Now when we come to chapter 10, Solomon is describing about a fool. How does a fool looks like? And he is describing, he is portraying folly. He is describing foolishness. So someone said like this, life is tough. But if you are foolish, it's even more tougher. So Bible doesn't give us a space to be foolish. And Bible also suggests that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We all may think that wisdom comes or the knowledge comes when we read more books, we connect wisdom and knowledge with our literacy or our academic qualification. But Bible, that's all good. That gives us the information. But Bible, when we come to the Bible, Bible says that fear of the Lord comes with the, sorry, wisdom comes with the fear of the Lord. It is the point from where the wisdom begins.

So Solomon is also taking us to that start and he is telling us in this futile life, we cannot take a chance to be foolish. And when we come to chapter 10, he is describing who the fool is. And he tells when we read the first verse, he tells dead flies make a perfumers oil, ferment and sting. So a little folly overweights wisdom and honor. He's using an example here. He's using an example of a beautiful, fragrant oil. It is beautiful. Its aroma is amazing. But one small fly can destroy the entire aroma of that oil. The entire value of that oil will be spoiled. And Solomon says in the same way, one little folly will destroy your entire life. One little folly will destroy your entire life. We cannot play with sin. We cannot be foolish.

Often we don't talk about sin in our churches. Mostly we talk about sin and temptation. Where do we talk about it? Youth meetings, right? As if only young people commit sins. Old people doesn't do that. Right? Often in youth meetings, we talk about sin, we talk about temptation. But in churches, I have hardly heard preaching. Only few times only I have heard preachings about sin and temptation in the churches. Why do we don't do that? Probably there is a reason. Probably we don't want to point any fingers upon us. Probably we are walking ahead with the principle that you scratch my back, I will scratch your back. Right? Because if you will talk about my sin, I have hundreds more about you to say. So we are quiet. We are conveniently adjusting it. But Solomon is out loud. And he is saying that it is foolishness to commit sin. One dead fly, one small mistake can ruin your entire life. Therefore, you should be careful enough. You should be wise enough to handle your life.

I often give when I speak from this passage, I often give an example of Hitler. You know, know who is Hitler, who Hitler was. Was Hitler? Have you heard of Hitler? No, you don't want to speak? Who was Hitler? ruler of Germany, okay? What else you know about Hitler? What did he do? Huh? He tried to destroy the Jews? Or anything else? He invented chemotherapy in the concentration camp, the aim is chemotherapy. Oh, I did not know that. Okay, okay. Okay, what else? He was a vegetarian. He was a vegetarian, okay. Okay, okay, okay. What else is known for? Genocides. Torture, murders, ruthless dictator. He used to suppress all the people who used to stand against him.

He was a great orator, but hardly people know about it. He was a great painter. Have you ever heard about that? Hitler was a great painter. He was an artist. Hitler was a great orator. He was one good author. He has written a book called Mein Kampf. And that was like one among the best sold books in the highly sold books in the world. But we don't think all these things when we talk about Hitler. We always think about the dark side of the Hitler. We always think about the genocides, the killings, the trouble that he has created, the way he tortured people, the way he murdered and persecuted people. And Solomon says, that's why one small fly can destroy your life.

More than we talk about David's goodness, we think about David and Bathsheba. One small fly can destroy your life. One small fly can destroy your life. The dead fly. One small dead fly can destroy the perfume of the oil. What is the purpose of that fragrant oil? What do you think? What should be the purpose of that fragrant oil? To provide good aroma. And in those days, people used to buy a fragrant oil and keep it with them as fixed deposits so that when the fragrant oil is new, they buy it and keep it. As it gets older, the aroma will be more refined and later when they are in need they can sell it in a higher price. So it loses its purpose. Our entire, the purpose of our life we lose if we don't deal with our problems, with our sin rightly. Handling our sin is very very much important and Solomon says that one dead fly can ruin.

