“Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink.” What in the world is Solomon thinking about? Some people might think Solomon is losing his mind, but we must remember that God had a purpose for inspiring him to write this; it is to draw our attention to the rest of verse 1: “Yes, a small mistake can outweigh much wisdom and honor.”
Solomon continued with the rest of this chapter to describe many ways we can be ruined by a small mistake. First, he used the situation of having to deal with an angry boss. Second, he used an illustration of kings and rulers. Third, he used ordinary work to describe accidents that can kill or injure. Fourth, he illustrates a mistake leading to being robbed. All of this is found in verses 4-11. What is his point? Even small mistakes can cause problems for people who have the best intentions. Honor can be lost in the eyes of other people.
I remember a good pastor with a young family who used a wrong word in discussing with a woman in his church the health situation of her friend. She made a great stink about the word, refused to accept the pastor’s apology, and left the church because he was not immediately fired. Eventually the young pastor left the church and later left the ministry.
Recently, the president of a university had to resign because she plagiarized her doctoral thesis. At another university, a professor had to resign because he gave false information about his background to gain an audience. Then, there was a university president who had to resign because he used a joke about his weight gain that board members thought was inappropriate for a university president.
Have you ever made a mistake that was blown way out of proportion and had to suffer consequences because of it? Maybe you have and asking for forgiveness got you nowhere. More than likely we have all judged people who have made mistakes, and we have failed to forgive them. We all want to be forgiven. Jesus said, “Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, He will not forgive you.” (Matt. 6:14-15). See also Col. 3:13. Is life always fair? If not, what is your purpose for living?