Wisdom in the Face of Foolishness
Notes
Transcript
Pray
By this point in Ecclesiaties
We know that neither wisdom or folly can find true meaning. Neither can they find more than a breath - anything more than what is temporary.
But we also know that wisdom is better than folly if you want to be content and satisfied in this short journey of life.
That theme of wisdom being better continues In chapter 8.
where wisdom is described as having similar benefits to the most effective beauty treatment, (something I enjoy regulaly)
Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.
Wouldn’t we love to be the person who’s face is bright,
who holds calm perspective even in disaster and calamity,
Who’s face reflects youth and warmth even though life may have been hard.
But how is all this possible - how do we find this contentment now when there is so much injustice and pain in our world?
We’ll return to that question at the end.
A - Wisdom in the face of foolish authority is ‘careful and patient’
A - Wisdom in the face of foolish authority is ‘careful and patient’
Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
We are to imagine perhaps an official in the royal court, in a position of some authority themselves, but subject to the rule of a sovereign King.
But on this day in his court - the king makes an injust decision - or perhaps rejects our own wise advise to the detriment of others.
Perhaps it will bring more misery to the poor,
or invasion and salvery to an undeserving people.
starvation or death to others.
Perhaps it will just make a fool of the King - or worse embarrass our good name.
We’re not told any details -
but the King has demanded something we believe to be foolish rather than wise.
What would the wise person do in that situation?
Now v3 is tricky to interpret - in-fact almost every bible translation in English has a different reading of it.
- but one way or another the wise choice is not to angrily condemn those in authority over us.
don’t throw your toys out the pram - but to accept that for one reason or another God has given this authority over us in life.
The context of chapter 7v9 helps us see this..
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.
The wise person thinks, is patient and careful,
they maintain their alliegnece to the king - for submission to authority over us is right.
The wise person ‘sleeps on it first’.
Rather than jumps to action, or anger or shouting, or demanding our way.
Patience and holding our tongue - is not a cherished attitude these days.
we want to defend justice,
stop foolishness and oppression.
We must act - and act now - fix all the problems,
resolve the conflict,
Complain,
So Why is wisdom, patient and careful.
Well I think there are at least 4 good reasons given in this passage...
4 reasons to be patient and careful
4 reasons to be patient and careful
And while we don’t have a tyrannical all powerful sovereign or government - I think we can apply these principles to our work, school, parents, spouces. How do we react to situations we think are unfair, unjust, or simply foolish…
1 - Live to fight another day
1 - Live to fight another day
Ecclesiastes 8:5a (NIV 2011)
Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm.
Angrily oppose a powerful ruler and you might find your head on the block.
Even in our culture..
If a politicians angrily shouts down the PM on everything they’ll soon find themselves without a seat at the table.
React to everything you don’t like at work and you’ll quickly find you have a reputation for being problematic - you’ll be moved sideways at best - and out at worst.
Behave like that at school and you’ll find yourself in detentions or exclusions.
Angry reactions to those in authority normally escalates matters.
v4 holds true in many of these situations and for good reason.
Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
challenge angrily like that and It leaves you with no oppertunity to do the wise thing which is our second reason for patience..
2 - Proper Procedure
2 - Proper Procedure
Ecclesiastes 8:5b (NIV 2011)
the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
Even the most tyranical leaders will genrally have ways to communicate with them in ways that shows respect for their position and ours.
We’re fortunate in England to have a voting system and local MP’s - a proper process and time for challenging authority. Most the world and most of history has not been so fortunate.
So we have lost the value of sayings such as 'Fool rushes in where angels fear to tred’
We expect our rights and opinion to be valued NOW.
But patience and care is the wise way - and even in our culture
We might have to swallow our pride or opinions, some will inevitably have to suffer in the process - but better for a proper time and process than the whole thing to fall apart as we’ve rushed in in angre.
3 - We can’t predict the future
3 - We can’t predict the future
Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?
How do we actually know that what has been decided is actually going to bring about more harm than good.
Perhaps when you or your child is not picked for a team or trip - and we are devastated and don’t think the school or club has made the right decision.
Perhaps they have or haven’t - but either way we don’t know the future.
It could be what we or they need to learn life is not all about them and their rights - and that humility and sacrifice is a better lesson to learn in the long run.
Should we fight for our rights when we don’t get them?
Perhaps they are not our rights at all?
Perhaps the future holds something better?
You don’t need to read much church history to realise that the fastest expansions of the gospel across the nations was when Christians had to flee their home counritres due to severe persecution.
As evil and foolish the decisons by the Kings and emporers to persecute Christians were - that injustice leads to Christains spreading out acrosss the world telling new people groups as they go of the good news of Jesus!
I’ve no doubt persecuted Christains were, and are, weighed down by misery - but who can tell what the fuutre of foolish and evil decsions will bring about!
We ought to trust God’s oversight far more than we do.
4 - We are not saviours
4 - We are not saviours
Ecclesiastes 8:8b (NIV 2011)
As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practise it.
Of course - soldiers are not dismissed in times of war - they are drafted in not out.
And so - sadly - as a general rule - the wicked remain wicked.
Our rash and angry objections wont change the spots on the leopard!
