Don’t Put Dead Flies in Perfume

Rev. Andrew Belt, pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Marshfield, WI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:7.

Solomon laments the reality under the sun that no outcome is assured. Those who are fastest don’t always win the race, and those are smart don’t always get rich. Wisdom conquers brute force, and yet wisdom doesn’t always receive its due recognition. Nonetheless, wisdom is to be preferred for this life under the sun. A little folly can ruin everything, because it leads in the wrong direction from the very beginning.

“Wisdom for Life Under the Sun” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon’s favorite word in Ecclesiastes paints a bleak picture: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” Apart from God, life is nothing but vapor that does not last and can never be grasped. Yet Solomon does not leave us in despair. He shows us that life does have meaning in the faith and fear of God, from whom all things come to us as a gift.