Introduction

Throughout my life, I have often pondered how to become intelligent. After decades of research, I have finally understood a bit, thanks to the Book of Ecclesiastes. This book is truly excellent.

Yesterday, I met a sister whose parents greatly enjoy my teachings on Ecclesiastes. To become intelligent, one must diligently read Ecclesiastes. Without intelligence, life can be miserable, and people often engage in actions they do not comprehend. Spending vast sums on a burial plot before death is futile. One must gain insight into life, birth, and death. Failure to grasp these matters hinders one's ability to become wise.

To Be Intelligent Is to Be Spiritual

Brothers and sisters, understand that you do not need much foolishness; even a tiny bit can corrupt you. Becoming wise in life is a difficult endeavour, akin to moving one’s heart from the left to the right side. How does one accomplish this? By becoming a spiritual person. The heart of a spiritual person is on the right, while the heart of a carnal person is naturally on the left. Some may object, citing an intelligent colleague whose S-ray reveals a heart on the left. To view matters with carnal eyes places the heart on the left, but a spiritual perspective changes the situation.

This sister told me that her father, in his eighties, frequently sees many things. I instructed her to view these matters spiritually, and she came to believe her father’s words were true. Although invisible to our physical eyes, this elderly man, in his eighties, could see much in the spiritual realm. Yet, doctors in the hospital dismiss it as confusion. In truth, they are seeing something real.

One's Strengths Cannot Substitute for Weaknesses

Today, we discuss Chapter 10: A little foolishness can ruin a person’s life. This is easily understood. How many fatal car accidents does one need in a lifetime? Only one, for there will be no next time. A fatal accident is an instance of foolishness, a single instance that can send one to the afterlife. Therefore, never use your strengths to overshadow your weaknesses. I often hear people say, This person is good enough; no one is perfect. We accept a few flaws. But I disagree. Strengths cannot replace weaknesses. One may possess wisdom and honour throughout life, but a small amount of foolishness can undo it all. Our lifelong task is to diligently confront all our foolishness and eliminate it. Chapter 10 lists all sorts of foolish acts, with the most important ones included.

As we listen to Ecclesiastes today, I encourage you to take notes and review them often. You will surely become wiser. Foolishness must be addressed bit by bit. A cup of tea or wine does not need to be entirely poison; a small amount is enough to kill you. Similarly, a little foolishness, like a little poison, can ruin one’s life. Let us begin today to gradually confront our foolishness. Foolishness is a deadly thing. When one views matters spiritually, one will become wise. When one uses carnal eyes to view the flesh, one will become extremely foolish. Why do people make so many wrong decisions in this world? Because they are ignorant of the reality of the spiritual realm. They are unaware of the operating rules of the spirit world, knowing only the rules of this world, which are not rules at all.

See the Big Picture, Not Just a Part

Some time ago, a popular saying was, Even a pig can fly if it stands at the vent. But Jack Ma said, Even if it flies, it has no wings. What happens when the wind stops? How one views these things is crucial. Some see only the flying, but what about the landing? If it cannot land, it will crash and die. Thus, one must see the big picture, not just a part.

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

No matter how precious a bowl of porridge, if there is a speck of faeces in it, no one will eat it. One speck is enough, just as one drop of poison is enough. Therefore, we must be careful when reading the Bible and avoid being misled by certain words.

A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. (Ecclesiastes 10:2)

What kind of person is wise? What kind of person is foolish? As I said earlier, a spiritual person is wise, and a carnal person is foolish.

Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. (Ecclesiastes 8:1)

Let us revisit Chapter 8, which discusses understanding God’s actions from a spiritual perspective. Chapter 9 continues, stating that the actions of a wise man are in God's hands, viewed through a spiritual lens.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to those with knowledge; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

These are all God's actions. Understanding them from a spiritual perspective brings clarity. Mastering spiritual laws makes one wise, whereas mastering worldly laws makes one foolish. Therefore, we must make every effort to confront our carnal desires, as even a little carnal habit can corrupt us. Strive for complete transformation.

