The Poor Wise Man
Notes
Transcript
Pray
Pray
dramatic reading..
I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me. there was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it.
Wow - this is some kind of Lord of the Rings epic.
Obvioulsy there is something, or someone special in this little town,
but it’s vulnerable and exposed despite its defensive walls.
A powerful King arrives from Mogador in Middle Earth- or just down the A217 towards Reigate.
But this King and his seige works are not the star of this film,
Oh no… this is a true story of the heroic underdog..
Someone so wise that even our writer of Eccsiasties -
(the man who finds no meaning or lasting worth in anything )
- has finanly said he is ‘greatly impressed’ with this mans wisdom.
Settle in for a feature length film, get your popcorn,
dim the lights...
Ecclesiastes 9:15 (NIV 2011)
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.
What a rubbish story teller - you build up the scene - albeit quickly and then just tell us the poor wise man saved the city by his wisdom - but nobody remembers him!
Well what what his wisdom?
What did he do, how did he outwit the powerful king?
Honestly - it’s a frustrating place to leave us.
“You’ll never believe what I saw today”
yeah, yeah, what...
“Oh no, it’s doesn’t matter,”
We want to know!
After my interview here at GC about 6 years ago, I was sat back at Heathrow waiting for my flight to return to Lesotho where we were living at the time, just about to board the plane,
and I got a text message from Crazy Uncle Ben (who many of you know), who I had asked in my absence to do a weeks training for the missions team we led on ‘preaching’.
As the flight is boarding - the text message just says...
The team has roled the landy.
Well i need more than that!?
Are they alive,
what happened,
is it written-off.
did anyone else get hurt..
Silence.
No reply.
This must be bad - he’s obviously now helping Leanna raise a rescue team, call ambulances, who knows...
I’m now on the plane, they are doing final checks, my phone has to be turned off for the next 11 hours.
YOu simply can’t leave me at that point.
We need to know what happened.
But I had to wait
What was this poor wise mans wisdom that saved the day!
But this is the point of this section on Ecclisiaties..
Here is the sad lesson...
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, ‘Wisdom is better than strength.’ But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
When a story is told - we really care and pay attention.
But when life is happening around us - it is the quiet, often heroic wisdom and actions that are ignored, forgotten and even despised.
We’ll never know what that poor but wise man said or did - becasue no one can remember - even though he saved the city for them!
quickly forgotten becasue he was insignificant, poor, an embarrassment to them.
He was wise, he saved, They forgot - they were foolish.
And this chapter is full of sad reminders of this.
Wisdom is better than folly, but in our world - the fool who shouts loudest will be heard - rather than the quiet and carful wisdom of others.
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honour.
I’ve never made perfume - but I have some fly traps in my chicken coop - and boy do a few rotten flies create a stench.
A little folly outweighs wisdom and honour.
Look around he says - you’ll see it everywhere...
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.
IN other words - the rich who here are assumed to be rich becasue they have worked hard, and know what they are doing in business - are often not the ones given high positions - it’s the fools who shout loudest that are.
The world does not value quiet wisdom - but loud fools.
Quiet wisdom is forgotten.
You’ll see it in your work or community or school meetings all the time.
It’s not the wisest ideas that are adopted - but the most strongly or loudly defended and argued.
It is not the quite wise members who get their way, but the bold fools.
If your meetings don’t go like perhaps you’re the loud fool?!
The teacher here has seen even more foolish things take place under the sun. v7
I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
The implication being that a good and wise prince who ought to ride in honour can find themslevs being treated like slaves at the foolish but bold and loud voices of others.
How backwards our world can be.
and
Woe to the land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness.
In this world we want wise and experienced rulers, but how often we find loud fools at the helm.
Princes ought to feast in the evening - but woe to the land where they have given up and get drunk in the morning - becasue fools have taken control.
IN fact all of life can be backwards,
it can be dangerous,
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
Of course in all this - the continued reminder of the teacher is, wisdom is better - just don’t expect earthly rewards and greatness, or meaning or lasting life or salavtion from these things.
Even the wise die and are forgotten.
But also, - don’t enjoy fatalism - don’t give into the meaninglessness.
Don’t get drunk in the morning.
There is still worth being wise
And he gives examples of that..
If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.
Even in the frustration of it all - it’s worth doing a good job at work, home, school, in our neighbourhoods - at church.
If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee.
Don’t cut corners like the fool - even if you aren’t remmebered or recognised for your wisdom.
Whether or not your boss or your teacher or your spouse sees your wisdom don’t abandon your wisdom.
If a snake charmer cuts corners - they’ll be bitten and unpaid! And so might we.
Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.
Don’t give up and be lazy - then your house will certainly collapse.
Look after your things, care for your family, do not neglect your spouse or friends
- just becasue the world does, or the fool tells you otherwise,
there is still value in being wise.
Neglect the upkeep of your home and the roof might fall in on you.
A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.
Enjoy sensibly the good things God gifts us in life, feasts and celebrations, wine that makes us merry - but not too much to make us foolish, And of course the reality is that money is required for all these things - so you’ll need to earn some.
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Still live rightly and wisely, you never know who’s watching, or will be around the corner.
