WHAT IS WISDOM?
Opening Prayer
Father, help me to gain wisdom from what you offer me in your Word today. As I journey with you, help me to apply all that you teach me.
Read ECCLESIASTES 6:1 – 7:18
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
6 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.
3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?
7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
yet their appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage have the wise over fools?
What do the poor gain
by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
9 Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.
10 Whatever exists has already been named,
and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?
12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?
Wisdom
7 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
3 Frustration is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of fools.
This too is meaningless.
7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.
12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves those who have it.
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.
15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.[a]
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:18 Or will follow them both
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Who is someone you consider wise? What prompts you to think so?The teacher again considered the point of prosperity (6:1–5). He puzzled over why some people couldn’t be content with what they had. He couldn’t answer, and this inability led him to ask more questions about the meaning of life (6:7–12). The only hint at an answer appears in verse 10, where he spoke of fighting with someone who was stronger—the implication being that this stronger person was God. Consider how you might answer such questions if asked them today.
Chapter 7, verses 1 to 14 consists of contrasts between wisdom and foolishness. Observe how the teacher described the two. In verse 7 he noted how a person may become foolish, having been wise. What might these verses say about how to become wise? In verse 14 the teacher wrote that God has made both good times and bad times. Think about how you would react to this statement in bad times.
Verse 15 points to another injustice in life. The teacher argued in verses 16 to 18 that a balance between wisdom and foolishness was essential. He concluded that fearing God (seeing the awesomeness of God) was the way to achieve it (v. 18).
Apply
Today’s reading has covered a lot of ground. As you look back over it, think about one idea you want to take away. Ask the Lord to remind you of that for the rest of today.
Closing prayer
Regardless of my circumstances, Lord God, help me to trust in your faithfulness. Give me the wisdom I need to remain steadfast in your loving care for me.
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