A Person's Foolishness Can Be Seen in Their Path

How can one tell if a person is foolish? By observing the path they have taken. If a person works hard and earns much by age 30, only to return to square one by 40; earns much by 40, only to return to square one by 50; and earns much by 50, only to return to square one by 60, burdened with debt, is that person intelligent or foolish? There may be some intelligence, but it cannot compensate for the foolishness. This foolishness can repeatedly bring them back to square one. Judge a person by the path they have walked throughout life to know what kind of person they are.

Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. (Ecclesiastes 10:3)

The fool's path is evident in their decisions. You will see them making smart decisions, only to be set back to square one by an occasional foolish act. Never think you are very clever, for a bit of foolishness can undo you. This is how a fool walks their path, showing everyone around them that they are a fool. If a person does not recognize their foolishness after walking through life, they are extremely foolish.

Yesterday, I met a brother who was taking a manual driving test. I asked why he chose manual, and he said it was to be thorough and drive any car. This struck me as odd. Three of our brothers with poorer motor skills chose manual to avoid dealing with the clutch and shifting. I showed him my car and asked what the gears were. He did not know. Spending an extra S$1,000 to learn manual in Singapore only to lack basic knowledge is a waste.

A person's path reveals their ignorance. Ignorance is a lack of understanding of the essence of things, yet they presume they know, leading to trouble. Observe the choices and circumstances of a person to know what kind of person they are. A self-righteous person is fatally foolish. To become wise, one must know what one knows and what one does not know. If one does not know that they do not know, will they not pay a heavy price? Driving, making choices in life—these reveal whether a person is wise or foolish.

Driving reveals whether a person is wise or foolish. Recently, one of our brothers borrowed a car and returned it after a few days with six traffic tickets. Thus, the fool's path reveals their ignorance. On the path of life, many choices must be made; one must diligently read Ecclesiastes. Summarize how you have walked through life. Not long ago, I asked a sister to write down how she has lived her 60 years, how she arrived where she is today, detailing her foolishness to understand her journey. I have been saying this for a year, and she finally gave me an answer that exceeded my expectations. Why had she delayed? Because she considered herself clever. This is the height of self-importance.

Whether a person’s path is clever or not is judged by the outcome. Do not use your clever or honourable decisions to determine whether you are wise or foolish. Focus on the foolish things you have done. If you can remember all your foolish actions, then you are wise.

A Little Foolishness Can Spoil Wisdom and Honour

Therefore, we must realize that a little foolishness can spoil wisdom and honour. If you make a foolish decision today, another tomorrow, and yet another the day after, all your past wise decisions are wasted. I later realized that self-righteous people have not carefully studied matters; they make decisions without sufficient understanding.

For example, someone might say, I am without flaws, or I have no constraints. Despite my efforts to remind them, they insist, I am not, and I have no self-importance. Hearing this, I think, What self-importance!

Dead flies make the ointment of the perfumer give off a foul odour; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

If you have an overly ideal self-image, thinking you are the smartest person, you will find it hard to improve. The author of Ecclesiastes says that a little foolishness can ruin wisdom and honour. Do you still have some foolishness? If so, confront it.

Brothers and sisters, we indulge our children too much, to the extreme. When a child misbehaved in my office, her parents gently patted her, but I took a stick and gave her a thrashing, and it worked. How do I make such unruly children smarter? With the rod of discipline.

Therefore, never think a little foolishness is harmless. Never use past clever decisions to replace foolish ones. If we have made many foolish decisions, we must deal with them one by one.