Now one dead fly can ruin that fragrant oil just the similar a little folly overweights wisdom and honor He says don't be foolish. Be wise and later when he when we read this verse down he says in verse 2 a wise man heart goes to the right but the fool's heart goes to the left. What is this right and left? What confusion? Yeah. So in the Jewish tradition, right is always talks about good and left always talks about evil. Something that is bad. So he's saying that a fool's man heart, he's always inclined towards evil, but a wise man's heart is always inclined towards what is good. And therefore it's not the problem of your action, but it is the problem of your heart. You were evil, your sins, your mistakes, our mistakes, my mistakes. It's not the problem of our work. But it's the problem of our heart. The heart of the matter is that it is the matter of the heart. It is the matter of our heart. Therefore in our folly in our foolishness, we turn towards evil in all our choices in all our actions in all our deeds in all our thoughts. One small fly. Have you ever thought about it? One small mistake, one small talk.

I would have spoken, I would have preached thousands and thousands of messages. But tomorrow, if you listen something about me, something bad about me, you will forget all those thousand messages. Right? And you will remember only one thing. I know a big, I know a big, a great man of God, a great man of God. don't want to, many of you may know him. I don't want to take his name. He has done tremendous work for the Lord. Tremendous work. I used to, I used to call, he's not no more in this world. I used to call him Appachan like. He was a grandfather figure for me. Tremendous work for the Lord in his young age, in those age. I'm talking about seventy five, sixty seven, seventy five, eighties in those days in Kerala.

One uncle has told me like this in Kerala, the magazines used to call him Black Billy Graham. Black because wherever he stands and preach there will be at least few who will take decision to follow Jesus Christ and come forward. great work for the Lord. What I have seen through his life that apart from gospel, he did not know anything else. Wherever he stands, he will preach the gospel. You call him for marriage, you call him for birthday parties, you call him for school functions, you call him anywhere. Apart from gospel, he will not say anything. but the ministry but when today I talk to people about him, people has nothing good to say about him. People say that he has gone astray. He has diverted from his vision. All these things, all these things, one small folly will ruin the entire life. Probably it will ruin the entire ministry. Probably it will ruin the church. It will ruin the family.

What happened when sin came in this world? What happened when sin came in this world? First, it destroyed the family. You ask me how the sin destroyed the family all these years? Adam was singing, you are born of my born flesh of my flesh. Oh, he was so happy about the gift that God he has received from God. He was singing, he was he was joyed, he was enjoying the company. But as soon as the sin came in their life. What did Adam said to God? God asked Adam, did you eat the fruit? What did he say? I did not do that. The woman which you have given to me. What did God say? The day you will eat it, you will surely die. So now when God is asking Adam was supposed to die but what Adam is saying don't kill me kill this lady. She is the reason for all the trouble. One small mistake ruined the family. ruined the family.

When we come to first Kings, we know how the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two and Jeroboam, the King of Northern Province was scared that if people will go to Jerusalem, they will hate me. They will hate my people and their heart will be for Judah. Their heart will be for the children of David. Therefore, what should I do? Let me make my own temple. He made one temple in Bethel and he made one temple in Samaria. And he said, listen, everyone, listen, everyone. This is the God. He made an idol there. This is the God. This is the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. No need to go to Jerusalem. No need to go to the temple. See, we have conveniently made something for you here. This is it. Come here and worship the God who has brought you out of Israel. and he forced the entire nation to commit idolatry.

Now there is an interesting site to it. There is an interesting site to it. I would like to take your attention to the book of Hosea quickly. Book of Hosea quickly and I would like to take your attention to chapter 10 of the Book of Hosea. Before that, we will come to chapter four of Hosea and we'll read verse 15. We will read verse 15. And here in verse 15 of chapter four of the book of Hosea, it's written Israel, if you act promiscuously, don't let Judah become guilty. Do not go to Gilgal or make a pilgrim to Beth-Ewen. Have you read that word Beth Ewen? What is that? What is that? Historians say that there was no pilgrimage in Beth Ewen. No pilgrimage. Beth Ewen was just a barren land. There was nothing. There was nothing. It's just a barren land. There was no pilgrimage in Beth-Evan. That's what the historian says. But then how come people of Israel are going for pilgrimage in Beth-Evan? When we come to chapter 10 of the Book of Hosea and when we read verse five, when we read verse five, we read here the residents of Samaria will have anxiety over the cough of Beth-Evan. Indeed, its idolatrous priests rejoiced over it. People will mourn over it, over its glory.

