Guarding Against Folly: The Pursuit of Wisdom

Summary

Ecclesiastes 10 offers a sobering look at the dangers of folly and the subtle ways foolishness can undermine a life that otherwise appears successful or meaningful. Human history, and indeed our own stories, are often marked by the search for happiness and significance apart from God. Like the empty, impressive structures described in Sinclair Ferguson’s illustration, our lives can look polished on the outside but be hollow within if we are not rooted in a relationship with the Lord. The pursuit of wisdom is not just about avoiding obvious sin, but also about steering clear of the small, seemingly harmless choices that can accumulate and lead to ruin.

Folly is not always outright wickedness; sometimes it’s simply a lack of wisdom, a careless word, or a neglected responsibility. Solomon warns that just a little foolishness can spoil a good reputation, much like a few dead flies can ruin a whole jar of perfume. The small compromises, the “little foxes,” are often more dangerous than the big, obvious threats. It’s easy to become complacent, to assume that because we’re not making major mistakes, we’re safe. But neglect, presumption, and a lack of intentionality can slowly erode the foundations of our lives, our families, and our faith.

Direction matters. A wise person lives with purpose, aiming their life toward hearing “well done, good and faithful servant.” Folly, on the other hand, is aimless, content to drift wherever circumstances lead. Leadership, too, is often turned upside down by folly—when we value talent or appearance over character, we invite dysfunction and disappointment. Presumption in our daily routines, assuming we’re immune to failure or that we can coast on past successes, is another form of folly that can lead to unexpected harm.

Neglect is a slow destroyer. Most lives, relationships, and even faith don’t collapse overnight; they decay gradually through inattention and small compromises. The same is true of our words. The tongue has the power to build up or destroy, and careless speech can do lasting damage. Ultimately, the direction of our lives is determined by the inclination of our hearts. If our hearts are not set on Christ, we will inevitably drift toward folly. There is no standing still in the Christian life—either we are moving toward Jesus or away from Him. The call is to examine our hearts, turn from folly, and build our lives on the solid foundation of Christ and His Word.

Key Takeaways

- Small Compromises Have Big Consequences
A little folly can undo years of wisdom and hard work, just as a few dead flies can ruin a whole jar of perfume. The small, seemingly insignificant choices we make—what we allow into our lives, what we neglect to address—can accumulate and eventually spoil our witness, relationships, and spiritual health. Vigilance in the little things is essential, for it is often the “little foxes” that spoil the vine. [35:20]

- Direction Is Determined by the Heart
Foolishness is not just about making bad decisions; it’s about having a heart that is inclined in the wrong direction. If we don’t intentionally set our hearts toward Christ and His purposes, we will drift aimlessly, never arriving at the life God intends for us. The wise person lives with purpose, continually recalibrating their heart and actions toward God’s will. [37:57]

- Character Over Charisma in Leadership
Folly often leads us to value outward appearance, talent, or charisma over true character and integrity, both in ourselves and in those we follow. This upside-down approach to leadership—whether in the church, our families, or society—invites dysfunction and disappointment. God measures by the heart, and so should we, seeking leaders (and becoming people) whose lives are marked by wisdom and faithfulness rather than mere ability. [39:07]

- Presumption and Neglect Are Subtle Dangers
Assuming we are immune to failure or that we can coast on past successes is a form of folly that leads to carelessness and eventual harm. Most destruction in life comes not from dramatic failures but from slow neglect—relationships, faith, and character erode bit by bit when we stop paying attention. Regular self-examination and intentional maintenance are necessary to prevent slow decay. [44:19]

- The Power and Peril of Words
Our speech reveals the true state of our hearts, and careless words can do lasting damage to others and to ourselves. The Bible warns that in the multitude of words, sin is not lacking; restraint and thoughtfulness in our speech are marks of wisdom. Before speaking, we must consider not just the truth of our words, but their impact, and seek to use our tongues to build up rather than tear down. [46:56]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:00] - Prayer for Our Nation
[25:53] - Introduction to Ecclesiastes 10
[27:42] - The Emptiness of Outward Success
[28:21] - Polished Outside, Empty Inside
[29:26] - The Danger of Folly
[31:41] - Wisdom vs. Folly: Not Always Sin
[32:47] - The Ruin of Reputation
[35:20] - Small Compromises, Big Consequences
[36:30] - Folly Leads Nowhere
[37:57] - Direction and the Heart
[39:07] - Upside Down Leadership
[40:04] - The Dangers of Presumption
[42:35] - Sharpening the Axe: Working Wisely
[43:35] - Destruction Through Neglect
[44:19] - The Slow Decay of Neglect
[46:56] - The Folly of Speech
[48:28] - Examining Our Lives for Folly
[49:45] - The Need for a New Heart
[50:41] - Pursuing Jesus, Not Standing Still
[51:00] - Building on the Rock

Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: Ecclesiastes 10 – The Dangers of Folly and the Importance of Wisdom

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### Bible Reading

- Ecclesiastes 10 (entire chapter)
- Proverbs 24:33-34 – “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, so shall your poverty come like a prowler and your need like an armed man.” ([44:19])
- Luke 6:45 – “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” ([45:39])

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### Observation Questions

1. According to Ecclesiastes 10:1, what is the effect of “a little folly” on someone who is otherwise respected for wisdom and honor? How does Solomon illustrate this? ([32:47])
2. In verses 2-3, what does Solomon say about the direction of a wise person’s heart compared to a fool’s? What does this mean in practical terms? ([36:30])
3. What are some of the “little foxes” or small compromises mentioned in the sermon that can spoil a life, relationship, or reputation? ([35:20])
4. How does the passage describe the power of words and the consequences of careless speech? ([45:39])

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### Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Solomon compare a little folly to dead flies in perfume? What does this teach about the impact of small, seemingly harmless choices in our lives? ([32:47])
2. The sermon says, “Direction matters. A wise person lives with purpose, aiming their life toward hearing ‘well done, good and faithful servant.’” What does it look like for someone’s heart to be “inclined” in the right direction? ([37:57])
3. How does valuing charisma or outward appearance over character in leadership lead to dysfunction, both in the church and in our personal lives? ([39:07])
4. The sermon warns about the slow decay of neglect. Why is neglect such a subtle danger, and how can it affect our faith, relationships, or character over time? ([44:19])

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### Application Questions

1. Think about your daily routines and habits. Are there any “small compromises” or “little foxes” you’ve allowed into your life that could be undermining your walk with God or your relationships? What steps can you take this week to address them? ([35:20])
2. When you look at the direction of your life, do you feel you are intentionally moving toward Jesus, or are you drifting? What is one practical way you can recalibrate your heart and actions toward God’s will this month? ([49:45])
3. In your family, workplace, or church, have you ever seen the consequences of valuing talent or appearance over character? How can you personally prioritize character and integrity in your own leadership or in those you follow? ([39:07])
4. Is there an area of your life—like your marriage, parenting, spiritual growth, or friendships—where you’ve been coasting or assuming things are “fine”? What is one thing you can do this week to be more intentional and prevent slow neglect? ([44:19])
5. Reflect on your speech over the past week. Were there moments when your words tore down rather than built up? Is there someone you need to apologize to or encourage? What is one way you can practice restraint and thoughtfulness in your words this week? ([46:56])
6. The sermon says, “There is no standing still in the Christian life—either we are moving toward Jesus or away from Him.” What is one area where you sense you’ve been standing still or drifting? How can you take a step forward in faith this week? ([50:41])
7. If you realize your heart is not set on Christ, what would it look like to “turn from folly” and build your life on the solid foundation of Jesus and His Word? What is one specific action you can take to start that process today? ([49:45])

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Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to reveal any areas of folly or neglect in your life, to give you wisdom in your choices, and to help you set your heart and direction firmly on Christ.

Devotional

Day 1: Small Compromises Can Ruin a Life

Just as a few dead flies can spoil an entire jar of perfume, small acts of foolishness or compromise can taint a reputation built over years of wise living. It is easy to believe that little things don’t matter, but over time, these small choices can accumulate and lead to significant consequences. The danger lies not only in obvious sins but in the subtle, seemingly harmless decisions that slowly erode character and integrity. Guard your heart and your actions, for what seems insignificant today can become the downfall of tomorrow. Ask God to reveal the “little foxes” in your life and give you the strength to remove them before they cause lasting harm. [35:20]

Ecclesiastes 10:1 (ESV)
Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Reflection: What is one small compromise or habit you’ve allowed in your life that you know could lead to greater harm if left unchecked? Will you ask God to help you address it today?

Day 2: The Aimless Life of Folly

Foolishness leads to a life without direction, where one drifts aimlessly and fails to consider the path ahead. A wise person considers where their choices are taking them, but a fool is content to wander, never asking where they are going or what their life is building toward. True direction comes from knowing Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. If you want your life to count for something eternal, you must intentionally set your heart toward God and His purposes, making daily choices that align with His will. Don’t let your days slip by without purpose—seek the path that leads to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” [37:57]

Ecclesiastes 10:2-3, 15 (ESV)
A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool… The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you’ve been drifting without clear purpose? What step can you take today to move intentionally toward God’s calling?

