Ecclesiastes 10:4 - Meaning and Application

These verses are meant to keep subjects loyal and dutiful to the government. In Solomon’s day, the people were wealthy and lived comfortably, which may have made them proud and impatient. When taxes were high, even if they could afford them, many may have acted boldly against the government and threatened rebellion. Solomon gives several needed warnings to stop that spirit.

First, subjects should not turn a private grievance into a quarrel with their ruler. If the ruler’s anger rises against you because of bad information or because of some mistake on your part, do not abandon your post or forget your duty. Do not, in a fit of anger, quit your place in his service and give up hope of ever recovering his favor. Wait a little, and you may find that he is not hard to please forever, because a gentle answer can calm serious offenses.

Solomon speaks here for himself, and for every wise and good ruler. He could forgive those who humbled themselves, even after they had stirred his anger. It is safer and better to yield to an angry prince than to fight with him.

Second, subjects should not start a quarrel with their ruler just because the public affairs are not handled exactly as they would want. Solomon admits that there is an evil often seen in this world, a ruler’s mistake that only the ruler can correct. It happens when people are not promoted according to merit, but foolish men are given high honor and power, while capable and wealthy men are kept low. That is a bad sign for any nation, especially when wicked people rise and worthy people are held back.

He gives another picture of the same problem: he has seen servants riding on horses, like princes, while princes have been forced to walk on foot like servants. He is not mainly speaking of humble birth, but of low and servile character. Sometimes God uses this to punish a sinful people. But as far as it comes from the ruler’s choice, it is still a serious mistake and a heavy burden for the people. Yet it is a mistake under the sun, and it will be put right above the sun, where only wisdom and holiness are given true honor.

Even so, if a ruler is guilty of such mistakes, subjects should not leave their place, rise against the government, or plan to change it by force. And rulers should not push matters so far that they place such unworthy people in power that they trample on the old boundaries of the constitution and threaten to destroy it. Neither side should violently force changes or try to break into a settled national order, because it is dangerous for both.

Solomon shows this with four comparisons, all meant to warn us not to harm ourselves by rash actions. If someone digs a pit for another, there is a strong chance he will fall into it himself. If princes become tyrants, or subjects become rebels, history shows what usually follows. It is better for both to stay within their proper bounds.

If someone breaks through a hedge, especially an old hedge that has long served as a boundary, a snake hidden there may bite him (Acts 28:3). God has set up the rights and powers of princes like a hedge. Their persons are under his special care. So those who plan treason against their peace, crown, and honor are really preparing ruin for themselves.

If someone removes stones to tear down a wall or building, the stones may fall on him and injure him. Those who try to change a well-made and well-settled government, claiming they are only fixing faults, soon learn how hard it is to build what is better. It is easier to find fault than to improve things, and they often end up hurting themselves in the ruin they cause.

If someone cuts wood, especially if he uses poor tools, he is in danger from the work itself. The chips may fly back into his face, or the axe head may come loose and strike him. In the same way, if we try to overcome hard problems by force and violence, we may find that the attempt itself damages us.

So both rulers and people should act toward each other with wisdom, gentleness, and self-control. Wisdom helps a ruler handle a restless people in a way that does not make them worse, either by being careless and encouraging them or by being harsh and provoking them to rebellion. Wisdom also helps subjects act toward a harsh ruler in a way that does not drive him farther away, but seeks to win him through humble appeals, patient submission, and peaceful means, not through proud demands like those made to Rehoboam (1 Kings 12).

The same rule applies in all our relationships if we want peace and comfort to last. Wisdom leads us to choose gentle methods and avoid violent ones. It teaches us to sharpen the tool we must use, instead of leaving it dull and forcing ourselves to strain harder than needed.

We can save ourselves a great deal of work, and avoid much danger, if we sharpen before we cut. That is, we should think ahead and plan what is fitting to say and do in each hard case, so we can fit ourselves to it and do the work smoothly and easily, both for others and for ourselves. Wisdom teaches us how to sharpen and prepare both ourselves and those we employ, not to work deceitfully (Psalm 52:2), but to work cleanly and skillfully. The mower wastes no time when he sharpens his scythe.

Wisdom also teaches us how to deal with a serpent we must face, instead of trying to out-hiss it, as Ecclesiastes 10:11 says. A serpent bites unless it is charmed by singing or music, and for that reason it stops its ears (Psalm 58:4-5). In the same way, a babbler is no better to those who have to deal with him. So we should not think we can beat him by talking louder or longer, but by wise and careful handling.

A ruler with free use of his tongue, one who can say what he wants, is as dangerous to deal with as an uncharmed serpent. But if you meet him with the charm of mild and humble submission, you may be safe. This is where wisdom, the gentleness that comes from wisdom, proves useful. “By long patience a ruler is persuaded” (Proverbs 25:15). Jacob won over Esau with a gift, and Abigail won over David. When someone can say anything they like, wisdom says it is best to avoid saying anything provoking.