Ecclesiastes 10

“Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor: so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”  Ecclesiastes 10:1 (NKJV)

Over the course of my music career, my band Big Tent Revival was nominated for 5 GRAMMY awards.   Of course, each time we were nominated, we dressed up and took our wives to the awards show.  One particular year, the host was comedian Rosie O’Donnell.  These days, Rosie’s name has become synonymous with bitterness and left-wing political views.  But in the mid 90’s, she was well-loved and respected by almost everyone.  She was the voice of one of the characters in the children’s movie “The Lion King” and hosted the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards.  

So, there we were at the Grammys, laughing at Rosie’s good-natured banter and ribbing of the stars when it came time for the first commercial break.  The moment we went to commercial, Rosie let loose (to the audience which contained many children) one of the foulest jokes I have ever heard.  It was so foul that it got only nervous laughter from the mostly secular music crowd.  Then she told another foul joke, and so it went for the rest of the night.  The cameras came on, and she was the clean funny Rosie the world expected, but when the cameras were off, she was a completely different person.  It was years before the rest of the nation would learn of her duplicity, but it was apparent to all who were in attendance that the woman was not consistent with her image.  It was sad because she was so well-loved for her public persona, yet her lack of character eventually shipwrecked her career.

Solomon was talking about a similar phenomenon as the one I experienced with Rosie, a woman whose “perfume” of honor and wisdom was fouled by the “fly” of her lack of scruples.  Perhaps, Solomon was even referencing his own father, King David, who (at the pinnacle of his God-ordained rule, an anointed “man after God’s own heart”) killed a close friend (Uriah) in order to sleep with his wife.  Of course, that woman was Solomon’s own mother.

But what of us?  It takes a lifetime to build a reputation of wisdom and honor.  In order to gain people’s trust, we must display character over long periods of time.  But in a Twitter rant, a viral YouTube video, a forwarded email, or a Facebook post, that good reputation can come crashing down.  Fools let their emotions and feelings override their better judgment.  Bad decisions during a momentary override of the Spirit’s prompting can have devastating results.  Let us heed Solomon’s exhortation and be anxious for nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, we should make our petitions known, seeking to be led by the Spirit and maintaining a reputation of character, as opposed to building a reputation for being a character.  In this manner, we will protect ourselves against forfeiting the respect and honor due the Lord by those who bear His Name.