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Sunday 6/03/26
Title: Wisdom is a Shield!
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Wisdom is a Shield!
Context, context, context… Many of the following statements, if isolated from their context, are both misleading and incorrect. There are qualifiers which are periodically placed throughout which provide a lens through which to understand what Solomon was saying.
Much of the context is that of conclusions – which is to say “the end of a matter” which for Solomon in this book is nearly always physical death – though not always.
The focal point of each saying being the words “better than” which is the Hebrew word טוֹב (tov, “good, better or pleasant”). This is repeated throughout the first 12 verses of chapter 7. Each poetic unit in the Hebrew begins with this word, though it might appear in different places due to translation in other languages such as English.
Ecclesiastes 7:1-29, (Holman)
“(1) A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth.”
Here fine perfume is compared to a good name. By good name, Solomon is NOT saying what we once thought he was back in our Word of Faith days. We believed then that this was referring to a name which carries a good meaning. Like Jesus means savior, or Joshua means the Lord saves. And these are important in their own rights but it is NOT what Solomon has in view here.
What these words a “good name” mean in this context points to the good character, consistent honesty and integrity which people associate with a name due to their reputation. In spirit, it is much like when people used to be able to borrow money or goods based upon their “good name” and a handshake. It was the approved character, honesty, quality work and morality of the person which gave substance to the name.
So this comparison is between something which represents intrinsic value and moral character. The other, like a fragrance, is pleasant enough, but serves only to mask what is truly there by nature.
Then Solomon adds that the day of one’s birth is of less value than the day of their death. This has several potential meanings which are true.
If it is a stand alone statement, then the day of a baby’s birth, they are celebrated just for being born. While that is warranted by parents and loved ones on other grounds, it is hollow in other respects. The baby is celebrated for simply existing – something which they did not instigate and to which they contributed nothing. They are a blank sheet of paper filled with neither good nor evil. Death on the other hand is shrouded with the remembrance of WHO the person was, what they did and if celebrated by people of piety and good will, speaks of a life well lived.
If this statement was intended to be comparative with the first statement, then it might be laying before us the truth that times of relative happiness, characterized by celebration and “fine perfume” teach us less than hard times such as “the day of one’s death”. Funerals often serve as catalysts for moral rectitude and character improvement by those who attend.
Or it could be a progressive statement regarding the value of coming to the close of one’s life (“day of one’s death”) with a good reputation (“a good name”) rather than to merely be starting life (“day of one’s birth”) in an auspicious manner of joy and celebration like with “fine perfume”.
Folly and wickedness will define even the most noble of good beginnings so that a person ends life as a fool, though they began it wiser than all. Solomon himself, I believe, offers himself as a token example of this truth throughout this book of proverbial sayings which contain many reflections on his personal life.
So it is through a lens like this that we progress through these “better than” statements…
“(2) It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.”
It would be contradictory and completely out of step with so many other statements of Solomon in this book to believe this represents a healthy, continual course of life. Living in mourning is deadly and offers no cure for foolishness. Rather Solomon is saying that mourning does more to improve the character than indulgence.
Every soul, at the end of life, will have tears – some to be wiped away lovingly by their Maker and Father, and others to go with them into eternal darkness. Since the most sincerest of all tears are in our future as human beings, it is good for the soul to shed some of them in mourning NOW, while there is hope of character refinement rather than after it is too late. Such is the clear gist of the next few statements as well.
“(3) Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.”
The type of sadness here is grief or vexation. The laughter may be legitimate or mocking in nature, all of which would have an impact on the meaning. One thing is safe though, within the greater context of these verses the point seems to be to contrast temporary, superficial amusement with the somber and sobering realities of life. Facing life’s difficulties (“sorrow“) forces introspection and wisdom, whereas constant laughter (foolish or otherwise) is preventative towards people’s facing life with the seriousness it deserves.
“(4) The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.
(5) It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. (6) For like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.”
“(7) Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe destroys the mind.”
This shows the folly associated with both sides of a coin. The one who attempts to obtain money through coercion is manipulative, controlling, greedy and ultimately ungodly. The one who offers a bribe to make a problem go away is often settling for something less than justice. Coercion for sure and bribery in many cases are filled with self focused ambition and “where envy and self seeking exist, confusion and every evil work will be there” according to James 3:16.
“(8) The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.
(9) Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, FOR anger abides in the heart of fools.
“(10) Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not wise of you to ask this.”
This is clearly a conditional statement because if one were to ask this in order to change a course of action which set unfavorable events in motion as their due consequence, then asking this is wise. If, as is likely here, it is only to complain that the grass appears greener in another yard, this accomplishes nothing beneficial and only spirals downward.
“(11) Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and an advantage to those who see the sun. (12) For wisdom is protection as money is protection, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.”
I have often said that wisdom and a good name are a richer inheritance than money and possessions ever could be. As such, when Proverbs 13:22 tells us that “a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children”, this excludes the poor from being good unless wisdom and a good name can be considered a rich inheritance. In fact, these may be the best inheritance one could ever offer.
The idea presented in Proverbs is both cultural and spiritual.
Under the Old Covenant there were blessings of riches associated with being righteous, though even then, it was not always realized in a material fashion. Nevertheless, in ancient Israel leaving an inheritance for your grandchildren was seen as evidence of the blessings of God – presumably for being a good person. However, at least under the New Covenant such is not true regarding material blessings.
To illustrate this we need look no further than the apostles, all of which, so far as we have record, were not wealthy men and some had children – so they presumably had grandchildren as well. Jesus Himself was not a wealthy man. So being the eldest son, and desiring to provide for His natural mother after His death and resurrection, Jesus gave Mary to John as his mother. This provision was more spiritual and relational, than monetary.
No doubt she was amply provided for naturally, but more than that she was loved, cherished and cared for – because John loved Jesus and considered Him both His master and his beloved friend!
So an inheritance which ALL good men leave for their children and their grandchildren is a life lived in righteousness, time invested in love and instruction and a good name. All of which are many times more valuable than material wealth! [See – Hope deferred makes the heart sick!]
“(13) Consider the work of God; for who can straighten out what He has made crooked?
(14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: without question, God has made the one as well as the other, so that man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
(15) In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil.
(16) Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
(17) Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time?”
There are several ways to take this observance. It was intended by the “teacher” to set before the assembly of Israel a roadmap for living. This was intended to be accomplished by revealing what has and produces nothing of lasting value as contrasted with what does.
As such, Solomon’s observance here is much like that from chapter 2:15, where he shows that while the wise possess a real, but relative advantage over the fool, in the end they share the same fate of death. In like manner, here Solomon warns that wisdom and righteous behavior does not guarantee an advantage over wickedness and folly in terms of their immediate outcomes.
The charge to not be “excessively” righteous, may mean being legalistic rather than relational in the way you live out the law. Most of the time, people tend to think of “excessive” righteousness as those whose behaviors are lifeless and legalistic or in which they attempt to impose the limits of their lifestyle upon others making them “self-righteous”. While that may possess some application here, I don’t think it was the intended meaning. I think Solomon was saying don’t do this with the intentionality of avoiding trouble as a result – since such is not guaranteed.
Again, unless stated otherwise, Solomon’s statements are all regarding life “under the sun”, meaning while physically still alive. So what he is NOT suggesting is that righteousness and wisdom have no intrinsic or eternal value, only that in many cases, they will both experience evil and sometimes the wicked will prosper in their wickedness.
“(18) It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.”
I like the NET Bible’s wording here because it illuminates the text in a meaningful way. It says,
“It is best to take hold of one warning without letting go of the other warning; for the one who fears God will follow both warnings.”
Solomon here is not telling us to hold onto both righteousness and wickedness, but to maintain an awareness and healthy respect of both warnings which were to not do right with wrong motives and do not do wrong and thereby sow a harvest you will wish you did not have to reap.
This interpretation is further justified by Solomon’s next acknowledgement.
“(19) Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers of a city.
(20) There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins.
“(21) Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you; (22) for you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.
(23) I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved,
“I will be wise,” but it was beyond me. (24) What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it?
(25) I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. (26) And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, her heart a net, and her hands chains.
The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
(27) “Look,” says the Teacher, “this I have discovered, by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, (28) which my soul continually searches for but does not find: among a thousand people I have found one true man, but among all these I have not found a true woman.”
Well that verse is awkward.
First off, I believe this verse must be understood as a continuation of the previous verse.
In this context, Solomon is saying that the great majority of women are so prone to control and manipulation (which Genesis 4 explains) that they themselves can be viewed as a trap. I doubt very much that any other time in the history of the world has this been more clearly displayed and openly owned with pride by women than today.
God’s statement to Eve that her “desire would be towards her husband but that he must rule over you” was saying that her desire towards her husband, and by extension all women towards all men, would be to manipulate, domineer and control them. Women were not made to lead, but to support and help.
The man was created as the head and the lead. Overwhelmingly, universally and historically men have ruled and controlled the power, authority and assets of this world. This is not a political or religious statement it is merely a historical fact. So much so that if men had not taken it in hand to offer women rights legally, there would have been nothing they could have done to secure them.
In the end, the only way to secure the type of future many women desire is either through trust or control and the latter is far easier than the first.
Even Adam, in a perfect state, was relatively easy prey to Eve in leading to his open-eyed betrayal of God through a mere suggestion she uttered.
Solomon is saying that a man who pleases God will escape such traps, but such men are exceedingly rare. But rarer still is the woman no man needs to escape from.
The word “one” in reference to a true man, is used to press the point that such is extremely rare, rather than literally one single person. Likewise, the same if true for the second claim which is to indicate that a real woman is even harder to find.
“(29) Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”
Verse 9 of chapter 8 tells us what Solomon was seeking when he gleaned the wisdom of these statements. In this case it regards the power men have over each other to hurt.
“(9) All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.”
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17,
“(1) Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
(2) I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. (3) Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases.
(4) For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
(5) Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. (6) For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. (7) For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?
(8) No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it.
(9) All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
(10) Then I saw the wicked buried.
They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity.
(11) Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
(12) Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before Him. (13) But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
(14) There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous.
I said that this also is vanity.
(15) And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
(16) When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, (17) then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun.
However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.”
Blessings!
Blessings!
