Introduction: Have you ever had anyone sneeze in the direction of your food or drink? I have. In fact, I've had people spit, by accident, directly into my plate of food. It is not the most pleasant of experiences. In fact, when someone sneezes toward my food, the situation always demands a new plate of food or glass of drink. It just doesn't take much of someone else's spit to ruin an entire meal.
How much spit or spray from someone's sneeze would you tolerate before you would get a new plate of food or glass with something to drink? I dare say that every adult in this room would get rid of what they had and get something new if they even thought a little bit of spit or a sneeze spray contaminated their food.
How much poison would you tolerate in a glass of pure water? One drop? Two? Surely, no more than three. But, you say, "None!" But it's only a drop or two. Wouldn't a drop be acceptable?
How many matches would you allow near an open can of gasoline or Coleman fuel? Again, your answer would be, "None." The reason for this is that you know that a little can go a long way.
How much botulism would you allow in your lunchtime hamburger? Speaking of hamburgers, how much E. coli bacteria would you allow in your ground beef or chicken meat? Of course, the answer is none, because you know that even the littlest bit of the wrong bacteria can make you sick or even take your life.
In Ecclesiastes 10:1-3, Solomon teaches us that it doesn't take much wrong doing to ruin a whole bunch of right doing. Notice again verse 1, "Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour." This verse is a very graphic illustration of this truth. These dead flies are flies that bring death that die in the ointment. Before too long, not only do the flies rot, but they also contaminate and cause unwanted fermentation in the medicine. Flies are just little. They don't eat much, and they don't take up a lot of space, but they are not what you want in your medicine. Flies are not what you want swarming your food either. **Years ago, when Brother and Mrs. Hyles were in one of their first ministries in Texas, a family invited them over for dinner. This family was poor but very generous. After they had eaten a wonderful meal, Brother and Mrs. Hyles were asked if they wanted dessert. Mrs. Hyles said, pointing at a pie on the counter, "I'll have a piece of that raisin pie." The hostess said, with a puzzled look, "Raisin pie?" She then got up from her place, went to the counter, and waved her hand over the "raisin pie." When she waved her hand, all of the "raisins" flew away revealing some other kind of pie underneath. Personally, I think I would have passed on dessert!
Then, in verse 3, Solomon says, "Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool." Without a doubt, Solomon was letting us know that the reputation of a fool is stronger than any wisdom he may possess. Have you ever heard the phrase, "You only have one opportunity to make a first impression"? This is true, even in Christian circles. The reputation you carry now very well may be the one you carry with you the rest of your life.
This issue is also addressed in Ecclesiastes 9:18, "Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good." In a pool of good, one transgressor can destroy much of that good. Do you remember the story of Achan, how when the children of Israel went to capture the city of Ai, they lost the battle? A small town like Ai had the upper hand with the great army of God's people, and God's people lost the battle. What had happened? One transgressor named Achan did that which displeased God, and it cost the children of Israel the blessing of God. One sinner can destroy much good.
Again, we find this issue addressed in 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 where Paul wrote, "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." Paul was addressing the sin of open fornication in the church at Corinth. A certain young man had committed this evil sin, the Bible says, "with his father's wife." This very possibly could have been his stepmother, because the Bible did not call this woman his mother. This was only one man committing a particular sin with one woman. Surely, this bit of leaven could not affect an entire church. Paul said, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."
Galatians 5:9 says, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." The context here is that false teachers had crept in among the Galatian believers and taught them that salvation by grace was not enough. Notice the context with me, "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be." (Galatians 5:7-10)
So, the Bible makes it clear that just a little leaven is all it takes to leaven a whole lump, and just a little sin is all it takes to affect an entire church. Solomon said even though they're small and dead, flies can still spoil the ointment, and then he says that a fool's reputation will far outweigh any good that he wants to do.
There is a message here for the people of God. It doesn't take much to ruin the good you want to do. The main thought is that of folly versus wisdom. Let me define wisdom and folly in this context.
- Wisdom = pure wisdom with no admixture of contaminant whatsoever.
- Folly = stupidity connected with impiety.
A wise man can ruin himself for many years by acting stupid, that is by acting with impiety, which means to act with disrespect, irreverence, mockery, blasphemy, and corruption.
So, I ask the question, what is the dead fly in your ointment?
1. Is it disrespect?
- Often, a young man or a woman, with great potential, can ruin his promise of future blessing because of treating others with disrespect.
- Not just others, but also by treating himself with disrespect.
2. Is it irreverence?
- I think of Solomon when I think of irreverence. God gave him the wisdom of Heaven and blessed him with all spiritual and physical blessings, yet he slapped God in the face by building high places for his heathen wives.
- He held, in great irreverence, his position as king. Kings were commanded by God never to gather to themselves wives, wealth, or weapons. Solomon gathered all three and heaped them unto himself.* God would have been pleased had he had only one wife. He chose to have 700, plus 300 concubines.
* God gave him great wealth, but Solomon became greedy and heaped to himself even greater riches.
* God blessed him with a great army, but Solomon gathered unto himself even greater weapons.- Apparently, God's blessings meant nothing to him.
3. Is it mockery?
- The Bible says, "Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour." (Proverbs 14:9)
- Many Christians mock at sin by the lives they live. Solomon wrote of this earlier in Proverbs.* Proverbs 1:22, "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
* Proverbs 10:23, "It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom."
* Proverbs 26:18-19, "As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?"
* Proverbs 30:20, "Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness."
4. Is it blasphemy?
- Blasphemy is defined numerous ways, but perhaps one of the best ways to define it is in the way a man speaks.
- With no respect for God or man, some profane the name of our Saviour by using language derived from Hell itself.
5. Is it corruption?
- This is a dead fly that will surely ruin your reputation. Why? Because corruption speaks loudly of a change in you. Has your life become corrupted from that which is good? When someone looks at you after you have profaned the Saviour, do they say, "I thought you were a Christian. Don't you go to church?"
Conclusion: It doesn't take too many dead flies to ruin the ointment. It doesn't take much leaven to leaven a whole lump. It doesn't take much sin to corrupt an entire church. It just takes a little to corrupt that which is good. Just as you would get rid of a contaminated plate of food, you should also "purge out" the old leaven of your life. One drop of sneeze juice can ruin an entire meal; and one fly, in your testimony, can ruin your reputation.