Lesson Plan 10 – March 25, 2026

Lessons From The Book Of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 10.

Welcome to Small Group Lesson Plan #10, continuing with studies in the book of Ecclesiastes. As we continue may we glean of the wisdom that God gave Solomon and may it be reflected in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ who is a Greater King than Solomon. Also as we draw closer to the end of the Small Group season, we continue to pray that everyone in our church community grows in Christ and finds great joy in knowing Him. Amen!

Summary Review of Chapter 9

Back in our study of Chapter 9, Solomon touched on human mortality, pointing out that every person, whether good or bad, will die. He encouraged married men to “live joyfully with their wives.” He grazed the subjects of strength, favour, wisdom, and speed, concluding that time and chance determine who profits from favour and these natural abilities. At the end of his discourse in Chapter 9, he declared that wisdom is better than strength; however, the wisdom of the poor is despised.

“Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But one sinner destroys much good.”

Eccl 9:16-18 NKJV

We can hardly escape Solomon’s interest and concern for the poor at every turn. That is remarkable! If you had great worldly wealth, would you care for the poor? Jesus teaches that we should care for the poor as He did and because there will always be poor people Matt. 26:11, Galatians 2:10

Walk Through Chapter 10

In the first 7 verses of Chapter 10, Solomon spends some time describing the inclination of the foolish and wise heart and the cost of folly, comparing it to the rewards of wisdom.

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

Eccl. 10:1-2 NIV

In verse 8-9 he cautions against planning evil (digging a pit) against others. A dull axe will require more strength for it to function properly. In the same way wisdom (which is a sharpened mind) gurantees success. In Verse 11-15 the comparison between fools and the wise continues:

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

¹³ The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.

Ecc. 10:12-13 NKJV

In Vs. 16-17 Solomon laments the trouble for a land whose rulers are unserious people, who reason like children. He celebrates a land whose leader is wise doing the right things at the right time.

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!

Ecc. 10:16-17 NKJV

The rest of the chapter continues with Vs. 19 the famous verse on the power of money as the best revealer of behaviour. He concludes in Vs. 20 with sound advice on our words regarding those in authority.

Scripture Study Guideline

Today’s Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes Chapter 10:1-20. Please read and discuss your findings.

What stood out to you? What do you think the Holy Spirit is speaking to you? Did any verse or set of verses jump out to you? Please discuss your thoughts, then proceed to the discussion questions below:

• Read Ecc 10: 1-2 (you may read in NLT or NIV to compare translations.) What does it mean for a heart to incline to the left or right, and why does Solomon describe the left-inclining heart as foolish and the right-inclining heart as wise? Read Matt. 25:31-46 for context
• What benefits do those who remember the poor stand to gain? Read and discuss the following scripture verses: Psalm 41:1-3, Prov. 19:17, Prov. 28:27
• The Bible teaches us to care for the poor, Jesus Himself modelled it. What are some practical ways you/we can care for the poor? Which of these ways are you practicing? Deut. 15:11
• Would you agree that one meaning of “…Money answers everything” in Vs. 19 is that by studying how money moves in any society we can learn a lot about that society? Can you give some examples of things that tell us how people behave by how money is spent?
• Many people detest rich people and curse those in authority. Why do you think this is the case? Solomon advises not to curse the rich or the king in your bedroom. Why would he advise like this? Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Conclusion

The will of the Father is that our hearts not only lean towards righteousness but align by being established in doing what is right in his sight. In Matthew 25, those on the right of the Lord were called the righteous and those on the left the unrighteous. Righteous behaviour is wisdom. If we are wise, we will seek wisdom and not foolishness. Since we know that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, we will not “dig a pit” for others to fall in; we will use our words wisely and also pray for our leaders to do right by the people. It is the Lord who gives us the grace by His Holy Spirit in us to live righteous before Him.

¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

Romans 6:18-19 NKJV

Prayer Time

• Give thanks to God for the small group season going well so far
• Pray for JFC Outreach Month in June 2026. Ask the Lord to move many to participate in sharing the gospel, and to see results as new believers become part of God’s family.
• Pray for a swift resolution to the Iran war
• Ask the Lord for wisdom in your life, for our congregation, and for our church leaders.
• Pray for one another’s needs and any other matter.

Announcements

• Next Small Group – April 7, 2026.
• Do you need prayer for deliverance from oppressive demonic manifestations in your life? Send a message to our JFC Text.
• What’s your giving plan like? Are you consistently giving of your finances to the Lord?
• Outreach Month June 1-30 2026. Please get involved!