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THE BETTER LIFE, LIVED UNDER THE SON
Hearing the Voice of Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:1
Bob Bonner
May 23, 1999
Have you noticed that our world is filled with a cacophony of voices giving us instructions as to how we should live our lives? To whom do you listen?
Take for instance, in the realm of business. Today, when a businessman or businesswoman find themselves in financial straits, voices cry aloud
In school, it is harder to get an “A” if you don’t cheat or copy someone else’s work than to do your own work and not cheat, because all your friends, even your Christian friends are cheating. So, why not keep up with the rest in the race for “A’s” by joining them and cheating too? The voices around our kids today are shouting, “Cheat or you can’t stay in the game.” Are those voices correct? Is that the voice of wisdom? Is it right to cheat or take someone else’s work and claim it as your own?
A good marriage has always been something difficult to build, that’s why God requires a vow to stay married “until death do you part.” But it is harder to fight the good fight to make your marriage work, when others around you are so quickly breaking their vows. It’s harder to look at and work on your own faults that are bringing conflict in your marriage than to listen to the shouts of the world to “Just walk away. It’s no big deal to admit ‘Well, we failed’ and quit.” But is it right? Is that correct? Is it the voice of wisdom?
You may be battling with sexual morality. Today, there are far more books and advisors declaring, “Go ahead. Restraint is not only puritanical, its downright unhealthy. Whoever heard of absolute abstinence from sexual activity in the 90's?” But I ask you...Is that good advice? Is it correct? Is it the voice of wisdom?
Do you think you could recognize the voice of wisdom, if you heard it? How can we know that what we hear is truly what is correct or wise? That’s what we want to look closely at this morning, as we continue our excursion through the book of Ecclesiastes. I invite you to turn to Ecclesiastes 9:13 in your Bibles, which is where we will begin our study this morning.
The very first word of our text this morning is “Also” or “In addition” as some might translate the term. If you are going to understand our passage for this morning, then you must understand to what “in addition” refers. If we are going to do that, we need to know the context of our passage and where we left off last time.
Beginning with Ecclesiastes 9:1, we have entered into another major division of the book, in which the key phrase is repeated over and over. That phrase is “man does not know” or “man can know” certain things. Last time we learned that even when people know the truth, know what is correct, they will often ignore it to their own detriment. In our passage for this morning, we will see why some people choose to ignore the truth.
Last time, there were three major points Solomon drove home. Two of those points were things we could not know or predict, and one that we can know or predict. He first told us that life is unpredictable as to events that we might consider as blessings and others that we might consider sorrowful. It matters not if one knows Jesus Christ all of us will have unpredictable events happen in our lifetime.
Secondly, Solomon told us that there is one thing we can know for sure and that is that we all will die. Short of the Rapture, death is predictable for each of us.
Thirdly, he told us that we cannot know or predict the time of our death. For the most part, it is unpredictable. Death and disaster seem to strike when we least expect it. However, more often than not, disaster hits us as a direct result of refusing to heed God’s warnings, or rejecting wisdom.
That brings us to our passage for this morning and the additional thought that Solomon writes about, beginning with verse 13. Solomon’s example seemingly is a real historical event that will illustrate the point that people often ignore wisdom, and as a result choose folly, bringing disaster upon themselves and those nearest them.
Solomon points to an event that probably happened to him as King, but is recorded nowhere in the Old Testament. Let’s read this together. Verse 13 begins, “Also this [in other words, what I am about to tell you] I came to see as wisdom under the sun, [or an example of wisdom as it is handled here on earth] and it impressed me.” This historical event stuck in Solomon’s mind so as he could never forget it. I believe that what he is about to tell us is, in fact, autobiographical; he is “the great king” of whom he is about to write.
I must tell you before we read the rest of these verses, that the most recent English translations from the Hebrew, although grammatically correct, have not, in my opinion, chosen the equally correct grammatical translation of these verses. And I am not alone in my opinion. Hebrew scholars such as Leupold, Roland Murphy, and Michael Eaton agree. The New English Bible, and the Good News Bible also have chosen to use this alternative, but equally grammatically correct, translation that I prefer.