It is tragic to not read books, and even more tragic to not read the Bible. Many of Empress Dowager Cixi's subordinates met unfortunate ends, but Zeng Guofan was wise and died well. Because:

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offences to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is placed in many high positions, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. (Ecclesiastes 10:4-7)

If you think that the ruler is so foolish, how can he be the boss, you are in trouble, your foolishness is more foolish than the boss's foolishness. When the ruler gets angry with you, using gentleness can avoid great offenses. If you serve the Emperor, you may not even know how your head fell off. If you are in the Emperor’s service, you might lose your head without even knowing how. Do not assume that your temper is bad and you have a little dragon spirit; everyone must forgive you. But can you forgive yourself? A little foolishness can ruin your wisdom and honour.

Do not think your bad temper is innate; your heart is on the left; you must move it to the right. Who knows when your temper will cause you to fall into a trap? Therefore, cultivate the habit of honouring, honouring authority, even if fools are in high places, do not despise them. For all authority comes from God, including me. When I am foolish, do not misunderstand; if you look down on this one or that one, there will be trouble. The ruler’s error is God's work.

I have seen slaves riding horses and princes walking on ground like slaves. There are many inverted things in the world. I often see very stupid people who earn a lot of money. I see many smart people who live ordinary lives. In the last chapter, we read about a wise poor man. God deliberately placed him there for people to stumble. Do not be self-righteous; see God's work clearly. We must honour our pastors and become wise, turning from our bad habits.

He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. (Ecclesiastes 10:8-9)

Why do people dig pits? Because they want their own benefit. When they dig pits, they forget that the world is very spiritual. They dig the pit to make the other person fall into it, and in wanting to harm others they forget they will fall into it. This is the spirit of Mingding Destiny (命定神学) principles, which they didn't understand.

He who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake; he who quarries stones may be injured by them; he who splits logs may be endangered by them. If you are to do this, you must know the risks involved. If you go into the mountains to quarry stones without knowing the dangers, one mistake could cost you your life. Therefore, do not use deceit to harm others.

Breaking through a wall, like in the real estate industry, is not easy. You will have to demolish many things, and you will encounter stubborn residents, which can be quite troublesome. He who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake, bringing much trouble. If these things are done to gain wealth or benefits in this world, be careful, as you are looking at the problem from a carnal perspective. Just as a fool's heart is on the left, because he only thinks about gaining benefits, forgetting the risks involved.

When you invest, be aware of the risks. You only think about making money, forgetting about losing money. For example, someone might say, You provide the capital, I provide the technology. You get 20% of the shares, and I get 80%. But the other party says, No, I want 30% of the shares, and you get 70%. They argue endlessly, only thinking about making money, not about losing money. Only thinking about making money, digging traps to harm others, forgetting that they are also in danger, just quarrying stones and splitting logs, forgetting the risks. If you have never asked yourself, What if I lose?, you must begin to understand the risks.

A sister invested 200,000. I asked her, What if you lose it? She said, I won't lose, definitely won't lose. Some among us have lost 2 million, 3 million, all kinds of people. How did these people return to square one? It is because of a simple thing: only thinking about gaining benefits, which is foolish. Today, we must think about whether we really understand what we are doing, whether we are really clear about the decisions we are making.

If you were to make the decision again, would you go for a manual driving license? If you were to make the decision again, would you invest in such an industry? If you were to make the decision again, would you hand over that 200,000 to someone else? Do not be ignorant, think everything through clearly. Today, we must know that he who splits logs will be endangered by them.

Cultivate a Rigorous Habit

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)

If you don't want to figure things out, you are just lazy. You might say, Even Jack Ma invested, so I'll invest too. Jack Ma's knife is sharp, but yours is dull. He might make money and leave. All the logic of passing the parcel is like this: whoever is left holding it at the end is the unlucky one.

Never be dull-headed, never be lazy, research everything, and see the risks and rewards you face. If your return on investment is very high, know that the risk is also very high. If your ax is dull and you don't want to sharpen it, but just use it as it is, then you are in trouble.