Now there is no temple of Baal in Beth-Evan. then what is talking about the calf of Beth-Evan? There is nothing in Bethheaven, it's just a barren piece of land. But many Bible scholars believe that Hosea is using this term to substitute Bethel because there was a pilgrimage, an idol worshipping temple in Bethel. which was close to Bethhaven. Bethhaven is a place just outside Bethel, probably 8 to 10 kilometers from Bethel. Now many historians and many Bible scholars believe that Hosea is substituting Beth-Evan with Bethel to tell the people of Israel that they have committed sin. Now, what do you mean by Beth-Evan? Beth-Evan means the house of wickedness. Now, when it is substituted with Bethel, what does Bethel means? What does Bethel means? House of God. And now after years that place has become Beth-Ewen. Bethel has become Beth-Ewen, house of wickedness. Do you think it just happened overnight? It's happened like Uttar Pradesh changing the name of the place. Today onwards we'll not call it Bethel, we'll call it Beth-e-ven. Just like that. It's written with a purpose to tell the people of Israel that you have not taken care of the small flies in your life. And the entire nation, and the entire nation, the leadership of the entire nation has pushed the nation of Israel into sin and idolatry. Bethel has become Beth-heaven.

Solomon is saying not to be fooled if you will not kill your dead flies, your family, your church, your spiritual life will be ruined. The life will become toilsome. The life will become painful. The life will become restless. if we don't handle our dead flies carefully. Where is our heart going? You know, when we talk about sin, we should understand one thing that it is real. The problem of the sin is real. It is with you and it is with me. Many a times, many of us don't want to agree or don't want to speak about it or don't want to preach about it. Probably because we are living in some kind of guilty conscience or probably we don't want to deal with it. Probably we are scared. What will people say? But this is the truth. I go wrong. You also go wrong. Everyone goes wrong. How will we manage this? We can't be foolish. We can't be foolish. Solomon says that you should take care of the dead flies. A small fly.

One small action of Jeroboam for the convenience of people turned Bethel into Beth-heaven. One step at a time. Probably we'll not get aware of it. We may think it's just a small fly. What great damage it can bring. But Solomon says that it can destroy your life. And further he is portraying who the fool is. And in verse eight and nine, he says that one who digs fall into it and one who breaks the wall will be bitten by the snakes. Solomon is saying that foolish fool is a person who will say it out loud that I am a fool. He will show it through it through his actions. Through his actions he will declare that he is foolish when we come to verse 12 and 13 and 14 he says The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a fool consumes him It's not just about work. It's not just about action through his words. He will show others that he is a fool.

Then when we come to verse number 16 and 17. Solomon says, O to you land when your king is a household servant and your princess feast in the morning. Solomon is saying that through the surroundings a fool will declare that he is fool. The fool will the presence of folly will affect your surrounding here in verse 16 and 17. He's talking about a princess of the kingdom who are not at all serious about the work. They are feasting in the morning. They are supposed to work and tackle the needs of the kingdom. It is the time for them to training, but they are they are least bothered about their life. They least bothered about their kingdom. and they are feasting in the morning. Through their talks, through their actions, through their surrounding, they prove their foolishness. One dead fly can ruin your life. One dead fly can ruin your life. Don't be foolish in your life. We cannot play with it. We cannot easily handle it.

We need the fear of the Lord and obedience to His commandment. Often we depend on ourself, isn't it? To handle our sins. We trust ourselves. We think that with our strength, we will tackle our sins. Who are we? Who are we? How do we tackle our life? We are the people who keep alarm in our phone thinking that we'll get up at 5.30 and we get up in the morning, we turns off that alarm and sleep for another one hour. That's our planning is. And we are depending on ourselves to deal with the sin, to deal with the flies. Now Paul says that it is a spiritual warfare. We are not fighting with blood and flesh. It's a spiritual warfare and your opponent is very, very, very tactful. Therefore, put on the armor. If it is your spiritual warfare, you should fight it with the right armor. You cannot win a war with wrong arm. We often lose because we try to fight it with wrong armors. We use wrong tools. We use wrong weapons to counter the sin and the problems in our life.

