As I reached for a handful of leaves from the top of my compost pile, I quickly jerked back when something pricked my finger! Thorn bushes and trimmings that had gone into the compost pile the year before. That’s when I decided that thorny pile needed to be burned! Those thorns crackled gloriously in the fire while a certain verse came to mind.
“For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool; And this too is futility” (Ecclesiastes 7:6NASB).
While studying the book of Ecclesiastes, the above verse had me stumped. The New Living Translation below explains more…
“A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire. This also is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 7:6NLV).
FOOL
I pondered that verse as I watched the fire. We do not use the term “fool” today, unless referring to someone with a joker’s hat with bells, or Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Yet the “fool” in the Bible is no dummy. Today’s society would call the Biblical fool a jerk or a narcissist. It’s not that they lack brains, but that they do not use the brains God gave them for good. They might be foolish with their finances, reckless in relationships, self-centered, narrow minded. While we could spend hours here alone, I will defer to an expert on the topic: Laurel Slade-Waggoner.
Now that we have a better understanding of a fool, let’s dive into what the verse says about a fool, that their laughter is like the crackling of a thorn bush in a fire. Now about that fire…
THORNS IN A FIRE
- What happened when I put the thorn bushes in the fire? And no, I did not cook anything on a pot over it, but that would have been fun! What did “crackle” in a fire? The thorn bushes crackled. The thorns made a loud noise.
- What else happened? The thorn bushes burned! The fire became very bright! It drew my attention.
- How long did it last? Not very long.
FOOL LIKE THORNS IN A FIRE
Ok, now let’s see how that relates to a “fool’s laughter” as we look at the same questions.
- When a fool laughs, do they make a loud noise? Yes!
- Do they draw a lot of attention? Yes!
- How long does their laughter and attention last? Not very long.
THE POINT
Did you make some connections yet? A fool’s laughter may be loud and annoying, but it quickly dies down, just like a thorn bush in a fire. Despite the obnoxiousness of a heckler’s hackling, it will not last long. But why? Why did Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, say that? What’s the moral of the story? I’m so glad you asked! You’re full of wonderful questions today!
What else does the verse say? It says the fool’s laughter is meaningless or futility. Therefore, we shan’t take it too much to heart! Is someone picking on you? God says their efforts are futile, because you are HIS! So does that mean we just take it? Not necessarily. But we leave the ultimate “revenge” in the Lord’s hands. We trust the Lord, take proper prayerful and responsible steps, and then move on!
GOD’S TRUE JUSTICE
A New Testament instruction aligns with this advice: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
I hate to use real life examples of this happening, but one in particular stands out to me. A certain man became very successful and had a nice house with his wife and kids. On the same property, he built a guest house for his secretary, or more precisely, his mistress. After years of his unfaithfulness, the man’s actual wife finally had enough. She filed for divorce, during which time, he was run over by a cement truck, and he died.
I knew another man who did not live that great of a life and died a slow and painful death. These things really do happen! Yet we all know many others who have suffered seemingly unjustly. I say all that to simply mention that God is a God of justice. His wrath is real and He employs it as needed. He is also a God of love and wants everyone to come to repentance and no one to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He gets angry when others abuse and misuse His children. He fights for you! Also, because of His righteousness and justice and because He knows all and sees all, we do not have to fight every battle. Those battles we do fight, we never fight alone. We can trust God to make all things right in His time.
I know a couple people right now being wrongly pushed out of their jobs. They have prayed about fighting to keep their jobs, but both feel the Lord telling them to trust Him for something better while God deals with the unjustness of it all. We do not always see the justice we desire delivered. But it’s not our job to deliver justice (unless you are a judge😉 or in a similar position to deliver justice for others). It is our job to forgive and move on! “For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Therefore, since Christ has forgiven us much, we can forgive others, trusting them into His care.
If you have a fool in your life laughing obnoxiously, remember the futility of it. You’re living for something bigger, for something better. You’re living for the Lord. As Elsa would say, “let it go.” I know, easier said than done. Trust the Lord today to deliver you and to bring justice in His perfect timing. Amen!