“The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11). Even though my grandfather was a master carpenter, I was not blessed with his construction abilities. My thumb can attest to the accuracy of my hammer strikes. Trying to nail drywall to the stud can be quite the adventure. I suspect that most who have tried to nail something to a wall have had the frustrating experience of having the nail miss the stud. Whatever is being attached simply will not stay.
Solomon expressed the desire of every preacher. He wanted his words to “stick.” He worked hard and pondered how things could be said that would have the desired effect. His “nails” were “given by one Shepherd.” That is, God gives them. So, God gives spiritual carpenters the nails, and it is their job to make sure they nail them in the right spot. There are several significant lessons that we can learn from this.
First, we’re not using just any “nail.” The words we speak are not ours (or shouldn’t be) but are the words of God. Paul wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel because it is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). People don’t need to be given our “nails” — our thoughts, beliefs and opinions. They need to be given the Word that can save their souls (James 1:21).
Second, we have to know where the studs are. Preachers need to know the people to whom they preach. Teachers need to know their students. How many times have we heard a lesson or sermon that had no relevance to us? We feel like it was wasted time. When we’re teaching the eternal truths of God, we need to make sure that they are reaching the hearts of our listeners.
Third, we have the responsibility of doing it right. No one wants a carpenter who can’t drive a nail in the right place. Equally, no one wants a preacher or a teacher who hasn’t taken time to make sure that what is being said is absolutely true according to God’s Word. James warned that one should be careful about deciding to be a teacher, because teachers will incur a stricter judgment (James 3:1). As Solomon said, we need to become “masters of these collections” of wisdom teachings (which ultimately have God as their source).