Day 3: The Dangers of Presumption and Neglect

Assuming that things will always go as they have before can lead to carelessness and eventual harm. Whether in work, relationships, or spiritual life, presumption causes us to let our guard down, stop sharpening our skills, and neglect what matters most. Over time, neglect—rather than sudden disaster—often leads to decay and ruin. It is the slow, unnoticed erosion that destroys homes, relationships, and faith. Be vigilant in the ordinary routines of life, refusing to coast or assume you are immune to failure. Instead, regularly examine your habits and priorities, and ask God to help you stay diligent and attentive. [44:19]

Ecclesiastes 10:18 (ESV)
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.

Reflection: Where have you grown careless or begun to neglect something important—whether in your faith, family, or daily responsibilities? What practical action can you take today to address it?

Day 4: The Power and Peril of Words

Our words have the power to build up or tear down, to bring life or cause lasting harm. The Bible warns that the tongue can be a source of great folly, especially when we speak too quickly, too much, or about things we shouldn’t. What comes out of our mouths reveals the true state of our hearts, and careless speech can ruin relationships, reputations, and even our witness for Christ. Instead of speaking impulsively, seek to listen well, speak graciously, and use your words to encourage and bless others. Remember, you cannot take back what you have said—so let your speech be marked by wisdom and restraint. [46:56]

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Reflection: Think of a recent conversation where your words may have caused harm or failed to reflect Christ. Is there someone you need to apologize to or encourage today with your words?

Day 5: The Heart’s Direction Determines the Path

The direction of your life is set by the inclination of your heart—if your heart is set on Jesus, your life will move toward Him; if not, you will drift toward folly and away from God. There is no standing still in the Christian life; you are either moving closer to Christ or further away. Examine your heart’s true desires and ask God to realign your affections toward Him. Build your life on the solid foundation of Jesus and His Word, not on the shifting sands of worldly wisdom or fleeting pleasures. Pursue Jesus with intention, and let Him transform your heart and your path. [50:41]

Matthew 7:24-25 (ESV)
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

Reflection: In what ways is your heart currently leaning—toward Jesus or away from Him? What is one step you can take today to pursue Christ more wholeheartedly?

Quotes

Human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. And I think that quote just nails it right there. Human history is this long, terrible story of man and woman trying to find happiness outside of God. You know, that's your story. That's my story. That's our story where we try to find life and meaning and significance and happiness outside of the Almighty. Building lives that look like something on the outside but are empty on the inside. [00:26:06]

Man's attempt to find significance and meaning under the sun. And some of your lives look significant this morning. They look like they have meaning, they look like they are full from the outside. But you take that journey close and you look at it from another angle and you realize it's empty. How many of your lives are similar? Polished on the outside but empty on the inside. [00:28:03]

This whole book has ruthlessly taught us that you can't find meaning or significance outside of a relationship with God. Everything else is just folly. [00:28:34]

Folly isn't always sin. That's why I had Grant read that passage this morning. Not every stupid decision you make is sin. You know, like we have the freedom to partake in lots of things, but not all those things are helpful. And so it's not a black and white or a right or wrong. It's not can I do this, it's should I do this. It's folly, not sin, but is it okay, is it beneficial? [00:31:47]

It is vital to know the difference between wisdom and folly. Most Christians can distinguish good from evil. We know that some things are morally right while others are morally wrong. So we try to do the right things instead of the wrong things. This kind of thinking is fine as far as it goes. The trouble, however, is that some of the most important choices in life are not between good and evil, but between wisdom and folly. [00:32:20]

Not all folly is sin, but foolishness is stupid. But often folly is sin. It's you being impulsive, being arrogant. It's you and I hating discipline and hating wisdom. Wickedness is often malicious. I don't know if we have a lot of wicked people in our church this morning, but I'm afraid maybe we have some foolish people. I don't intentionally try to be malicious, but I've messed up my life more than once being foolish. [00:32:43]

It doesn't take much folly to ruin a person's reputation. Look at chapter 10, verse 1. Dead flies putrefied the perfumer's ointment and caused it to give off a foul odor. So it is a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. This chapter speaks to leadership some, and it applies to us as well. But the idea is it wouldn't take much for you to change your opinion of a leader. A few blunders, and you're like, I guess they're not as good as I thought they were. [00:33:15]

One moment of ignorance or foolishness undoes all the good work you've put in. Lord, I'm scared of that happening to me. Lord, have mercy on me. And I've seen this with good leaders. Some leaders are snakes that just end up being shown for what they are. But I've seen good leaders make a few bad decisions, and it costs them their career and their ministries. They got a little too comfortable, or they got a little too cocky, and now their life is nothing but a stink to people. [00:34:17]

Some of you are not walking in wisdom right now. You're not walking in out -and -out sin, but you're not walking in wisdom. And because of that, you're letting little things in your life. And you're believing the devil's lie that, oh, I can handle this. I'm not as bad as I used to be. I can do these kind of things. And little by little, you're letting things in your life that are going to destroy the whole thing. You're flirting with things that can kill you. [00:34:53]

It's just the small choices that can ruin you. Consider yourself warm. What is little in your life right now that you think is okay? And does God think it's okay? [00:35:58]

Folly causes us to go nowhere fast. Verses 2 and 3, verse 2 says, A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart is at his left. Some of you are going to post that on Facebook right now, but you think it has something to do with politics. You're just licking your lips, and you need to chill. Because that's not what it means. [00:36:11]

What Solomon is saying is a fool doesn't know where he's going. And think about that for a minute. I'm not trying to convince you to get a journal and write down 100 goals and revisit them every six months, although there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying, do you have any idea the direction your life has taken you? Do you know where you're going? [00:36:57]

Your life is the sum of your days. How you spend your days is how you're going to spend your life. So how are you going to get there? A fool doesn't know where he's going. He's aimless. I want my life to be heading somewhere, towards something. Namely, I want my life to be heading to where I hear, well done, good and faithful servant. [00:37:39]

If you don't know the way, you remember Thomas in John chapter 14? Lord, how do we know where you're going? We don't know the way. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father but through me. Amen. Amen. [00:37:58]

We use different metrics. We look at the outward appearance and God looks at the heart. Think about King Saul. Israel thought they were getting the best king in the world. He stood ahead above everybody else and was good looking. He was the guy they needed, just the guy for the job. And he led to so much pain and difficulty because of that. [00:38:40]

Leadership structures are upside down because we hire and we elect fame and celebrity over character and integrity. The text also teaches that there's folly and presumption and assumption. [00:39:55]

Sometimes when we get accustomed to something, when something becomes old hat, we get foolish, right? We just think we know how this is done. We let our guard down. Sometimes it's not age. We're young and inexperienced, and we just assume we know how to do things. [00:40:55]

Where is this a danger in your life? In what areas do you have your life on cruise control? In what areas of your life do you assume you're okay now? Do you assume your marriage is good? Don't assume. Work on it. Do you assume your kids are doing good? Don't assume. Ask them. Ask them how they're doing. Do you assume your spiritual life is headed in the right direction? [00:42:14]

The Bible says work smarter, not harder. Where in life do you need to sharpen your axe to do a better job instead of just using blunt strength? [00:43:00]

Because of laziness, the building decays and through idleness of hands, the house leaks. That one hits a little close to home for me. You know, some houses fall over through just horrific acts of nature and acts of God and they fall down in one fell swoop and there's nothing there. But you know how buildings are often destroyed? Just by a little bit of neglect. [00:43:18]

I think that's the scariest part about decay is when you're in the middle of it, you don't see it. Slowly, bit by bit, things are being destroyed. And that's the way it is with our lives. Some of you can ruin your life in a moment. Some of you it's just compromise after compromise, bit by bit, little by little. And your neglect is going to catch up to you. [00:44:11]

Your language is a representation of your heart. Out of the overflow of your heart your mouth speaks. Some of you are trying to deal with sin just on a surface level. I've got to stop being so angry. You're just trying to chop down the branches, and God says, Look at the root. It's not that you just said a bad word or were mean to your wife. It's that something's going on in your heart to cause those kind of things. [00:45:31]

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Your words have power. I mean, some of you are still haunted by things you heard your parents say when you were young about you. Or you still rehearse things. Maybe your spouse said to you in a fight, or maybe you said to them, Death and life are in the power of the tongue. [00:45:58]

There's a folly in being too quick to speak. Verse 13, The words of his mouth begin with foolishness. Some of you start talking before you listen. You know, that's how a lot of marital spats get out of hand. You're not concerned with what they're saying. You're just concerned with how you're going to respond to what they're saying. So you start talking too soon. [00:46:23]

Sometimes, there's folly in using too many words. Just bite your tongue. Shut your mouth. Close it. [00:46:56]

Where is there folly in your life? Where are you just making small compromises? Just a little bit of it can ruin the whole thing. It can ruin your witness. It can ruin your marriage. It can ruin you. [00:48:28]

If you're not moving towards Jesus, you're moving away from him. There's no such thing as status quo in Christianity. You can't hold pat. If you're not pursuing Jesus, you're falling away from him. Turn back to him this morning and start now before you run your life. [00:50:41]

Jesus talked about the difference between a wise man and a foolish man. One built his house on the rock and the other one built his house on the sand. What are you building on? What's behind the surface? Walk in obedience. Build your life around Jesus and the word of God. Run away from folly and run fast and hard towards Jesus. [00:50:59]

Chatbot

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