The author of Hebrews encourages us to look to Jesus Christ, run the race of faith when he says that. And then he talks about the sin that entangles us. Hebrews chapter 12, verse one and two. Sin that entangles us. And the only way that author of Hebrews finds to fight with that entangling sin is to look to Jesus. look unto Jesus. That surprised me a lot. In chapter 11 of Hebrews, he's talking about great warriors of faith, but when he comes to chapter 12, he's not saying that you see look at Abraham or look at Abel or look at Noah or look at Jacob or David or Isaac. He does not taking their names. If you look at me, you will fail because I have also failed. Because I also go wrong. Look unto Jesus who is the author and the finisher of our faith. Who is one true example. We cannot, it will be foolish if we will not be able to handle our folly.

Solomon is suggesting the life in this world is futile. The life under the sun is tough, it is futile, it is meaningless. Therefore he says, enjoy your life. Therefore he says, work in your life. So make use of the time. Invest in your life. Therefore, he says that you should not be on the extreme side. Fear God in your life. Don't be self-righteous. Neither be overly wicked. And Solomon says, this life is futile, meaningless. Handle your flies carefully. I don't know about your problems. Probably you don't know about my problems. What can we do? I am scared to share about my sins to others. Are you? Are you? Of course I think you are. Why? because we don't trust one another. Isn't it? We don't trust one another. Probably I will not share about my sin to Ebi. Because I will have this fear that Ebi will go and tell it to someone else. And everyone will be knowing this. And I will be ashamed. I will be ashamed.

Brothers and sisters, let me tell you one thing. When we all go wrong, we need one another to help each other. help each other. We live in a world of trolling. You understand what trolling is, right? As soon as we come to know something bad about someone, we are ready to spew poison out against the person. We are ready to go to the Facebook and WhatsApp and tell that this is not right, this is this and this is that. We come up with hundreds and hundreds of arguments to troll that person. But let me tell you. I cannot fight this war alone. I need you. I need you my dear brothers and sisters. I need you to sit down and pray for me. I need you to pray for each and every family here, each and every youngsters here.

Lord, you help them even though when you know and when you don't know about it, rather than gossiping about the sins which I have committed. rather than talking bad about rather than trying to seek seek arguments and and and and suggestions for it rather than passing the news with extra masala. May we ever take time to sit down. Lord, I heard something about that brother or that sister. Help them to kill the dead flies of their life. one folly, one small fly will outnumber all the good things that you have done in earth. we can't take chances. Therefore, Solomon is suggesting be wise. Be wise in your actions. Be wise in your talks. Be wise in your behavior.

There is one poem which I have read somewhere and that poem says, I'll read it for you. That poem says, for want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of the horse, the battle was lost. For the want of the battle, for the failure of the battle, kingdom was lost. All for the want of a horse shoe nail. Have you ever heard this? For the want of a nail, the horse was lost. You know what kind of nail it's talking about? horse they put a shoe on the hoof of the horse to protect its hoof from scratching it in the ground and they just stick it with the nail. So only one small nail was lost. One small nail. Unnoticeable thing. It doesn't worry anyone. One small nail was lost. Doesn't care. Doesn't matter. Just a matter of small nail. But then the poem says, For the want of a nail, shoe was lost.

And when the shoe was lost, for the want of the shoe, the horse was lost. And when the horse was lost, for the want of the horse, the rider was lost. For the want of the rider. The battle was lost. For the failure of the battle, the kingdom was lost. And why did all this thing happened? Just because of one shoe nail. Kill it. Don't be foolish. Bible is not suggesting us to play with our sins, to have friendship with our sins, to compromise with our sins, whether it is in the church or in your personal life. We have to have, we have to get strict. Now someone said like this once that Christians can murder only in one instance. It is right to kill. Bible is commanding you to kill only in one instance. And that's in Colossians chapter 3. Paul is very serious about the sin there. And he is telling kill your flushly desires. Kill it. Don't be playful with it. Don't give an opportunity to creep into your life. Use the right weapons. Trust in the Lord. These are some of the suggestion that Solomon is giving to us.

