Ecclesiastes 10:1 a
1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour:
A phrase we often hear:
“A fly in the ointment” ...comes directly from this verse.
In that day, ointment was used for many purposes; although it had medicinal uses, it was also sweet smelling and used as a perfume. Sometimes during the making of the ointment a fly would get into the ointment; if it was not removed immediately, it would die and soon the stench from the dead fly would permeate the entire batch of ointment.
A fly in the ointment can spoil your best efforts, hinder hard work and affect your circumstances and even your reputation. If someone or something is a fly in the ointment, they prevent a situation from being as successful or happy as it would be without them.
Ecclesiastes 9:18 b
18 But one sinner destroyeth much good.
We have been fed the lie that our personal sins are nobody else’s business. But the truth is, the consequences of sin are almost always far reaching and many others are affected by those sins.
You would think that just one dead fly in an entire batch of ointment would seem insignificant. You would think that the maker of the ointment would be tempted to just ignore it. But eventually
what seems to be such a little thing can ruin everything.
This principle applies to individuals as well as to the church. How many times have you put forth great effort only for it to be brought to naught by the proverbial fly in the ointment?
When it comes to the church, it often doesn’t matter how beautiful and fragrant the aroma of worship is; one dead fly can stink up everything. When Mary anointed Jesus, the fragrance filled the whole house but Judas Iscariot was the fly in the ointment. He stunk up the place when he complained about the cost and waste of the perfume.
(Judas had a hidden motive and a hidden agenda but that's a whole different sermon in itself)
It’s very difficult for a congregation to overcome the damage inflicted by just one fly in the ointment. Just one fly can stink up the place!
We often do the most damage with our words; we’re all familiar with the adage:
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all know to well that's not true and we have the battle scars to prove it.
Psalm 140:3 (NLT)
3 Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.
Psalm 64:3
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.
Proverbs 25:15 b
15 A soft tongue breaketh the bone.
James 3:6; 8
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
It’s no surprise that the scriptures spend so much time focusing on the importance of our words. We have all felt the sting of a critical comment or sarcastic remark. We’ve seen the effect that an off the cuff remark or criticism directed publicly at a leader can have. We can do a lot of damage with a careless word. Once the words come out of our mouth, it is like trying to get toothpaste back into the tube.
The fly in the ointment can be just about anything that ruins something that's supposed to be helpful.
