The Value & Use of Wisdom - (7:1 - 8:17)
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Intro:
Intro:
Last week at the very end we mentioned that this week we are going to start going into “The Value & Use of Wisdom” (7:1 - 8:17).
As I was reading through these chapters, I couldn’t help but think of the book of Proverbs and also the N.T. book of James (sometimes called “the Proverbs of the N.T.”) (and we’ll bring in some verses from both as we go through this section.
But what we want to notice in this section of chapters 7 and 8 is the benefit of wisdom properly used.
Remember that we have noticed early in our study of Ecclesiastes how Solomon spoke against the idea of gaining wisdom for its own sake …
Same thing with philosophy — Philosophy for its own sake is not good …
Same thing with riches for their own sake, or pleasure, or what have you!
But we don’t want to swing the pendulum too far and act like Solomon is repudiating the need for wisdom …
Solomon “wrote the book on wisdom” (Proverbs).
Solomon was the wisest man on earth at the time!
But even so, he got caught up in his wisdom in such a way that he “missed the forest for the trees.”
Text:
Text:
7:1a - “A good name ...” See Prov. 22:1 - Do we understand the importance of maintaining a good reputation?
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Titus 1:6 in the list of qualifications for elders - “blameless” or “above reproach” is the idea.
A reputation is a terrible thing to waste!
But many people do waste their reputations through dishonesty, or open immorality, etc.
It’s hard to gain a good reputation back after losing it (It’s possible, but difficult — Just ask Paul, right?!)
7:1b - “And the day of death ...”
This is one of those shocking statements that Solomon makes … (Reminds me of 4:2 - “
But it’s true!
Certainly it’s true when you remember the fate of the faithful child of God!
7:2 - Again, another shocking statement that upon first reading can be difficult for us to grasp.
But again, it’s true!
Now I don’t know about you, but when I think about a good time …
The house of mourning — a funeral — not exactly the most fun moments of our life, right?!
But better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting!
Why?!
“For that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart.”
Funerals sometimes are the most opportune times for us to reach people with the Gospel!
(Some people think you shouldn’t preach the Gospel at a funeral — I disagree.)
(Now I don’t think we should brow beat people to death … But they do need hope in the Gospel at this most desperate moment in their life!)
Psa. 90:12
So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Jam. 4:13-14
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
7:3 - Is Solomon saying that laughter is no good, that we just need to be Stoic all the time?
No!
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Prov. 17:22)
Medically, we know this! Laughter increases endorphins, which improve the immune system.
Bad attitudes can lead to health problems, too.
But Solomon’s point in this verse is found in the second part - “For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.”
How?
I think he’s definitely referring to the SPIRITUAL aspect of things here!
Again, it’s often the case that when someone hits “an all time low” he finally realizes his need to turn back to God — Prodigal Son - Luke 15
7:4 - These two can be FOUND in these places …
A person oftentimes (general principle) comes out from the school of hard knocks more WISE when he comes out from the other side.
A person who just lives only for pleasure (mirth, partying, or what have you) is a fool.
7:5 - Ain’t this the truth!
Our young people especially need to hear this!
Proverbs has plenty to say about HEEDING the instruction of one’s father and not forsaking the teaching of one’s mother (Prov. 1:8)
Notice that hearing the rebuke of the wise (actively listening when they get on to you) is better than hearing the SONG of fools.
You’ve heard it said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned?
Well, fools sing while foolishness is being practiced [Cover ears and pretend to sing](La la la la la la la! Na na na boo boo!)
That sort of thing!
Prov. 13:18 — The good
Prov. 15:31-32 — Both the good and the bad in this verse
Psa. 141:5; Prov. 27:6, 17
7:6 - That’s a very interesting expression that Solomon uses here — We might say, “nails on a chalkboard!”
Immoral fools laughing at wickedness should sound like that to the faithful!
We don’t want to hear it!
“This also is vanity.”
Ecc. 2:2 - “I said of laughter— ‘Madness!’; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” (What’s the point?)
7:7 - Solomon alludes back to what he already covered back in chapters 3 and 4 about injustices that take place in life — That had him down and depressed for a time.
“Oppression destroys a man’s reason” — Perhaps, the one DOING the oppressing loses the ability to reason because he’s just “on autopilot” of doing evil in oppression.
Maybe even Solomon is referring to the ones BEING oppressed and that because of how they have been treated, they no longer reason through their situation (which can end up just causing them to be oppressed more!)
“A bribe debases” (perverts) the heart.” (Easy to understand, but sad to see take place)
Prov. 17:23
A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice.
7:8 - To me, this reminds me of seeing a project through all the way to its completion!
Coming from someone who has always struggled with procrastination (I have nightmares about old science projects in school, and reports back in college!) ... :)
Coming from that perspective, I know how great it is to actually FINISH a project!
What about also — The end of a RACE is better than the beginning?! (Thinking about the Christian race)
“The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Amen!)
7:9 - That sounds exactly like Jam. 1:19-20
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Also, Prov. 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
7:10 - Nostalgia … Living in the past … Longing for one’s “glory days,” his younger years …
“Why were the former days better than these?” — “For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.”
Why is that? (Because there IS no going back! We can’t change the past!)
And we can’t create a time machine!
So don’t dwell on that!
Learn from the past, absolutely — And we might even miss days gone by, sure.
But this is vanity from the standpoint that we can’t go back!
