SERIES: BE SATISFIED
“CONCERNING WISDOM”
ECCLESIASTES 7:10-29
Two young engineers applied for a single position at a computer company. They both had the same qualifications. In order to determine which individual to hire, the applicants were asked to take a test by the department manager. Upon completion of the test, both men missed only one of the questions. The manager went to the first applicant and said, “Thank you for your interest, but we’ve decided to give the job to the other applicant.”
“And why would you be doing that? We both got 9 questions correct,” asked the rejected applicant. “We have based our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you missed,” said the department manager.
“And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other?” the rejected applicant inquired. “Simple,” said the department manager. “Your fellow applicant put down on question #5, ‘I don’t know.’ You
put down, ‘Neither do I.’”
If we want to learn something about wisdom, you would think the person to learn from would be Solomon. At David’s death, when Solomon was to become king of Israel. At that time, 1 Kings 3:5 records – At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Hear what Solomon said: 1 Kings 3:6-9 – Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you
and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father
David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the
people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning
heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
What was it that Solomon said that he wanted more than anything? Wisdom. 1 Kings 3:10 tells us that God was very pleased with Solomon for choosing wisdom. And because Solomon asked for wisdom, listen to what God said to him: 1 King 3:11-14 – So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or
wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches
and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey
my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
J.I. Packer says, “Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.” Solomon would write in Prov. 4:5-7 – Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
A PIVOTAL THOUGHT ABOUT WISDOM
Eccl. 7:10 – Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. Solomon’s admonition here is: It is not wise to always wish for the “good old days.”
Ezra records that when the Jews returned to the Promised Land after the Babylonian Captivity that the temple had to be rebuilt. He says that when the foundation was laid for the second temple, the old men cried “for the good old days” and the young men sang songs of rejoicing because the work had begun.
It’s been said that “the good old days” are the combination of a bad memory and a good imagination. Were the “good old days” really the “good old days”? Ours memories tend to leave out the bad parts of the “good old days.”
In the 1930’s, there was major crime and the Depression. In the 1940’s, we were embroiled in World War II. In the 1950’s, there was the Korean War, the Red Scare, and fear of nuclear war. Remember all the people who built bomb shelters? In the 1960’s, there was the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and Martin Luther King, Jr. There was also the Vietnam conflict, the hippie movement, and civil unrest along with the fear of nuclear war. In the 1970’s, there was still the Vietnam conflict and civil unrest along with a major recession. We tend to forget all those little things, don’t we?
Paul tells us in Ephesians that he thought the days he lived in were evil. But, on the flip side of that verse, he tells us to make the most of every opportunity. Eph. 5:16 – Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Today is today. It’s never going to be yesterday again. God is always up-to-date. No matter what is happening in the “here-and-now”, God is able to handle it. We shouldn’t sit around wishing for the yesterdays. We need to live useful todays so we can make better tomorrows.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM
Wisdom is more valuable than money. Eccl. 7:11-12 – Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
Wisdom is better than a generous inheritance. Money can lose its value, as we have discovered here so very recently. It can be stolen. Wisdom keeps its value. It can’t be lost unless we become foolish and deliberately walk away from it.
A person with money but no wisdom will squander his inheritance. That’s what happened to the prodigal son, is it not? Even more than a solid savings account is a shelter against financial storms; wisdom is a shelter to all who will follow it. Prov. 3:13-14 – Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
Wisdom realizes that God is in charge. Eccl 7:13 – Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?
We really struggle here, don’t we? We have to acknowledge that God is in charge. He is directing things and is even able to take what people mean for harm and use it for good. We can’t get over on Him. We can’t make Him do things our way and that frustrates us, doesn’t it?
Remember the old gospel song, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands? It sure has it right when it says He’s got the wind and the rain, the little, bitty baby, and even you and me in His hands. Isn’t it easy to forget that? He’s got the Middle East in His hand. He’s got Pakistan and Afghanistan in His hands. He’s even got Red China right there in the palms of His hands. He’s got our future, our children, our circumstances, and our friends and even our foes in His hands.
Although I don’t agree with a lot of his theology, I find comfort in the “Serenity Prayer” written by Reinhold Niebuhr in 1934. Variations of it are used around the world by people in various support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. I think it fits what Solomon is saying here in Eccl. 7:13: O God, give us Serenity to accept what cannot be changed, Courage to change what should be changed, And wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
You see, when we acknowledge that God is in control – which only comes from wisdom – it results in humility. We yield ourselves to the One who is over all. It also gives us peace and serenity because our anxieties are eliminated when our trust in God is exercised.
We don’t fully understand the works of God but we do know that “He makes all things beautiful in its time” – including what we think is twisted and ugly.
Wisdom trusts God in all situations. Eccl. 7:14 – When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. Solomon is literally saying, “Trusting God for tomorrow is better than knowing about tomorrow.”
Both the good days and the bad days serve God’s purposes. Rom. 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Wisdom gives us perspective so that we aren’t discouraged when times are difficult or arrogant when things are going well. It takes a good deal of humility and spiritual maturity to be able to accept prosperity as well as adversity. Prosperity can do more damage than adversity.
Paul writes in Phil. 4:10-13 – I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.
Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in
need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed
or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Warren Wiersbe writes: God balances our lives by giving us enough blessing to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble. If all we had were blessings in our hands, we would fall right over, so the Lord balances the blessings in our hands with burdens on our backs. That helps to keep us steady, and as we yield to Him, He can even turn the burdens into blessings.
Solomon tells us: Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. I think that’s very hard for us to accept. Just about the time we think we’ve got everything figured out, God changed things and we have to throw out our plans and follow His. It’s here that Job’s friends went wrong. They tried to use an old road map to guide Job on a new journey, and the map didn’t fit. That’s why we have to walk by faith and not by sight.
We cannot know if tomorrow is going to be good or bad. We simply yield to God and say every day: This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24)
PERCEPTIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM
God does not reward the way we think he should. Eccl 7:15 – In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Isn’t that a kicker? We do have to ask the question, “Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?” This is where wisdom and maturity come in. You have to understand that things only look wrong when you take the short view of things.
We see Asaph struggle with this issue in Ps. 73. Listen to verses 3-19: For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity ; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?” This is what the wicked are like— always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
When we take the time to really consider things according to God’s plan, the wicked only prosper for a short time. They may gain the whole world but they lose their souls.
Don’t be self-righteous or self-absorbed. Eccl. 7:16 – Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself?
Self-righteousness questions God’s dealings and judgments. It’s this same self-righteousness that Jesus confronted and condemned in the Pharisees. In Lk. 18:10-24, He tells a parable to illustrate the point –
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this
parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee
stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers,
adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector
stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ’God, have mercy on me,
a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Solomon paints the picture of someone who is overly zealous to impress other people. They try to make it look like they’ve “got it all together” and act as though other people don’t have it all together. In Matthew 23, Jesus spends the whole chapter talking about people as just described. In Mt. 23:27-28, He says, “Woe to you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on
the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the
outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Please understand: no one is impressed by someone who thinks they are wiser than anyone else and lives as though they’re better than anyone else. Both God and other people are not fooled.
Don’t use your sinful nature as an excuse. Fear God. Eccl 7:17-18 – Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .
Have you ever heard anyone say, “That’s just the way I am. You can’t change me.” It’s just an excuse to have temper tantrums, abuse people, be lazy, etc.
Notice that Solomon says the wise man is the man who fears God. The Bible tells us in several places that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding.
The wise person fears the Lord and because of that, does not fear anyone or anything else. David writes in Ps. 27:1-3 – The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Wisdom is more valuable than strength. Eccl 7:19-20 – Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
A small storeowner was being pressured to sell his store to the owners of a large department store who had
bought every building on the block, except his. Frustrated by the man’s refusal to sell, they eventually opened their huge store on either side of the small one, with a big banner running from one side to the other, proclaiming in huge letters “GRAND OPENING.”
Feeling equally frustrated, the small storeowner did finally outsmart the large department store. Below the grand opening sign, across the front of his small store, the man put up a small banner over his door: “MAIN
ENTRANCE.”
You would think that the power of the big company would be able to crush the small business man. He used his head and at least won a partial victory.
No one is perfect. Eccl. 7:2 0 – There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Rom. 3:23 tells us – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Remember that when you think you’re better than others.
Don’t try to hear every word spoken about you. Eccl 7:21-22 – Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you- for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Solomon says that the wise thing to do is to pay no attention to the gossip of the day. Their opinions really don’t matter. Our concern should be about what the Lord think of us. If we spent all of our day wondering what people think, we’d never get anything done. In actuality, they’re not thinking about us at all.
If we are really honest, we would have to admit that we have done the same thing to others. Jesus warns us in Mt. 7:1-2 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be
judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
A seductive woman should be avoided. Eccl 7:26 – I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.
Solomon talks extensively about the traps and snares of the sinful woman in Proverbs. He understood from his own mistakes where this road leads. 1 Kings 11:1-8 – King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations
about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred
wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his
wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god
of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as
David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable
god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives,
who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
PERPLEXING THOUGHTS ABOUT WISDOM
No human has all wisdom. Eccl. 7:23-25 – All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be
wise” —but this was beyond me. Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound— who can discover
it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to
understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.
Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest men of science, said, “I do not know what I may appear to the world,
but to myself I seem only like a boy playing upon the seashore and diverting myself by now and then finding a
pebble, or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lies undiscovered before me.”
There is a limited number of wise people. Eccl 7:27-28 – “Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have
discovered: Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things- while I was still searching
but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.”
Don’t confuse what Solomon is saying here. He’s not saying that women are dumb and only men have a shot at becoming wise. He is simply using these numbers to highlight the fact that there are not very many genuinely wise people on the earth.
Without godly wisdom, man ends up going his own way and doing his own thing. Eccl. 7:29 – “This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
When God created humans beings, He created them upright and righteous but Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world.
CLOSE
As we close today, we have to make sure we understand why true wisdom – Godly wisdom – is important. It’s important because it leads us to living abundantly, victoriously, and eternally. Wisdom provides our lives with divine perspective and preserves us from human pitfalls. We consider life lived “under heaven” as opposed to life lived “under the sun.”
Godly wisdom sure makes life easier knowing that God is in control and we can trust that wherever He leads us, He will provide for us. Godly wisdom helps avoid the pitfalls of pride, doubt and disillusionment, and resentment and bitterness.
True wisdom comes through Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 1:26-30 – Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