Again the point here is not that we ignore or go along blindly with wicked injustice -
but that patient endurance, proper procedure, Godly perspective and living to fight another day is much wiser than angre, rash conclusions, assumptions about the future, or a belief that we can change the world or atleast the evil person in front of us!
We cannot save the world.
We are a breath - temporary - small - quickly forgotten.
Wickedness, evil, injustice and oppression will not be expelled from the world by our quick and angry reactions.
You and I are not saviour/s.
What we need is a bigger solution than ourselevs.
pause
IN fact - that feeling of needing a bigger solution
is what we a re left feeling as we read this book isn’t it,
in all the meaninglessness - we need something beyond us to save us!
To give us hope and meaning both now and forever.
But wonderfully this is the story of the bible. and there is a bigger solution.
B - We have a Saviour
B - We have a Saviour
Wisdom in the face of corrupt or foolish authority is a big theme throughout the bible.
We think of Joseph, sold into slavery, falsly accused of adultery, spent time in prison,
Eventually though was used by God - despite all the injustice - to save God’s own people, Joseph's own family from starvation.
He didn’t scream and shout at Potiphar when Potiphers wife falsey accused him.
He didn’t lash out at his oppressors - but actually ended up working for them with his whole heart.
Trusting in God for the future - it turned out the injustices where for a greater purpose and he saved God’s people.
Daniel sets a similar example - carefully seeking to do right before God in refusing to eat the meat offered to the Babylonian idols - but being patient, wise and respectful of his oppressors.
There is David pursued and threatened by King Saul
We’re not Daniels or Josephs or - David;s we are not the saviours.
We are the Israelites who were saved by them.
But The Daniels and Jospehs are the exceptions who point us to what we all need - a perfect saviour. A bigger solution.
The bible - Ecclesiastes even - points us all to Jesus
Who also stayed patient and was careful in the face of foolish wickedness - even accepting death for a future that brings hope to us all.
We will all die having gained nothing of lasting meaning by ourselevs.
Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
The once celebrated people of our time (who are often foolish according to the teacher) will still die and be buried - what was the point of their lives?
And in our lives...
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.
How often this is true. It’s the fool who oppressors and abuses their power who gets great worldly reward. While the humble, patient, careful wise face persecution, oppression, evil and pain.
But this is not the end.. the Saviour is coming - and The teacher for the ifrst time hints that he too trusts in a Saviour to come..
Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
The wicked might prosper - the wise might suffer - but - this temporary life is NOT ALL there is!
Before God - one day - all things will be put right.
The wicked will not have an extension to their days - they will face the wrath of God.
But the one who fears God now and lives reverently before and for him - their days will be extended. It will go well for that person.
This is not a statement that our own wisdom will save us before God’s judgement -
but rather that it is wise to fear and reveare God - and trust in Him to save us from ourselevs.
For the teacher in Ecclesiaties he trusted the OT sacrificial system - that acknowledged that all of us - before God - is a fool - in that we don’t always live wisly and we certainly don’t always fear God and obey his commands.
He looked forward to the coming saviour and made sacrifices that expressed his reliance on Him, not himself.
The NT very clearly shows how the hope of salvation - the bigger solution is fulfilled in the Lord Jesus.
The Son of God given for us.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fearing God means to acknowledge that we need saving from this very life - whether we’re foolish or wise.
Fearing God acknowledges that the wages for our sin is death - God’s judgment.
But it also means we have a Saviour - Jesus our Lord - in whom we MUST believe.
We are not hear to fix the injustice - although we should try in the proper time and place to be wise - But justice will only come when Jesus returns to take his eternal throne.
We are not here to earn salvation through wise living - although wisdom is the better way.
For only 1 man can earn salvation for us and his name is Jesus.
Pause
So back to our initial question -
how do we find this contentment (that bright face) now when there is so much injustice and pain in our world?
How can the wise man in this passage stay calm in front of his foolish king who brings disaster..
How can he, we, live like v 15
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
The teacher put his hope in God’s Bigger solution,
and so for us, Jesus gives us hope and perspective to live in the face of an evil world whether we succeed or fail,
We put our trust in God whom we fear - and his eternal and final justice to come - whatever we face.
He allows us to have perspective - becasue Jesus will win.
We can have Patience becasue Jesus will win,
We can even have Joy now - becasue Jesus will win.
We can enjoy our toil at school not becasue it gains us eternal life - but becasue that is where God has called us to serve him at this time.
We can enjoy our toil at work, not because it will gain us happiness when we earn enough, or reach high enough - but becasue it is a blessing from God to occupy our time as we serve him in that place.
We can enjoy family, friends, parents, our spouses, church family - even when we think they have been foolish - not becasue we‘re blind to foolishness but because then need a saviour as much as we do. - We can trust God for the future - for Jesus saves.
when we have controlling or foolish authorities above us, who we don’t agree with or can’t influence - who even bring about pain and misery.
we can be patient and careful - and we can also still have a bright and relaxed face,
Because Jesus will win - when we can’t.
Oh - what a day it will be when our saviour returns...
Perhaps it is HIS light and glory that is reflected brightly on our faces - as we trust and reverently fear the Lord God each day.
For as our final song says - He, Jesus, will hold us fast.
Pray