Verses 2-7
A wise person may also lose his opportunity to give counsel through the error of someone else, for example, one of the rulers he has been advising. "The right" and "the left" (Ecclesiastes 10:2) are not the political right and left, conservatism and liberalism. They are the place of protection and the place of danger, or, to put in another way: the correct way and the incorrect way (cf. Psalms 16:8; Psalms 110:5; Psalms 121:5). [Note: Cf. Delitzsch, p. 373.] The "road" (Ecclesiastes 10:3) is not a literal highway but the fool’s metaphorical way of life. The wise man does not quit his job when his boss gets angry with him. He maintains his composure and so gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that his boss did not need to be angry.
"The lesson is that the self-controlled person who has less rank is really more powerful than the out-of-control supposed superior." [Note: Hubbard, p. 213.]
Unfortunately, one’s good work does not always receive the praise it deserves. Sometimes the promotion goes to the less qualified person because of the supervisor’s caprice or folly. Consequently, the ruler’s illogical decision nullifies the better worker’s wisdom (Ecclesiastes 10:5-7).
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