Now, when we come to the end of this book, Solomon is portraying a beautiful poetry there. He's portraying a poem, he's portraying a life, he's portraying a decaying body indeed. And it is very beautifully he has written. And when we read to chapter 12 and when we start reading it, He is saying that remember your creator in the days of youth. And then when we come to verse number seven, he says the dust and the dust returns to the earth as it once was. And the spirit will spirit returns to God who gave it. And between that, so he's talking about your youthfulness and then he's talking about your death and he is portraying a decaying body in between. in between that this time will not be same as it is now. as it is now. And very beautifully he's saying before the days of adversity come and the years approach when you will say I have no delight in them.

Then he says before the sun before the sun and the light are darkened. He's talking about dimmed eyesight. And then the further he says that in verse three on the day when the guardians of the house Trumble and then he says the the strong man stoop. What does that mean? He's talking about. When your body will bend forward, your entire strength is decaying. This time will not stay like this. And then we read the woman who grind sees because they are few. He's talking about your teeth. It will all fall once. Then when we move forward, he says that the doors and the streets are shut while the sound of the mill fades. He's talking about impaired hearing. It will all go. It will all go. And then he says in verse five, also they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road and almond tree blossoms. They're talking about your hair, which will turn gray and it will fall. He's portraying a decaying picture. The strength with which you are thinking that you can stand. The strength with which you are thinking that you can live your life by yourself, you can attain meaning in your life. Probably this was the youthfulness of Solomon. in his young age with all the wisdom he had, with all the riches he had, he thought that he can make his own life, he can master his own life, he can control everything.

But as he progresses in his life, he understood that the sun's light has gone away. His knees are trembling. The guardians of the house are trembling. The back is stooping. The strong men are stooping forward. He cannot listen the voice of the grinding. All the grinders, women have gone away. All this beauty is fading away. Solomon is staying. Thus time is fleeting. You cannot hold the time. All these years you were trying to hold the smoke. You were trying to get hold of the Hevel, the vanity. But at the end, you thought that you have got hold on something very precious, something very meaningful. But as soon as you open your fist, there is nothing. There is nothing. What a poetic manner he is explaining this. And in verse 8, is saying, absolute futility says the teacher. Everything is futile. He is going back from where he has started. Futility. Everything is futile. That's what the teacher says. He's assembling people and he's suggesting them to remember the Creator in the days of your youth. We are living in a body which is fleeting, which is decaying. We cannot trust this body. We cannot trust this strength. We cannot trust the beauty of it. We cannot trust the strength it has because everything, everything is fleeting.

Now, when he comes to the end, he says, this is the conclusion of everything. This is the conclusion of everything. Here is what Solomon is bringing everything to the end. All his arguments to the answer for all the futility of life, the answer for all the problems and troubles of his life, the answers for all the burdens of his life, the answers for all the verisome toil in his life. And he says, everything was heard. The conclusion of the matter is this. He says, fear God and keep his commandment. Do you know Bible? Which is the... We say that we should love God and all these things, but more than loving God, Bible talks about fearing God. Bible talks about fearing God. It's giving reverence to Him. It's all about giving importance to God in our life, in our actions, in our thoughts, in all the areas of our life. It is important to revere God in all the aspects of our life, whether it is your work, whether it is your family, whether it is your church life, whether it's a casual talk, whether it is a casual walk outside. fear God and keep his commandment. Solomon concludes with an idea that we cannot live without God. he says, because for all he says in verse 14 for God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil, whether it is good or evil. God is going to bring everything in judgment.

