Articles
Wise Hearts, Right Decisions
Not to be confused with politics, here is a quote from Ecclesiastes 10:2 for your consideration today.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. NIV
A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. NLT
A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. ESV
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. KJV
A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left. NAS-77
A wise person's heart leads the right way. The heart of a fool leads the wrong way. GWT
Now you left-handed people don't get offended, this is just one person's thinking about what this might mean!!
Statistics show about 10% of our population is left-handed, and less than 1% with no dominant hand, so most people have more control, restraint, and precision with their right hand. They are able to be more accurate and handle things better with their right hand because it is dominant. With their left hand, they have less control, less precision, and can't achieve the same results that they can with their right. They make many more mistakes if trying to do something that requires control if they can't use their dominant hand.
Whether that has anything to do with what the writer of Ecclesiastes was trying to explain or not, who knows, but maybe it helps us to understand the passage. It's not about being right or left handed, it's about using our heart, not the pump in our chest, but the brain in our head to exercise more control over our beings. This might include controlling the hands, for sure it includes dominance over our tongue. We must also control our passions, our conduct, and even our thoughts to the degree we can. It's about making right decisions over making foolish ones.
The wise man, seeks to do good, while the fool often becomes a participant in evil. Basically, the wise man uses his senses for good decisions, self-protection and to help himself and others. He does this through self-control. The fool, "on the other hand", is missing this in his reasoning, or perhaps missing his reasoning altogether, and therefore strays into trouble, sorrow and misery through poor decision making.
Let us pray for wisdom! "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5
