MAR 12

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18
Memorise Proverbs 19:8
"Wisdom is better than strength" 

WHAT IS THE USE OF WISDOM?

As a sort of illustration to his previous point, but also as a conclusion to this segment, Solomon shares a story of a wise man in a city, and how his wisdom was both useful and despised at the same time. In this contradiction, you will be able to understand a bit more about what the role of wisdom really ought to be in light of God’s sovereign will.

He tells of a small city with very few fighting men that were attacked by the forces of a great king. He had come and lay siege to the city, and even begin to build bulwarks (either siege engines to destroy the walls or ramparts to scale them) against it. It would seem that all hope was lost for this small city. However, through the wisdom and ingenuity of a certain poor wise man in the city, he was somehow able to suggest a solution to save the city from destruction and deliver it from the siege. Truly, "wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty which are in the city" (Ecclesiastes 7:19). Some commentators have suggested that this could be a reference to the incident in 2 Samuel 20, whereby a single woman saved the city of Abel from the army of Joab by delivering the head of the traitor Sheba to them. Yet despite the valuable contributions that he made to the city, this poor man was not remember for his contributions. The city continued to thrive in peace, but the man received no recognition or reward for what he had done.

So upon recounting this incident, Solomon concludes that yes indeed wisdom is good, for it trumps physical strength. However, it does not earn the man any recognition but instead he is still despised. They still look down upon him for being poor, and they care not for his words, they ignore his counsel. Amidst the business and bustle of the city, few stop to hear the words of wise men. They care more for the words of the rulers, the ones in power, though they be fools. This is the way the world is, for they will look at things like status, fame, popularity, image etc. They judge by outward appearances, and care not for what is truly important. True wisdom is despised in this world, for it cannot bring the physical things that the world craves for. But as believers we realize, the purpose of our exercise of wisdom is not to win the praise of men, but only the praise of God. If in our wisdom we do things rightly before God, then we have done well.

Thought: We exercise wisdom, for it brings glory to God
Prayer: Lord, help me to rightly exercise wisdom, for the right reasons.