal pie in the sky.
A common example of this "evil" about which Solomon spoke is someone who worked hard all their life, saved and invested wisely, and then one day WHAM, during a routine physical exam, their doctor shocks them with the life-changing news they have on-set Alzheimer's. Guess where that person's savings and investments will end up now. Yes, towards medical attention and long term care. The health care system, and it's medical professionals, will make a big dent in their life savings.
†. Ecc 6:3-6 . . Even if a man should beget a hundred children and live many years— no matter how many the days of his years may come to, if his gullet is not sated through his wealth, I say: the stillbirth, though it was not even accorded a burial, is more fortunate than he. Though it comes into futility and departs into darkness, and its very name is covered with darkness, though it has never seen or experienced the sun, it is better off than he— yes, even if the other lived a thousand years twice over but never had his fill of enjoyment! For are not both of them bound for the same place?
One advantage a stillborn child enjoys over and above the living is that although it never had a chance to live; it doesn't know what it missed either. In its case, ignorance is truly bliss. The person who had the means and the wherewithal to enjoy life, but failed to take advantage of it before they died, will suffer unspeakable mental anguish throughout eternity for missing their chance to enjoy life before it was too late. In that respect, the miscarried child is much better off because it has more peace of mind than others even though it never owned anything; no, not even so much as a name to call its own.
I knew an older man once who owned a very expensive wrist watch that he reserved for special occasions. Well; that sucks! He should wear that nice watch whenever he gets the chance because life is so uncertain. People should enjoy their nice things while they can rather than wait till they're at the point of death. Life is not a do-over. You've got live it as you live it: not wait till a more opportune moment; which, as sometimes happens, quite possibly may never come. Carpe Diem: seize the day. People who put off living life to its fullest till later often find out it's too late to do so.
. †. Ecc 6:7-8 . . All of man’s earning is for the sake of his mouth, yet his gullet is not sated. What advantage then has the wise man over the fool, what advantage has the pauper who knows how to get on in life?
Food and water are two things in life that, like sleep, cannot be taken just once because once is not enough. You have to eat again, you have to drink water again, and you have to sleep again. That is a law of life for both the stupid and the intelligent, for both the rich and the poor, for both the female gender and for the male gender. No one is exempt from that law— all are equal in those respects— except for the reticent 17 year-old Twilight vampire Edward Cullen: he never sleeps.
†. Ecc 6:9 . .What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.
Sometimes I think the most content people are the blind because they go shopping with their heads instead of their eyes. People invariably buy things that are far more expensive than what they could get by with if they had to.
This same weakness of the eyes will compel a boy to marry a beautiful girl who is totally wrong for him. The Creator made women to be a man's very best friend first, his lover second, and the mother of his children third. But some men just can't get past a girl's looks; and as all women know, when it comes to love; men use their eyes much better than they use their heads. They often pick a wife without thinking because looks mean almost everything to the average man; and a woman's personality is only secondary, if it's taken into consideration at all.
Women, as a rule, focus on the aspects of intimacy and relationship; but men, as a rule, focus on the physical aspect. Take a look around the magazine racks in Borders or Barnes & Noble some time. The racks contain lots of girly type magazines, and off over in another aisle away from the racks, are shelves displaying the romantic novels. Most guys don't care for romantic novels; those are for the women; because romance novels are to women what girly magazines are to men; just in a different way. Photographs are for the eyes; whereas novels are for the heart.
. †. Ecc 6:10 . .Whatever happens, it was designated long ago and it was known that it would happen; as for man, he cannot contend with what is stronger than he.
I guess you could call that kind of an attitude fatalism.
Some things really are predestined and often we just have to face the facts; e.g. the matter of life after death. People argue against the existence of Hell all the time; mainly, I suppose, because they simply don't like it and in their opinion it's cruel and unreasonable. Well; whether or not it's cruel and unreasonable is beside the point. How any one person might feel about Hell doesn't make any difference and won't make the reality of it go away. So it is far more sensible to just get used to the idea and begin searching for a way to avoid it. It's either that or begin using what time you have remaining to prepare yourself for the worst.
