Part 2 of 3
We have been looking at Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 under the theme, “Allowing Death, Sorrow, and Adversity to Teach us.”
In our last article, we looked at verses 1-6 and saw that it is better to confront reality head on than to take a frivolous and light hearted approach to the problems and issues at hand. This is especially true with regard to our own mortality.
In this article, we will look at verses 7-12 where Solomon gives us various miscellaneous proverbs that contrast wisdom and folly.
Various Proverbs (vv. 7-12)
The first of these is in verse 7, “Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.” The word “oppression” refers to extortion, which is the obtaining of something by force or threats or other unfair means. Most likely, Solomon is speaking about a wise man being oppressed or extorted by someone. When faced with such a situation, an otherwise wise and sensible person can be driven to madness or rashness if he is not careful.
The second part of the verse refers to a situation of bribery or the taking of a gift in return for some desired thing or action. The idea is that when a person is offered a bribe and he takes it, his judgment is clouded and no longer unbiased. The gift destroys his heart in the sense that his heart is distorted and his conscience is silenced, and does not function as it ought to. The wise person who succumbs to the bribe is a fool and he will act foolishly as a result.
The point here is that we must be careful not to succumb to external pressures and influences that will cause us to act foolishly, whether it be through extortion or bribery. When we are being oppressed by others or when we are being tempted to evil, the wise man will exercise self-control and restraint. He will keep himself in check.
Joseph is a good example of that. He was oppressed by his brothers and was tempted by Potiphar’s wife and later thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, but in all these situations, he exercised self-control and did not act rashly or foolishly.
And of course, Jesus is the best example of that for we read of Him in 1 Peter 2:23, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:”
The next proverb is found in verse 8, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” The key word here is patience. The end of something is better than the beginning because one does not know the outcome of a thing until it is complete. It is easy to boast and be proud at the beginning of something but patience is required to see it through to the end. And so the second part of the proverb says that a patient spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
So while the first proverb implies self-control in the face of adversity and temptation, the second proverb calls for patience and humility in the face of an uncertain outcome.
The third proverb is found in verse 9, “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” The meaning is quite straightforward. Here the issue is anger. The proverb calls us to be slow to anger. In contrast, those who are quick to be angry will show themselves to be fools.
The New Testament gives the same instruction. James 1:19-20 says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” And again in Ephesians 4:26, “Be ye angry, and sin not…” As God’s people, it is not wrong to be angry but we need to be careful to be angry for the right reasons and at the right time.
One writer noted that ours is the age of the short fuse. People get angry very quickly and they display their anger very readily and in various ways be it violent behaviour or taking up lawsuits or shouting and screaming at others, and so on. But all such acts of rash and unrestraint anger are foolish and to be avoided by the people of God. Solomon says, “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”
Then in verse 10, Solomon suddenly departs from the language of proverb, and quotes a saying that was common in his day. “Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.” The questioner asks why the former days were better than the present ones or why the past was better than the present. Solomon says that one should not ask such a question because it is not wise to do so. Such a question would actually mark the questioner as a fool.
Solomon is warning against a nostalgic or sentimental view of life. He is calling us not to be a glorifier of times past, that is, not to be those who always pine after and long for the past and are constantly dissatisfied with the present. It is certainly not wrong to look back at the past with fond memories and to talk about the good old days from time to time but be careful that it does not lead you to lose touch with reality or become discontent with the present.
Furthermore, to think that the past is always better is to demonstrate a real ignorance of history. We tend to remember only the good things and forget the troubles and faults and problems of the past. It is good to learn from the past but always remember that our real life is in the present. God has placed us in the here and now, and we are to be content with what He has assigned to us, and not be constantly longing to turn back the clock to a golden age in the past.
Next, we move on to verses 11 and 12 where Solomon returns to the language of proverb. “Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.”
We can summarize the teaching of these two verses in one simple statement – wisdom is better than wealth. But unlike the previous verses where Solomon contrasts one quality with another, here he teaches us that both wealth and wisdom are good things. Nevertheless, we need to understand that one is better than or has an advantage over the other.
Solomon is saying that wisdom is a good thing especially when it is accompanied by wealth. Such a combination is very good and profitable to those who are living. Both wealth and wisdom provide some measure of protection to the person. For example, wealth protects one from hunger and cold, while wisdom protects one from being deceived or exploited.
But wisdom does more than merely providing protection in temporal things. Wisdom gives life to them that have it. That is what makes wisdom better than wealth. Whereas one’s wealth is bound up with this material world, wisdom transcends the material realm and reaches to heaven.
Or better still, we should say that true wisdom comes from heaven and equips the person with the resources and ability to live a full and God-honouring life. That is what is meant by wisdom giving life to them that have it.
Let’s briefly summarize this second section on miscellaneous proverbs in five points.
First, we must be careful not to succumb to external pressures and influences that will cause us to act foolishly.
Second, we must be patient and humble rather than impatient and proud, especially in the face of an uncertain outcome.
Third, we must exercise self-control and not be quick to anger.
Fourth, we are to be content to live in the present and not keep longing for the past.
And fifth, wisdom is better than wealth because it equips a person to lead a truly meaningful life….