But why Solomon is saying all these things to young people? Why Solomon wants to assemble people to talk about his life? Why Solomon is talking about futility and vanity of the life? Why Solomon is telling others to work? Why Solomon is telling people to enjoy? Why Solomon is telling not to be foolish? Why Solomon is asking us to kill our dead flies? Why Solomon is asking us to not to go extreme in your life, not to be self righteous or excessively wicked? Why he is writing all these things? In verse 11, we read the sayings of the wise man is like a God and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nail. The saying are given by one shepherd. He is focusing all your attention to God. And He saying all these things which are written here is like a God. You know what the God is? G-O-A-D. God is a... Have you seen shepherds? I grew up in Rajasthan. So, I have seen lots and lots of shepherds.

You can... Openly you can see shepherds in the fields in Rajasthan. So, they will have one long stick which is sharp on one side. They use that stick for two reasons. One to make sound on the ground and when they tap it on the ground, the sheep knows and wherever it is, it will come near to the shepherd. And on the other side, they use the sharp thing to poke the sheep. Whenever it goes astray, it pokes the sheep. So Solomon is saying, All these things are written with one purpose so that you should not go astray. It is like a God to poke you and bring you back. I was discussing these things with uncle yesterday. He was telling about some of his studies regarding this. It's like a God. It pokes you and brings you back on the track. Probably we were living life in futility. Probably we were not giving importance to our life. Probably we were not enjoying our life. Probably we were lazy enough to invest in our life. Probably we were self-righteous or excessively wicked. Solomon is writing this like a God to poke you and bring you back on track.

Then there is one more example. He's saying the master's collection is like a firmly embedded nail. Why do you use nail? Why do you use nail? To hang something. So what I learned was this, that it was to hang all your tensions or probably your problems on it. There is one more reason with which which has encouraged me a lot. There is one more thing for which we use nail. What is for that? Why do we use nail? To fix things. You have all the nails here. Why? So that this will not fall apart. This will not fall apart. to fix things up or to make this thing stand. Otherwise it will fall apart and be like, will lose its existence. or it will be divided into several parts. Several parts when we read Matthew chapter seven, our Lord Jesus Christ is telling us not to be worried what you will eat, what you will drink. Don't worry. And you know, in the original language, when we learned the word worry, it talks about a divided heart. A heart which is divided in its approach. You understand what's divided heart because your heart should be united in one thing. But now because of worry, because of trouble, because of tension, it is divided in so many things. You are thinking so many things and keeping it on your head. And Christ is suggesting that let your hearts not worry. Let it not be divided. Rather seek first the kingdom of God and all its righteousness. This book can keep your heart steady and keep it united to fear God and keep his commandments.

Even when Paul writes to Timothy, I'll close, Paul writes to Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter 4, when he comes to the last part of that epistle, Paul knows that he is going to die and Paul is saying that let be careful or be alert in some translation it is like that. The Greek word which is used there is nepho. That means have a clear head. Have a clear head. Have a clear head about things, have a clarity about things. That means you cannot be divided among so many things of this world. That means you cannot, your heart cannot be divided in the futility of this world. Fix it like a nail. Fix it in fearing God and keep it in commandment. Fix it on God. When Paul writes to Timothy in the previous chapters, he is writing that there are all kinds of people. Chapter three, he says at the end times there will be people who will be greedy, who will not take care of their parents, who will be rivals. They will fight. They will do all kinds of nuisances. In chapter four, Paul tells to Timothy that Timothy, there will be people who will not give importance to the sound doctrine. They will make their own doctrines.

The sound doctrines will be itching to their ears. But you, Timothy, what should you do? keep a clear head. Keep a clear head. Let your hearts, let your head doesn't get entangled in the things of this world. And Solomon is saying that this is the purpose. This book should work like a God. This book should work like a nail to hang your all the problems, to fix your mind in one place. Therefore, Solomon says Solomon probably is thinking about his life. All these years I have spent this life in vanity. But I have assembled people and said all the realities of life. What all you are thinking. I have already been in those ways. I have already done all those things. I have already done all what my heart has desired. Flying from one place to another. getting involved in so many things. It's all futility. Now this is the time when you fix your heart on God. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Fix your heart on. Let us pray together. Let us strive together. Let us help one another as we study this book, as we understand this book, as we spend time to learn the scriptures. There is only one purpose, the conclusion of everything. Fear God and keep His commandments. May the good God bless each one of us.