I have discovered that if you accept the translation of the NASB and the NIV as the correct translation, then you run into difficulty with inconsistency of thought throughout this passage. It does not hold together as a unit, and makes little sense the way it is translated in the NASB and NIV.
So here is what I believe to be the better translation. The italicized words are my added proper changes to the text. Solomon tells us, beginning with verse 14, “There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siege works against it. And he [the King] found in it a poor wise man and he could have delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.”
The scene is this: A powerful king with his army comes upon this small walled village, filled with few people. There is a poor man, one who probably hasn’t received an education and certainly does not hold any positions of influence in the village. Upon the approach of this vast army, the city is in a panic. This poor man has a solution to how they can survive the destruction of their homes. But because he is not a person of influence, people don’t listen to him. They ignore him and his plan. In the end, Solomon, the great king, conquers the village.
After the conflict, as Solomon is moving among the conquered survivors of the village, he comes upon this poor man. In conversation, Solomon learns that this poor man did possess a plan that could have, in fact, prevented the destruction of the entire town.
Following his historical illustration, Solomon, in the next four verses, gives us some points to ponder as they relate to the subject of wisdom. They are, in fact, conclusions that Solomon has come to concerning wisdom, as he has watched people handle wisdom.
He tells us first, in verse 16, “So I [that very king and eye witness] said, Wisdom is better than strength.” In other words, in most cases “brains are most often better than brawn.” However, Solomon points out that there is an exception to wisdom being better than strength. He goes on to give us that exception. He writes, “But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded.” When is wisdom not better than strength or size of army? When wisdom is ignored or, wisdom is only better than strength when it is not ignored.
But what would cause someone to ignore wisdom in a life-threatening situation? We find an answer to that in verse 16, hidden behind the word “despise.”
The word “despise” comes from a Hebrew word that means to have such great contempt for someone’s thoughts, ideas and practices that you reject not only their thoughts and ideas but you reject or cut them off from the rest of the community. And sometimes it is appropriate to cut people and their wild-haired ideas off from the community.
For instance: In the Old Testament, if you held ideas that were in direct violation to God’s Word, you were cut off from the nation. You were despised and not listened to. If you were a Jew and held ideas or practices that were in direct violation to God’s Word, the rejection was more severe. More often than not, you were put to death. I.e. If you were a false prophet or a vocal blasphemer or a practicing homosexual, adulterer or pedophile, it would not be long before you were permanently excommunicated from the nation by way of death.
But that’s not the reason that the man in verse 16 was despised or cut off from his community. That is not the reason that the wisdom of the man in verse 16 was not heeded. The reason he was wrongfully cut off was due to prejudice. He was cut off from participation in the community because he was poor.
We foolishly hold the same prejudices today. Sometimes it’s wealth-related, sometimes race or gender, sometimes it’s education-related. If a man is not rich in terms that we count wealthy, then he or she is not counted as astute or wise. It’s the old line that says things like, “Look, you can’t be a CEO of a major corporation if you don’t gain the riches of a degree from college.” Really? Tell Bill Gates, the founder and president of Microsoft, that! It’s my understanding that Bill never finished college but went into business for himself without finishing his formal education.
Here is another typical prejudicial word of wisdom: “You can’t be a successful pastor unless you have that treasured earned doctorate.” Really? Tell Ray Stedman that. Ray had doctorates, but they were not earned in the sense that he took courses and fulfilled the requirements to get a degree. His doctorates were honorary (which in my opinion are probably worth more in some cases than the earned doctorates).
The apostle Paul put it this way, in I Corinthians 1:27, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.” God holds no prejudice with people. He exalts the humble and takes down the arrogant. If people choose to honor Him, then He will exalt them. But pride and prejudice come before the fall. Pride and prejudice prevent us from hearing the voice of wisdom.
