WISDOM IN LIFE
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, thank you for the security that is mine because you have chosen me, you hold me in your hand, and you will never let me go.
Read ECCLESIASTES 9:1 – 10:11
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
A Common Destiny for All
9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good,
so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
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
“And he said to the human race, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’”1
Chapter 9 begins with the Teacher reaching the conclusion of his issues with a mortal life: that, because we all die, there is no differentiation between the good and the bad. Death is the great equalizer, so what is the point of living a moral life? The Teacher’s words here show the limits of a materialistic world view. If everything dissipates in death, then there is no purpose in prosperity or morality beyond what we can enjoy in our lifetime. Thus, the Teacher reaches the conclusion that the only merit is to try and find joy in the process of living (9:7–10). It mirrors a prominent philosophy of our age, that we should enjoy ourselves as much as we can while we are alive. We have already seen that the hope of resurrection provides the Christian with an alternative hope.
At this point the Teacher changes his perspective on the issue. Instead of the big picture of examining human value under the universal experience of death, he looks at a specific scenario to find that wisdom still has value. For the Teacher, in the grand scheme of things the value of wisdom over folly is limited. However, in the small decisions and choices that humans make every day, wisdom is of infinite importance. Thus, the poor man can save the city with wisdom (9:13–16) and folly can have a deeply negative impact on an individual (10:1–6).
In the rest of Scripture, wisdom is always intricately linked to fearing or worshipping God. It is something to be desired as it blesses both the wise and those affected by their decisions. We all should be seeking God’s wisdom to help us as we make small and big decisions in our own lives.
Apply
Ask for God’s wisdom today. Perhaps for a specific decision, or perhaps a more general request that God’s wisdom would be at the heart of all your words and actions.
Closing prayer
Lord, in times of question or indecision, thank you that I can come to you asking for wisdom and trust that you will answer. Thank you for your Word and Spirit that give direction for my words and actions. Help me to be quick to seek you—and eager to listen and obey.
1 Job 28:28
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