October 1
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ECCLESIASTES 10
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
– Ecclesiastes 10:8-11
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ECCLESIASTES 10 THE BLUNDERS OF FOLLY
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Those who rely on their own strength and understanding
They will open up themselves to all kinds of humiliation
When a fool plots to put down someone
He himself will be snared in his own doing
When a fool schemes to violate someone’s boundaries
He digs himself a pit that he will fall into effortlessly
The foolish thinks that they can manipulate others
Only to be deceived by their own traps later.
Because a fool does not care for others, he is isolated
Unless he gains a profit from them, he will stay secluded
While the wise continue to grow in their pursuits
The fools stay in their futility and mindless doings
The errors of folly are so apparent and clear to others
But to himself, he cannot even see his own blunders
They continue to chase their own tails in a circle
While the wise are able to grow in all their endeavors.
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REFLECTION
• Share some of the blunders of folly that you have encountered in your lifetime.