We make many decisions in our lives, and any one of them could cost you everything. So we must learn to say about everything, What is really going on here? But wisdom brings success. If you don't know the danger of doing something, don't know the price to pay, and don't know the reward, you still need some wisdom, some guidance, and don't just make a decision without thinking.

Therefore, never let your life, which was meant to be overflowing with anointing, be ruined by a dead fly that makes the oil stink. Carelessness in anything is deadly. So wisdom brings success. When we launch a man-made earth satellite, we don't need to get everything wrong. Just one thing wrong, and the satellite won't go up. When we write a program, we don't need to have all the characters wrong. Just one character wrong, and the program won't run. If we want to launch a man-made earth satellite, we have to get everything right. So we must cultivate a rigorous habit. Laxity is a bad habit.

I had a brother draw a picture of his house. The picture he drew was completely out of proportion. I asked him if he knew it was out of proportion. He said he knew, but it didn't matter, as long as it worked. We saw his attitude. Later, he hung the out-of-proportion picture in his office to remind him, but after reminding him again and again, he still often made decisions without knowing what he was doing.

But wisdom brings success. (Ecclesiastes 10:10)

Some time ago, I gave a brother a difficult problem: I give you 1 million, how do you make a decision? He came up with an answer off the top of his head. His expression seemed to tell me that your stuff isn't necessarily right, but I like to get wisdom and guidance. I have contacted rich people who are engaged in investment, finance, and wealth management. I like to discuss with them how to do this? I like to learn, and I also like people to guide me. Just now I misread the pronunciation of a word, and someone corrected me. I thank him, and everyone can take it as a joke. I'm not making excuses. I really need people to guide me. Whenever someone guides me, I am very grateful.

Be a Smart Person, Learn to Speak and Do Things

If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage for the charmer. (Ecclesiastes 10:11)

Practicing magic and playing with snakes is very dangerous. If you are not careful, you will be bitten by a snake, and then it is no use practicing magic. A moment of carelessness and foolishness will cost you dearly. One of our brothers said that the church has been renovating for the past year and a half, and he has been taking driving lessons for the past year and a half. This is a costly mistake. Those of us with licenses should also be careful. Carelessness when driving is also very dangerous. When I train our brothers and sisters to drive, I get angry. I can't help but get angry. I do it to make them remember. It is deadly to drive without looking at road signs.

The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be; and who can tell him what will be after him? (Ecclesiastes 10:12-14)

Everyone must know that speech is very spiritual. A person who cannot speak is foolish. The lips of a fool consume him, and the words of his mouth are foolish, simply outrageous. Some people cannot have money. When they have money, their voice changes, and the way they walk changes. Because people are foolish, fools multiply words, that is, they talk too much, and they don't know what will happen in the future. These people are carnal people. They boast about the things they see with their flesh. Carnal people have no accurate judgment about the future.

These people are arrogant. They become arrogant when they gain power and money, thinking they are very powerful, but it is only the mistake of the authorities. Try them, and they don't know what will happen in the future. For example, those who are now in prison never thought they would be there. At that time, these arrogant people spoke very arrogantly, but the result was not good. No one can tell him about the things after him. If you have authority and are very arrogant, and it is obtained through your own ability, it is very dangerous. You must know that it is not wisdom. We only explain what we understand, and say we don't know what we don't know.

The labor of a fool wearies him, for he does not even know how to go to town. (Ecclesiastes 10:15)

The labor of a fool wearies him, just like Lot. From a spiritual perspective, he entered the ruins. A large amount of money was invested in real estate, but God burned it with sulfur and fire, and in the end, he didn't even know the way to the city. Today, I teach everyone a lesson. If you want to immigrate, see if that place is Sodom and Gomorrah. If it is, I advise you not to go. Of course, you can also be a person like Rahab, with that kind of faith.

There is a road but no way. You see a nation and think it is a wealthy place, but it is actually a disaster. I used to have a subordinate who dreamed of immigrating to Australia because Australia has very good welfare, but where does the welfare come from? Have you done the math? You see it's very good today, but what about the future? Greece is in trouble. We must know what is really going on with everything we do.

