“Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.” (Ecclesiastes 10:9)
God gave Solomon wisdom far beyond any man. When we look at Scriptures such as this one from Ecclesiastes, we wonder if this was wisdom. God doesn’t make mistakes. If we ever come across a Scripture that doesn’t seem to make sense, the problem is with us and not the Scripture. At first glance, we think, of course, we can see that these statements are intelligent conclusions. Someone who attempts to remove stones from the quarry may be hurt. The ground is rocky and difficult to walk on. It would be dangerous to carry stones, especially big ones on such uneven and unsteady ground. We can say the same if we attempt to remove stones from a heap. How easily the heap will give way and injure us. Or if we were to takes stones laid down as a boundary that someone has made, we may very well get ourselves in lots of trouble. The conclusion of all these scenarios is that we will be hurt.
We can make an analogy from this task to our spiritual lives. We are to be light in this world. Christianity conflicts with world culture. It is counterculture. The proponents of this world culture have groomed teachers, college professors and influential leaders who now have enacted laws and affected culture. World culture has been ingrained in students in public schools, in colleges, in advertising, in TV shows and even children’s cartoons. Working parents have left the care and instruction of their children to the world, who now hold values and mores different than their parents who practice Christianity. Suddenly we see that that the Bible is seen as a hate book. We see that practicing Christianity is not considered a holy pilgrimage but seen with contempt by even cultural Christians. These are stones, big, heavy and dangerous in our societies. They have been laid down as boundaries that we are to not cross. Any attempt to teach otherwise is trouble. Any attempt to remove one of these stones from the heap of world culture brings trouble, harm or death. In Europe alone there have been 500 anti-Christian hate crimes as reported by the OIDAC (the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians) in 2021, but the reduction in cases may be due to the fact that only a tenth of hate crimes against Christians are reported according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Right.
For now, persecution of Christians in the United States for their stance against wicked secular practices is mostly held at schools, colleges, universities, businesses, and in politics. Children are punished for praying or reading the Bible. College students are ridiculed and harassed. Business owners are sued for refusing to have any part in a wicked activity, such as baking a wedding cake for couples of the same gender or renting to married couples of the same gender. Politicians are ridiculed by their fellow politicians for their beliefs. So, Solomon’s wisdom is if we are to remove these stones, we will be hurt. Our attempts to remove these stones must be done wisely and with the help of the Lord.
Solomon continues with another conclusion. Men have been hurt cleaving wood. Unless you live in a rural place or up north where the weather is freezing and wood is needed for heating, most people today do not cleave wood. We buy it at the local corner store all ready to use. But in areas where wood is part of the heating system, cords of wood that has been cleaved can be seen piled up ready to use. It’s dangerous to cut wood. Men have cut themselves using an ax incorrectly. The ax also if not maintained can malfunction and cause a severe accident. Then there is the danger of splinters flying off and causing injury or death. This illustration has to do with causing division in our families, communities, churches. There are the tale bearers, gossipers who add fuel to an issue. They sometimes add more to the facts to make them more interesting or contentious. “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so, where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.” (Proverbs 26:20) The Lord hates anything that causes discord. It’s against His nature. God’s nature is peace, love and justice. Lying, gossiping, malicious speech that causes discord are things that He hates. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) These actions are like wood to a fire. They make a mountain out of a molehill and can cause such division that it destroys a church, a community or a family.
But what about the Christian mandate? “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20) When we preach the precepts of the Bible, which are counterculture, we will come against the core of secularism in our communities. Unless we retreat, we will be greeted with contempt and even censure. We cannot deny the Word of God, but we can retreat. God never forced anyone to believe in Him or to love Him. Only the Holy Spirit can draw man to God. Only the Holy Spirit can open their eyes. What this opposition does is to reveal to us areas of prayer, individuals to pray for and issues to lay before the throne of God. Solomon stated that to cleave wood put us in danger. And so it is when we work spreading the Gospel in the dark places of secularism, hatred and error. We need to preach the Good News. We need to preach repentance of sin and avoid preaching against people for God loves the sinner. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
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