Wisdom is better than folly,
But.
Do not rely on even wisdom for anything meaningful and lasting beyond this life - or often even in it.
In fact that’s almost the point - in a world where wisdom and the right thing is not always seen, rewarded, or worthwhile in and of itself - don’t give up and become a fool yourself.
Do the honourable and wise thing before God at every turn - for he, like the birds are watching.
Just don’t expect the world to pay you back handsomely for such behaviour.
Like the poor wise man who saved the city - you and your wisdom might well just be forgotten.
But do it for another reasons...
Do it for Jesus.
Do it for Jesus.
I think it’s hard to read this section and not ask - but why?
Why is life like this.
And it’s also hard not to draw parallels to the experience Jesus himself had on earth.
I almost wonder if we’re ment to think of the poor wise man in that opening story who overcame a great and powerful ruler, and say - that’s what Jesus did.
Satan has laid siege to our world.
Ramparts are built, armies of temptation, sin and evil are gathered.
The city within is in a frenzy.
Looking for answers - crying and wailing,
fear and confusion.
Everyone rushing around looking for meaning.
We’re tempted to follow the wisdom of the age,
be true to yourself,
all roads lead to victory - just believe in yourself.
Some are trying other religions.
If we are good enough - God will save us.
Others have given up - they are getting drunk in the morning and stumbling and fumbling through the day.
Others withdrawn and afraid in the inner rooms of their homes or minds.
SOme are heroic and loud!!
Follow me - I’ll save you. This way and that.
The enemy loves it all - chaos and meaningless and self saving are this enemies favourite weapon of war.
It’s a picture of life.
As long as ‘everyone’ is looking ‘everywhere’ according to ‘everything’ they know for meaning and salvation and victory - no-one will find it.
Isn’t this the vapour, the breath, the meaningless of Eccesiaties.
Look and try all you like you wont find help or meaning in the world or yourself?
No-one has thought for one second to turn to the poor wise man sitting by the city gates.
It’s a picture of life .
We, humanity,
are the slaves who have pulled Jesus the king of his horse, v7, and made him walk behind like a slave.
We’re the fools who occupy the high places in life, while Jesus the truely rich man occupies the lowly.
We’re the ones digging pits for the enemy - but find oursleevs falling in.
OUr ratfters are sagging becasue we’re lazy,
Our words are all about ourselves for we’re the fools.
We ‘re the ones ignorant of the birds who carry our sin and evil actions and thoughts to the true King in heaven, v20.
Satan ought to win this battle.
The ramparts are built.
No-one has an answer - and now look..
Pause
“There he is”
jeer the heroic and loud fools.
Look at him - that poor embarrassing man,
he’s walking out alone, beaten and naked towards the enemy!
You say you’re the son of God - save yourself now.
Take him and kill him we offer him to you our enemy,
give us fools over that man anyday - give us Barrabas.
And as a sheep is slient before it’s slaughter, the poor but wise man offers no words to the enemy.
But Satan knows this man.
At last he says.
This is who I came for.
The son of God - finally at my mercy.
And he murders him with the full support of the blind fools of his own city.
People like you and me.
As Satan - the Prince of this age marches now into the city of humanity perhaps neievly thinking he’s won.
He takes what looks like control.
All the inhabitant of the city (our world) are now heading for an eternal death with the enemy in charge.
Forced to worship Satan - although we know him by subtle and different names in every age.
pause
But this reign is short.
For the poor wise man, was truly a king of kings and lord of lords.
His heavenly Father saw his obedince even to detah and rasied him up to new life to sit at his rights hand,
And he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
What satan didn’t notice as he passed the dying body of the wise man was that his foot had began to raise as it went up to heaven.
And the crushing blow of Jesus heel will finanly crush the head of the serpant, the snake when he returns.
It began and was completed in one sense on the very day Jesus died.
As the wise man walked out to face the enemy,
As Jesus drew his last breath on the cross.
‘It is finished.’
But many miss and forget this great wisdom.
But we will see it -the city will see it - all will see it - when Jesus returns in victory.
The question of course is - will we remember that poor wise man when he returns.
Will you remember his wisdom, as he chose to give his life as a ransom for many.
As he died on the cross of salvation so we didn’t have to.
Will we continue in foolish blindness
- believing the lies of Satan who presently rules this world and blinds us to our own sin and the right judgement of God that awaits.
Or will we remember the poor wise man.
The king pulled down from his horse.
The crucified saviour
the lord Jesus.
Pray
Pray
Forgive us Lord Jesus -
for when we seek meaning in our own lives and world we are forgetting the wisdom of you the King - who chose to be pulled of his horse,
who chose to be poor and rejected by mankind,
and yet in your perfect wisdom,
made a sacrifice to save all who repent and believe in your name.
May we choose wisdom rather than folly all the days of our life.
Not to find meaning,
but becasue wisdom chooses to be like you.
Humble, compassionate, slow to angre,
wisdom chooses to honour the Lord God always above and before ourselevs.
Wisdom chooses to trust you for salvation in the face of every enemy.
And so we pray - Come Lord Jesus,
Return to show us the victory you have already won.
Do not let us forget.
Save us we pray.
Amen