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! (Ecclesiastes 10:16-17)

If the king of a nation eats and drinks at the proper time, then it is blessed. If a country has very good welfare, people will become lazy. Laziness and feasting are foolish. If a person is lazy, it is deadly. There are several things you can do to make people smart: be able to speak, because people will think in their minds when they speak, and say edifying words, which are gracious words. It is also troublesome if a person can speak but cannot work.

It is deadly if a person is lazy. When I do carpentry work, carry wood, and do carpentry, I often see people with their hands in their pockets, watching as if it were a joke. You must know that if you are diligent, you will become smart. The other day we had to carry boards that were 1.2 meters by 2.4 meters. They were too big to fit in the elevator, so we had to carry them from the first floor to the eighth floor. One of our sisters, whose hands are very small, carried the board up, and I found that her hands had strength.

Because of laziness, the roof sinks in, and through lack of care the house leaks. (Ecclesiastes 10:18)

We must change our living habits. If we see dirty clothes, we don't wash them, and then we pile them up together. Isn't this deadly? We make the house dirty and don't clean it. We must all be smart people, learning to speak and be diligent. Fools have a very foolish view of money. The author of Ecclesiastes said that a feast is for laughter. If it brings sorrow, it is also deadly. It doesn't matter if you drink a little wine. I have seen some religious people say that you can't drink alcohol. I haven't seen that in the Bible.

A brother drove a long way to come to me, and I took out a bottle of wine. He said, Oh no, our church pastor is here. We can't drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol is a sin. Wine can make people happy. We can't drink wine to excess, but we can drink wine. I am a preacher of Ecclesiastes. Pour a glass for everyone, with some peanuts. When you are tired from working in the middle of the night, it is very comfortable to drink a little.

Don't forget that this is a very spiritual thing. Money for wine is a very spiritual thing. Some people are full of religious flavor, and they are cursed in money because they have a very negative view of money and a very negative view of authority. We must bless the king and not curse the king. All authority comes from God. Never make trouble. Our work is not about what we are doing in the world. We are simply taking an exam in the world, being a smart person before God, not before the world.

Recently, many churches have been vehemently opposed to homosexuality. Where is the foundation in the Bible? It doesn't tell you to organize a political activity. What is our mission? To become a wise person while living on earth, to become a spiritual person, to become someone who can bless this era, to become someone who can pass God's exam in this world and become pleasing to God, to build God's glorious church. So today we must not curse the king, not curse the rich. Don't think that what I am saying is my own fabrication. This is what Ecclesiastes says:

Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. - Ecclesiastes 10:20

If you don't want to live a poor life, don't curse others, because this is God's doing.

folly is set in many high places, and rich people sit in low places. I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants. - Ecclesiastes 10:6-7

These are all the acts of our God, as if they were the mistakes of the authorities. That is your view, but our God will not make mistakes. It is to let many people not understand this world, and their carnal eyes cannot understand, so they live very foolishly and in great chaos. Go back and start thinking about the things you do and the words you say, how much is foolish, how much is lazy, how much is operating in ignorance, and with a heart cursing the king and the rich, so you are cursed. Why do you want to do such a thing? Having said so much, get rid of every bit of foolishness in us, because a little foolishness can ruin wisdom and honor. So we don't need too much foolishness in our lives. Just a little can ruin it, turning our hearts from the left to the right, making our words that are not clear clear.

Summary

Be a spiritual person who can have a far-reaching impact on future events. Be a person of faith who can create your future with your faith. Let us not be foolish people. Our future is in our faith because our God has already accepted us, because He will fulfill our future according to what we believe, because no one, nothing, whether it is a king or a rich person, can affect God's good plan for us. But if we are foolish people, God's plan may fall apart in us, so in any case, be a wise person, pleasing God alone before God, may God bless everyone!

Ecclesiastes List