Old age and death are more of life's unpleasant realities. Everyone is stuck with debilitation and there's no use in fighting it. Menopause is another chipped-in-stone fact of life that is just as real as the air we breathe all around us. If couples aren't careful, and let too much time slip by, menopause will steal away their chances for a baby. And on top of that, the older a woman gets, the more her eggs age and become less viable than when she was young.
Some people enjoy toying with death; and go hiking in the wilderness all alone and/or jump off high places with a bungee cord. Some say people like that have a death wish. No, what they really have is a wish to flirt with death and live to tell about it. Their attitude is: If you aren't walking on the edge; then you're taking up room.
Personally, I don't want to die like a fool. People who tempt fate by participating in extreme sports are just asking to be dead and/or crippled for life before their next meal— and then what? Morons.
†. Ecc 6:11-12 . . Often, much talk means much futility. How does it benefit a man? Who can possibly know what is best for a man to do in life— the few days of his fleeting life? For who can tell him what the future holds for him under the sun?
Solomon's comment pertains to a man's time "under the sun" rather than after his death.
They say for every action there's a reaction; and that's generally true. But who can really predict the repercussions of their decisions? No one can do that. There are just too many variables.
Meetings can often be described as discussions conducted by a group of vacillating people where someone takes down minutes while they waste hours deciding that nothing can be done. (chuckle)
Life isn't like a chess game where the masters can see twelve moves ahead. No, life is oftentimes a gamble. A young fellow contemplating the risks and responsibilities of marriage once lamented to me how chancy it is to get married in these days with the world in such turmoil and the economy uncertain. But I said to him; Life goes on.
He realized of course that life does go on even under the extreme threats of nuclear war, terrorism, air and water pollution, drug cartels, road rage, brown-outs and water shortages, insane oil prices, acid rain, crime, prejudice, drive-by shootings, global warming, unemployment, economic collapse, and reactor melt-downs. People do manage to somehow cope and keep going. Well, not long after that, he married his best girl; who proved to be just the right one for him too. His pretty bride made him forget all about the dangers of lay-offs, spiraling medical costs, and mortgage debt. My young friend never felt better in his life. Carpe Diem.
. †. Ecc 7:1a . . A good name is better than fragrant oil,
A companion to that saying might be Prov 11:22; also authored by Solomon.
†. Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense.
Cosmetics, fashions, jewelry, hair-dos, manicures, wonder bras, pantyhose, killer curves, and scents can't make up for a bad name. No matter how dolled up, or shined up, nor how good a person smells; if they are a pig, they will continue to act like a pig. Better to be a plain Jane with a sweet personality than a super model who affects everyone around her with a witchy attitude. (stay tuned; we're going after piggy men up ahead)
†. Ecc 7:1b-2 . . and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting; for that is the end of every man, and a living one should take it to heart.
Nobody under the age of twenty-one is ever going to take that one seriously. Birthday parties and beer busts are far more fun than funerals; although as I get older, I tend to dread my birthdays more and more. When I was young, birthdays were fun, and getting older was exciting. But aging is not so fun anymore. Age is turning me into an ogre, and I can't stand the sight of myself in a mirror; especially one of those large full-length bathroom mirrors they invariably install in motel rooms.
But a funeral can really make you aware of your own mortality in a very special way. My wife's 81 year-old mother died in February 2005. Though my mother-in-law and I were not friends, her passing disturbed me because I realized the grim reaper had begun to start picking us off, and it's only a matter of time now before my own number comes up.
†. Ecc 7:3-4 . .Vexation is better than revelry; for though the face be sad, the heart may be glad. Wise men are drawn to a house of mourning, and fools to a house of merrymaking.
Those kinds of "wise men" are well known as party poopers. While it's true that revelry can't make a person truly happy on the inside, it would still seem a much better choice than dwelling upon Death. You know; it's only natural that Solomon would believe that mourning is better than revelry because he was a wet blanket to begin with; and his nature to shun merriment. (Ecc 2:1-2)
Solomon didn't even know how to have fun. The problem is; he was just too smart for his own good; so smart in fact that all his knowledge and intellect clouded the man's spirit and prevented him from having any fun at all. (Ecc 1:16-18)
Solomon really needed to get out and paint the town once in a while; see a good movie, ride a pony, go to Las Vegas, stroll the beach, take in a Broadway play, go boating, let his hair down, play a video game, maybe even get plastered sometime— anything but sit around thinking about old age and death. No wonder the poor man was so negative!
