The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.
Ecclesiastes 10:15
The Toil of Fools
An interesting, and seldom-taught, Bible verse. Most commentaries agree that the word used for “toil” can be translated as both effort and trouble, or travail.
This is an apt description of many hard-working people in the world today. Exhaustion, brought on by constant effort and worry. Ever wondering whether they will make rent and pay bills each month.
Commentaries also generally agree that do not know the way to town is a proverbial expression meaning they lack basic common sense.
Practical Wisdom in the Bible
The wisdom in this verse is very practical. Simply put, it is saying, ‘Stop, and think!’ We need to think about what we really want in life and then consider how we aim to achieve it. Only then will we be in a position to stop engaging in those pointless activities that weary us but bring us no closer to achieving our objectives. Only then can we begin to identify those pursuits that will take us closer to our goals in life.
However, it’s also worth considering the spiritual aspects of this verse. When Solomon writes of wisdom and foolishness, he often does so in a spiritual context. For instance, Proverbs 9:10 says, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy one is understanding.’
An Eternal Perspective
In an eternal context, all of our toil and worry in this life is meaningless if we don’t understand why God has placed us on this earth or what he has called us to do in this life. Whatever we undertake in life, we need to ask ourselves how this fits in the eternal context. If we don’t do this, we are like tourists who map their journey to some foreign destination without ever asking what we plan to do when we get there.
For me, the path is clear. To stop spending all my time trying to earn money and, instead, spend my money to buy my time so that I could work to expand God’s kingdom. Both in my heart and in the hearts of others. To expand God’s kingdom in this world.