Campfire Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

We sat by the campfire this weekend, staring at the tug of the flames like we all know we do when relaxing by a fire. We marveled at the ways the smoke rolled from logs, how the flames bent around each other, how the fire magically transformed many times before us. As I read this chapter in Ecclesiastes this morning, God tugged at my heart on these verses. I thought of the fire, the sounds, smells, the lure of it if you will allow. I read deeper and of how these thorns will produce a greater lure; the burning produces a greater light, even adding the excitement of more noise, but yet temporal, and fades quickly. Matthew Henry expounded like this: “And what an absurd thing is it for a man to dote so much upon such a transient pleasure as the laughter of a fool is, which may fitly be compared to the burning of thorns under a pot, which makes a great noise and a great blaze, for a little while, but is gone presently, scatters its ashes, and contributes scarcely any thing to the production of a boiling heat, for that requires a constant fire! The laughter of a fool is noisy and flashy, and is not an instance of true joy.”

The laughter of the fool produces an odd accolade for one’s spirit. The laugh of the joke, the whisper in the ear of gossip, the tug of sins for flash and pride. Countless times we sin for innumerable reasons, but many are temporal pleasures found in the accolades of fools. Vanity, a waste if you will, is how Solomon labels these pursuits. How many times have we done something we immediately wish we could take back? The quick whip that brought the laughter as quickly brought the conviction. The rebuke of the Holy Spirit within us works instantaneously. The measure of your standing with God is your conviction of sin, and your response to them. Do you believe in the cleansing power of repentance? We all sin, do not deceive yourself, even those you place on pedestals battle their own demons. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

How do we hear the rebuke of the wise? We surround ourselves with Godly counsel, those who will not be afraid to point out our sins and hold us accountable. Those who will not tell us what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. What if God does not have those around you right now? God’s Word is the greatest counsel you will ever have, and it is available to all. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I promise you that if you seek wisdom and discernment of life, of yourself, prayerfully enter into the presence of God in his Word. The Holy Spirit will lead you into an understanding that is divine, but many times painfully true. You will not remain the same person today, you cannot remain the same, for God will rebuke you, and change you from the inside out. Then you may become wise and help another along the road of sanctification.