The leadership theme continues as Solomon stresses every society’s need for wise, capable and incorruptible leaders – men and women dedicated to the service of their fellow man and the betterment of their lives. Even today, in many parts of the world, impoverished nations continue to be blighted and dragged into the mire by the bribery, corruption, dishonesty and sexual immorality of their supposed leaders, let alone the under-educated general populace.

As we proceed with our study of Greater Wisdom, Solomon seems to be warning those who have achieved a measure of success or honor or leadership that reputations and positions can so easily be lost by just a little folly, or indiscretion – possibly resulting from arrogant over-confidence of the kind mentioned in the previous section. The word folly also means silliness – implying that the person responsible for the problem did a very silly or careless and easily avoidable thing.

The media have made us all very aware of scandals and cover-ups, and it is interesting that the presence of the dead flies in the perfume would not be immediately apparent if they had become buried in it and so could simply lie there out of sight, slowly rotting – as can happen, in Solomon’s clever metaphor, to flies that get stuck in an opaque perfumed ointment. Notice also that the fly is a tiny thing, but it ruins a disproportionately large amount of perfume.

Slowly but surely, the putrid emanations will permeate the whole jar, so that its scent becomes repulsive. In the same way, the mere presence of the once honorable person may come to regarded like a bad smell – despite that fact that their their wisdom is otherwise undiminished, and their position of honour so far retained.

Notice that the flies, more than one, are attracted to the ointment and come to it voluntarily, hoping to find something of value. Likewise the man of honour must be wary of the potential danger of hangers-on who are attracted by a scent of success and the power of his position.

As already noted, the fly was a very tiny thing, yet it did great damage -- not in a deliberate fashion, but because it was ignored in one careless and quite small act of folly on the part of the person making or using the ointment. Had the ointment, which had probably been expensive and time-consuming to produce, been properly sealed up and kept covered, a matter of a few seconds’ effort, the catastrophe could have been averted. Perhaps Solomon’s lesson is the importance of paying attention to detail, a vital principle of excellence and of quality control in all manufacturing processes.

A complementary lesson may be the fact that it was attention to detail by the great creators, such as Michel Angelo, and their striving for perfection that built their esteemed reputation. Unlike so many people, they were not content with “good enough” and easy mediocrity.

No matter how successful a corporation, great improvement can always be made by rotating creative attention over every minute detail of the operation of every single department – brainstorming every aspect to find ways that procedures can be re-engineered and made more effective and efficient, speeded up, simplified and even eliminated.

In his instructions to Timothy regarding the appointment of elders in the Church, Paul stresses principles found in this section of Ecclesiastes when he says, Quote: “An overseer must be above reproach . . . he must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited . . . He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace” (1 Timothy 3:2-7).

With regard to the lower office of deacon, which would be the first office a man could hold in the Church, Paul says: “Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect” (ibid, verse 8) – adding the additional proviso that: “They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons”.

Prevention is better than cure, and Paul again advises Timothy to be extremely cautious in choosing men for ordination, when he also says, Quote: “Do not be hasty in laying hands on any man” (1 Timothy 5:22). However, there are two sides to a coin, and Paul also warns, Quote: “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses” (ibid, verse 19).

It is interesting with regard to the flies hidden in the ointment, that Paul warns Timothy to be very cautious in appraising potential ordinands, saying, Quote: “The sins of some men are obvious . . . the sins of others trail behind them” ((ibid, verse 24).

Notice that Paul also warns Timothy himself to be on his guard against personal indiscretions when he says, Quote: “Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12)