Next, he tells us in verse 17, “The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” Today we have our TV celebrities, movie celebrities, music celebrities, radio talk show hosts, star athletes and some politicians giving us advice as to how to run our lives. Many, if not most of these celebrities’ lives are in ruin. Their children are in various forms of rebellion and addiction. Yet, they are instructing us on everything from home life to finances, from jewelry that is supposed to have special powers to aid your physical performance, to how to cure your emotional distresses. They, rather than God, are defining what is maleness and what is femaleness. They, rather than God, are telling you what is the basis of your worth and value. With one accord, they are telling you, “Look, I have a plan that will make you a winner. Ignore all that God stuff! It won’t work in the 21st century.” Their voices ring out like street hucksters over our radios, CD’s, movies and TV. They are what Solomon declares “the shouting of a ruler among fools.”
Sadly, many Christians are listening. Rather than developing an ear that is trained to hear the voice of God, an ear that is tuned to the station whose call letters are BIBLE, they instead, gravitate toward whoever is speaking the loudest at the moment. Hence, Solomon is saying, “The foolish listen more to the one who shouts the loudest, than to the quiet voice of wisdom.”
In verse 18, Solomon makes another observation about wisdom. He says, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Carrying on the theme of his illustration in the previous verses about battle and war, and how easy it is for rulers or leaders to ignore wisdom, I believe that the “sinner” whom Solomon refers to here is the leader who knowingly ignores God and God’s call to wisdom. As a result, this one God-ignoring leader brings unnecessary destruction upon the village or the country. Solomon’s point is the impact that one foolish and God-ignoring leader can bring unnecessary destruction to the lives of many.
Because of the context, and maybe because of our recent political context in this country, when we hear Solomon’s conclusion we think first of governmental leaders. But let’s not limit ourselves to just that application.
I believe that in the realm of counselors, whether you are talking about priests, pastors or elders, financial advisors, or therapists, we must be cautious as to whom we submit ourselves by way of advice or counseling. Allow me to give you two basic but very important cautions as it concerns receiving counsel or advice from others. First, it is extremely important that you know that the one from whom you are about to seek advice is one who is listening first and foremost to the living God.
That is not to say that non-Christians don’t have wisdom or keen insights into life. Some of them do. But if they are not committed to following Jesus Christ, then you must be aware of the reality that, more often than not, their instruction can be foolish and therefore harmful to your emotional, mental and physical health. For the most part, I would counsel you to stay away from them. There is an exception to this that I will give you in a moment, but I strongly caution you to avoid receiving counseling or advice from non-Christians as it concerns your emotional, moral, spiritual or financial health.
A second caution for you to consider, even if you are taking instruction or counsel from one who claims to be a Christian, find out if your Christian advisor or therapist cares about biblical principles being carried out in your life. Does your therapist understand what it means for you to have “a new identity in Christ?”
It is not uncommon to find Christians who are counselors or therapists today, but who do not hold closely to biblical principles. In fact, I would have to say that it is rare that you can find true Christian therapists who have a grip on the biblical concepts which are basic to Christian mental health. They do not understand principles that are basic to the gospel and how those principles apply to our lives today.
More specifically, they do not understand what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote in Romans 1:16, that, “The gospel.. .is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” In this verse, Paul is not just talking about God’s power to get you to heaven. The power Paul is referring to there is the saving power to change your life right here and now, when Jesus comes to live inside of you.
These well-meaning therapists, who are brothers and sisters in Christ, do not understand the principles surrounding what it means to be “a new creation in Christ” and the supernatural change that overcomes you when you are given a new identity in Christ. Because they do not understand what the Scriptures teach in these areas, these therapists, who are Christians, instead give worldly principles, fleshly steps to overcome serious spiritual and emotional problems in a person’s life.
It is not uncommon for these therapists, who are Christians, but are not practicing Christian therapy, to quote passages of Scripture out of context, to support worldly principles that go against what God’s Word clearly teaches.