I once heard Billy Graham say: The smallest package in the world is a man all wrapped up in himself. Well . . amen to that! Billy was so right. And I would add that the most unimportant man in the world is one who is totally self-absorbed. Some people really need to get out and do a little mixing and have a good time once in a while: break the monotony, get out of their rut; live a little.
But Solomon just couldn't do it. There are some people who not only can't have fun, but they can't permit themselves to have any fun. It's like a mental block— a hang-up. They're afflicted with fun-impotence. They feel guilty about having fun, they scorn fun, and look down upon themselves for letting any into their lives.
. †. Ecc 7:5-6 . . It is better to listen to a wise man's critique than to listen to the praise of fools. For the levity of the fool is like the crackling of nettles under a kettle; for that too is transitory.
The praise of fools is from the word shiyr (sheer) which means: a song; singing; viz: a lullaby. I guess you could liken a fool's praise to the chirping of a bird— tweet, tweet, tweet. Birds make sweet sounds; actually very soothing and entertaining at times, but nonetheless, they only serve to help us escape reality— they don't tell the hearer very much truth about himself.
Nettles make very poor firewood. They burn very brightly, go up with a roar almost as soon as they're thrown into a fire; but produce very little heat and soon go out. Oak and Pine are far better. Those sturdy woods burn slowly and quietly, make good coals, and produce lots of usable heat for a long time. The praise of fools is like birds twittering and nettles burning: noisy, momentarily soothing, a brief caress with no long-lasting usefulness; while a wise man's critique may not be so cheering, but can result in life-changing improvements.
†. Ecc 7:7 . . Unjust gain robs the wise man of reason and destroys the prudence of the cautious.
The praise of fools is typically unmerited, and often falls in the category of flattery; which, if a wise man takes seriously, he's just downright stupid no matter what his IQ.
The word for fool is from keciyl (kes-eel') which means: fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly. I guess that means some people are fat-heads. Roget's Thesaurus synonyms for fat-headed are: dull, asinine, and thick-witted— in other words: a numbskull. Those are not attributes you need to see in a person who is patting you on the back and telling you how wonderful you are and how good a job you did. You certainly would not want to take a fat-head's praise too seriously because to see yourself through the eyes of a fat-head is to accept a false impression of yourself; and that could prove to be very self-destructive in the long run.
†. Ecc 7:8-9 . .The end of a matter is better than the beginning of it. Better a patient spirit than a haughty spirit. Don't let your spirit be quickly vexed, for vexation abides in the breasts of fat-heads.
Not all matters are pleasant matters. Some are bitter. Those matters are best not taken up at all; and quickly ended if they begin.
†. Prov 17:14 . .To start a quarrel is to open a sluice; before a dispute flares up, drop it.
Parenting is one arena where it doesn't pay to be a fat-head. It's very important to pick your fights with care, rather than simply react. It is not a good idea to flare up and quarrel with your children over every little thing. Let little things slide; and only make a fuss over things that really make a difference in the long haul.
†. Col 3:21 . . Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
One of the most dysfunctional families I've ever seen is the fictional one portrayed on the HBO series Sopranos.
AJ Soprano's dad Tony is a mob boss whose parenting style mirrors his criminal management practices; which is that of a despotic sociopath. Tony constantly oppresses his son AJ with thoughtless remarks, manhandling, unfairness, profanity, purple epithets, sarcasm, ugly criticism, bickering, demeaning humor, confrontations, sneering, scorn, relentless ridicule, intimidation, shouting, rage, and threats.
AJ rarely, if ever, is given a word of sympathy or encouragement. Typically, everything he does is wrong and his father impossible to please. Subsequently; AJ feels unwelcome in his own home— a person of little consequence whose thoughts and feelings neither matter nor count. His home's living hell turns AJ into not only a loser, but also an emotional train wreck; and then his dad ends up asking the inevitable question eventually asked by every abusive parent: Where did I go wrong? Duh.
Linear Mode
