If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.
Ecclesiastes 10:10
The main themes in Ecclesiastes chapter ten are the commendation of wisdom and censure of folly — and verse ten continues in that vein.
In this verse, the writer illustrates how a little wisdom can save a lot of effort. If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed. The message is this; just as wisdom can inform our decisions in small matters such as cutting wood, so it should inform our decisions in life’s weightier matters.
For instance, if the ax is dull, there is no sin in sharpening it before going out to chop wood. In much the same way, there is no sin in seeking faster and easier ways to achieve more important goals, like earning a living and providing for one’s family. To my mind, working forty to sixty hours a week for fifty weeks a year, just to earn a living wage amounts to chopping wood with a blunt ax.
There are better ways for me to spend my time, like seeking God’s will and purposes for my life, spreading the gospel, equipping fellow-believers for ministry or being available and present for the people I love. These pursuits have eternal value and how I choose to earn my living will either help or hinder those aims.
It saddens me when I see God-fearing believers shackle themselves by conforming to a cultural — not Biblical — norm that says they should devote the most productive years of their life to a job that they hate. And, worse, one that prevents them from fulfilling God’s will for their lives, ultimately rendering them unfruitful. Any deviation from that norm is met with fear as their built-in cultural Christian-Love-of-Money alarms start to sound.
Don’t try anything different. Pursuit of riches is the love of money. You don’t need to earn any more than you have right now! Don’t risk losing what you already have. These thoughts echo through their minds, ever preventing them from seeking ways to sharpen their ax.
If the ax is Dull…
For the sake of argument, let’s agree that said God-fearing believers don’t need to earn any more than their current annual salaries. Why can they not earn that money in January? Or why can’t they earn it from investment income, like dividends, that they receive at regular intervals instead of devoting all their time and energy to building a faceless corporate empire?
What might such people do with their remaining free time? Imagine what these believers could achieve in God’s kingdom from such a position of freedom. It is no sin to seek a better way; in fact, God’s word exhorts us to seek wisdom and sharpen the ax. This same verse promises that skill will bring success.
With Ecclesiastes 10:10 in mind, what does success look like to you? And are you living out that success right now, or do you believe something needs to change? If, like me, you believe a change is required, I urge you to seek the wisdom you need and begin to sharpen the ax.
Acquire the knowledge you need. Seek out a like-minded, and Godly, accountability group and make the shift from where you are to where God has called you to be.
Why not start by visiting me on Facebook or message me directly? I look forward to hearing from you.