So, if it is not a priority to your therapist or advisor to follow the Word of God, then I would advise you not to submit yourself to their directions or instructions without further counsel from someone who does understand the Word. To do so is only inviting harm into your life.
If you are looking for a counselor in whom you can have confidence, call the office and we will give you some direction. However, if you have some question as to the counsel you have received from any therapist, elder or significant person in your life, especially ones we recommend, please call us back. Maybe you did not clearly understand what the therapist said, or maybe you did and God will use this opportunity for us to speak with the therapist.
Allow me to give you an example of when it is not wrong to take advice from someone who is not a believer, but it still requires caution. Take for instance, in my situation. Not long ago I found myself in a situation in which I had to make a financial decision. So, I turned to one who is one of the smartest financial wizards I know, my Dad, and asked his opinion. However, I was cautious, and initially ignored his advice, because I thought it to be too worldly and unsupportable by Scripture. Then, later, as I was studying the Word of God, I discovered that the counsel that I had received earlier from my father, was strongly supported from Scripture. He was right, and I was wrong, due to ignorance. I learned from that mistake that I need to listen carefully to everyone. Then take the time to submit that counsel to the Lord and ask Him to show me what the Scriptures have to say in light of that counsel.
Solomon gives us one last final word of counsel in Ecclesiastes 10:1. This is a unique verse, because it is a hinge verse. It is a verse that concludes one section, but also makes a transition to the next section we want to study in chapter 10. So, we will come back to it again next week.
Here Solomon says, “Dead flies [or more accurately, “flies that bring death” which some believe refers to the disease brought on by the fly’s excrement] make a perfumer's oil stink, [literally, this is two verbs, “to stink and corrupt” or “ferment”] so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.”
Solomon’s point is that when something so small as a fly’s poop falls into a precious ointment or perfume, that little bit can corrupt or change the ointment so much that it is ruined. It stinks! Similarly, a person of high reputation and honor, who ignores wisdom, and instead, for just the briefest moment, entertains foolishness or sin, can corrupt a lifetime’s work of building a reputation. One foolish moment of indiscretion can corrupt a life’s work of building a reputation.
How often many of us have witnessed how a little sin in a Christian’s life, in one who once radiated joy and peace as he or she served the Lord, now limps along with the shame that has scarred his life.
As we began our study this morning, we wanted to get a grip on how we can be in a better position to identify wisdom when we hear it. Other than what we have already mentioned, here is one more principle. To know wisdom when we hear it, we must be teachable by all regardless of wealth, education, race, gender or age.
Furthermore, to those who would be counselors, advisors, shepherds, elders, and parents: Don’t be surprised when you see that your wise counsel is seldom popular, rarely obeyed, and scarcely remembered. One of the most frustrating realities to those who genuinely care about those to whom they are giving counsel, is to learn that after you have invested hundreds of hours, at all times of the night and day, counseling them as to what God says is right, then to see them turn right around and ignore what you have told them and mess up their lives further.
As we bring this to a conclusion, I want you to take one more quick look at verse 16, and the “poor wise man” who was able to meet the demands of the hour and to save society, yet, who was ignored, despised and rejected. When we hear of a poor man, full of wisdom, who became a savior but whose life and teachings have been ignored or rejected, whose name most naturally comes to mind? Why, Jesus, of course! In fact, the New Testament speaks of Jesus in these exact terms. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:24, describes Jesus as, “Christ, the...wisdom of God”. Later, in 2 Corinthians 8:9, we read, “You, through His poverty became rich”.
Hence, when trouble comes your way, it’s Jesus who is the treasury of wisdom and knowledge. Only He possesses the solution to the aches of the human soul. So, when the forces of this world attack your soul, when frustration and depression want to destroy you, are you listening to Jesus’ quiet voice? Do you want to? I hope you do. Seek His leading, and when He gives you direction, whatever you do, don’t ignore it or disobey Him. It will only bring hurt to you and those nearest you.
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