Part 2 of 3
In our previous article on Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:7 under the theme, “Wisdom for living in a fallen world,” we considered the first of three observations that the preacher makes from an under-the-sun point of view, namely, that life is uncertain or unpredictable. In this article, we will look at his second observation, which is that wisdom has its limitations.
Limitations of Wisdom (9:13-10:4)
From verses 13-16 of chapter 9, he tells us a story to illustrate his point. The story goes like this – there was a small city with just a few people in it. And there was a great king with a great army, which surrounded this city. They built great bulwarks or siegeworks with the intention of breaking through the walls and conquering the city. The great contrast in the size and strength of the two forces serves to indicate how lopsided the battle was expected to be. From the perspective of manpower and resources, the city did not stand a chance at all.
But then, against all expectations, the little city is rescued and delivered from the mighty king and his army. And the source of its deliverance was also very unexpected – a poor but wise man. Exactly what he did or said that led to the city’s deliverance, we are not told. But against all odds, the city successfully repelled the invading army.
Nevertheless, having delivered the city through his wisdom, this poor wise man is soon forgotten. No one remembers him. The people of the city do not erect a statue or monument in memory of the one who saved them. Life in the city goes on as usual. The memory of the poor wise man slips into oblivion. What a sad situation! How unfair!
In verses 17 and 18, the preacher gives us his assessment of wisdom. “The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.”
These two verses contain three statements. The first two praise the value of wisdom while the third reminds us of the reality of wisdom in a fallen world.
First, the quiet words of the wise are to be preferred to the loud words of fools. There are three contrasts going here. There is the wise and there is the fool. There is the quiet word and there is the loud cry. Finally, there is the common person and there is the ruler or leader.
So imagine the scene – on the one hand, you have a ruler who is shouting loud but foolish words among foolish people. On the other hand, you have a common man who is speaking soft but wise words.
Whose words should you listen to? Most would go for the rabbling and rousing leader. After all, noise attracts attention whereas quietness is unexciting and unattractive. But if you want to be truly wise, then listen to the words of a quiet but thoughtful man.
Furthermore, such quiet words of wisdom often have a deeper and more profound impact on the lives of the hearer than the loud but foolish shouts of another person, even if he be a ruler.
Second, the preacher says in verse 18 that wisdom is better than weapons of war. Again, the idea is similar to the previous statement. Wisdom is superior to weapons. It can accomplish much more than what mere brute force can.
But then, the preacher adds a third statement at the end of verse 18 as a warning to all. He says, “but one sinner destroys much good.” So while wisdom may accomplish much, it takes very little to spoil the gains of wisdom. Very little is needed to destroy something good. All it takes is one person, one sinner to cause a whole lot of trouble and to bring down what had been painstakingly built up by the wise.
How true that is! Think about how sin entered into this good and perfect world through the foolish act of one man – Adam. All of creation was marred and affected by his one sin.
The preacher includes this last statement at the end of verse 18 to remind us of the realities of wisdom operating in a fallen world. It serves as a reality check so that we do not get carried away with unrealistic expectations or with an overly optimistic view of life.
The preacher carries on this thought in verse 1 of chapter 10, where he writes, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”
The basic meaning of the verse is that it only takes a little of something bad to spoil something good. Two examples of this are given. A dead fly in your bowl of soup is bad enough, but several dead flies getting into your sweet smelling and precious perfumed oil is a disaster. Your expensive perfume will stink and be ruined as a result.
But even more serious is a little folly destroying one’s reputation for wisdom and honour. Wisdom and honour are highly valued virtues in a man but all it takes is one moment of folly or madness to spoil them. Think about how many lives have been wrecked or devastated because of a couple of drinks too many or how many friendships have been broken because of a careless or silly remark. The point is clear – it takes only a touch of folly to spoil something good and worthwhile.
Then moving on in the text, verses 2 and 3 say, “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.”
What verse 2 means is that wisdom and folly are rooted in the heart of a man and will be manifested in his life. The wise and the foolish will go in two different directions. One goes to the right while the other goes to the left, so that though wisdom and folly are essentially matters of the heart, they cannot be hidden in the way one lives his life.
Verse 3 makes this observation more explicit. When a fool walks on the road, his lack of wisdom is revealed and he says to everyone that he is a fool. The great tragedy of such a man is that he does not realise or see that he is a fool. He thinks that his actions and words are sound and reasonable when in fact they only demonstrate his foolish heart. He cannot even do something as simple as walking on a road without betraying his own folly.
Here is another instance of wisdom failing to operate in a fallen world. Foolish people thinking themselves to be wise but succeeding only to reveal their own folly.
Then the last verse of this section says, “If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.” This verse is not so closely related to the previous verses, but nevertheless, it is somewhat related to the theme of wisdom in a fallen world. The preacher gives advice on how to deal with a ruler or a superior who is very angry with you. Presumably, this anger is unfair and unreasonable.
In such a situation, it would be very tempting for you to leave or walk away from him but we should not do that because that will only increase his anger. Instead, you should respond with calmness, composure, and gentleness for that will pacify or lay to rest great offences.
It may not always be wise to vindicate yourself or to walk away from a heated situation even if you are right and your superior is wrong. The wisest thing to do might simply be to stay at your post and respond calmly. In a fallen world, we cannot always expect to set things right immediately. Sometimes, they may never be straightened out especially when it involves conflict with a superior. We should be prepared for that and seek to make the best of such a situation.
So the first two observations we’ve seen thus far are – life is unpredictable and wisdom has its limitations as it operates in a fallen world. In our next article, we will consider the third observation – life is not as it should be…