7:11 - In other words, wisdom and an inheritance both are great … and useful … for the one who is still under the sun! (Still alive) - Ecc. 11:7
Truly the light is sweet, And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;
But they don’t do any good for one who has passed away.
Solomon is talked about the importance of this a lot in this book.
7:12 - In other words, what we just said, wisdom and money BOTH are great and useful while one is LIVING (as long as they are kept in the proper context and not idolized) …
Wisdom gives LIFE to those who have it — Talking about (primarily) the likelihood of living a long, fruitful life in THIS life if one heeds wisdom — Read Prov. 3:13-18
7:13 - Again, what comes to mind is what we read in 5:2 - “God is in heaven, and you on earth.”
We can try to fight against God all we want, but that’s a futile effort!
In context, Solomon is talking about (like he has for a large portion of this book) the fact that man WILL die — going all the way back to the punishment for sin (Gen. 3; Rom. 6:23) — and we can’t do anything about that …
Except (in keeping with 12:13-14) we should PREPARE for that moment by living our best lives we can for God!
7:14 - First part - “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider ...” - Reminds me of Rom. 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
It’s like what Solomon has said a few times about basically, “It’s good for man to enjoy what God has given him under the sun.” (See 5:18-20)
“Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.”
In other words, highs and lows do come in life — This kind of “keeps us on our toes,” so to speak …
It keeps us humble — Keeps us knowing our place.
7:15 - “I have seen everything ...” - He had “seen it all!”
“In (his) days of vanity!”
Now this next part is a sobering, saddening, maybe even depressing thought, but it’s true — “There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.”
Why do bad things happen to good people? (That’s the age-old question, right?)
Well, sin is the reason! “Pandora’s Box” was opened because of sin!
Sometimes it seems like the wicked prosper (again, go to Psalm 37 and Psalm 73 when that fact gets you down).
Sometimes the righteous suffer to an extent.
But what about the NEXT life?! (that won’t be the case in the next life — We need to remember the rich man and Lazarus, for instance).
7:16-18 — I’m just going to skip this section (Just kidding).
Although it’s true that God doesn’t demand absolute sinless perfection (or else NONE of us would make it), I don’t think that’s what Solomon’s main point is here because …
1) If he’s speaking that literally, then he’s literally endorsing A LITTLE wickedness in verse 17 (and that can’t be the case from an inspired writer of Scripture! Because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all — He’s not going to inspire a man to write and endorsement of sin)!
2) That’s not the overall point that Solomon is trying to make in this section anyway (He’s not trying to make a point about moral perfection versus moral imperfection) …
As much as he’s saying, “Look, in man’s VANITY — the fact that at the end of the day, he’s going to die — Whether he is morally perfect (impossible), he’s still going to die! — Or if he’s morally wicked, he’s still going to die!
This is the same exact argument Solomon has made about riches, about pleasure, about ALL the things in this book that he is calling vanity!
Solomon is warning against the folly of perfectionism, I suppose, but his main point is that death is a great equalizer of both the righteous and the wicked!
7:19 - Poetic/symbolic language here — Ten (complete number) rulers of a city can strengthen a city, but wisdom strengthens itself (it accumulates) more so than that!
7:20 -So here Solomon does bring in the fact that no one is completely perfect.
Don’t get the picture, though, that Solomon would disagree with Paul from Romans 6:1ff.
Keep your thoughts on this in the overall context of Ecclesiastes.
7:21 - In other words, we’ve got to overlook somethings — or else we will drive ourselves insane in our wearing our hearts on our sleeves.
Prov. 19:11
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
Overlook a transgression and don’t even bring it up?! (That’s what it says — And it says that a man’s DISCRETION is what leads him to do so when appropriate).
Discretion - (Merriam-Webster online) - “The quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment.”
7:22 - We sometimes say “It takes one to know one.”
We’ve all been there and done and said things we should not have done or said.
In fact, Solomon says, “MANY times.”
The Golden Rule says that if I want someone to overlook my transgressions, I need to be willing to give the same courtesy.
7:23 - “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” - Rom. 1:22
“Ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” - 2 Tim. 3:7
This is Solomon’s view of himself, here, basically!
7:24 - Psa. 139:6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.
Deut. 29:29
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
There are some things, try as he may, that man just isn’t capable of knowing!
Solomon might say, “Trust me, I’ve tried it!” You can’t know EVERYTHING!
7:25 - The more he set out to know, the more he uncovered a bunch of wickedness everywhere he looked, and it made him depressed.
He went “down the rabbit hole.”
“Ignorance is bliss,” sometimes!
7:26 - (Read Prov. 5)
7:27-28 — Alright, don’t accuse Solomon of sexism here, but …
In HIS PERSONAL experience, what he’s saying is …
(And I’m sure there’s some exaggeration here) …
That he can only find one in a thousand men to be righteous … and ZERO women that are righteous.
(Don’t throw stones or tomatoes at me!) :)
You gotta remember, Solomon didn’t know how to pick them! (Except probably the Shulamite woman from Song of Solomon — And the Proverbs 31 woman, he knew about that, too!) :)
But he didn’t practice what he preached on that!
700 wives and 300 concubines — He picked a bunch of bad ones!
And he’s warning against the same behavior!
7:29 - God made man with a blank slate (and purposed that man should be GOOD, actually), but sin came into the picture.
God gave us the ability to have free will and choose right or wrong.
We’ve all chosen to do wrong (again, back up to v. 22).
Man seeks out many schemes to do evil, unfortunately.
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Conclusion:
Conclusion: