Authority of the King of Nobility (Ecc 10: 16- 20)

AUTHORITY OF THE KING OF NOBILITY (Ecc 10: 16- 20): 

After writing about the words of the wise and fools, the author immediately writes how the words should be carefully pronounced when it is regarding the authorities. The author writes that woe to the nation or land when their king is a child, and its princes feast in the morning. The king who is like a child doesn’t care about others and doesn’t derive at things logically by being considerate but just gratify the self and his own thoughts. The princes who don’t care about anyone or anything, do the things in an unorderly manner according to his own desires that cause trouble to others.

Then the author writes that the land is happy when their king is the son of nobility and its princes feast at the proper time for strength and not for drunkenness. When a king is a noble person, he doesn’t reign to glorify himself but reign to do good for his own people, without the evil and selfish reasons. The noble person is righteous and discerns what all he needs to be done or not to do and at what time. The princes who care, do everything in order, and know the reason for doing it. The feasting of a noble and wise prince is for gaining strength by binding with one another, and not for getting immersed in something to forget or gratify the self in vain pleasure.

The author also writes that through sloth the roof sinks in and through indolence the house leaks. When there is sloth or stagnancy that exists, ultimately it affects the roof and likewise, a person who is inactive at the time of action will make himself sink into something. And through the inactivity, ultimately the stagnancy could cause leakage in the house through the roof and likewise, the indolence causes a person to suffer, with the approval of problems to get into him. The author then writes that bread is made for laughter and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. The person striving for food and refreshes himself with it ultimately brings joy and relief, and the wine which is not meant for drunkenness but for drink brings refreshment and thereby gladness. The people need money for living as it provides most of the desires of a man in terms of material things. The author further writes not to curse the king, not even in the thoughts, nor in bedroom curse the rich, for the bird of the air carry their voice or some winged creature tell the matter. The person needs to submit to the authorities in everything in the civilian matters, though sometimes it seems unfair. Cursing the ruler in an unseen way or in a private place is not approved as some of the actions may reveal it at times or through someone who knows it someway, for it is easily got to be known through unseen way and the ruler may impose serious punishment.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    When the land is in woe? How?

2.    When the land is happy? How?

3.    How we can make our dependents happy?

4.    What does the sloth do? How?

5.    What does the indolence do? How?

6.    What is there for laughter? How?

7.    What gladdens life? How?

8.    What answers everything? How?

9.    What should not a person do in thoughts and in the bedroom? Why?

10.    How can we avoid cursing the people with authority?

11.    How we can be without sloth or indolence?