Ecclesiastes 10:1: “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, / And cause it to give off a foul odor; / So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”

July 15th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Solomon held wisdom very highly and warned us here that it can easily be overthrown by poor judgment. Just like a dead fly floating in a bottle of expensive Channel #5 perfume, one thoughtless act of foolishness has the potential to destroy the reputation of someone’s life, even if it was otherwise filled with wise decisions. We have all seen a one-time very effective pastor allow a little foolishness into his life, which eventually led to a destroyed ministry and his life becoming a stumbling block to many authentic believers.

We only need to look within Solomon’s family to understand just what he meant. We think of his father and mother, David and Bathsheba, whose lives were destroyed by a little foolishness, undoing a large amount of wisdom. The careless whim of a leader, for a few short minutes, can blacken a life of wisdom.

“LORD, we cry out to You to keep us today from folly. Help us to continue to serve You will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.”