Eccl 7_19-29
Ecclesiastes 7:19-29 (READ)
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon is challenging many of the commonly held philosophies and beliefs of his day. Many of these ideas are still floating around today.
In this book Solomon has shown that ultimate meaning and purpose cannot be found in money or education or pleasure or politics or the arts or even hard work.
The tone of this book has been negative at times because Solomon wants us to see that life is meaningless and empty when we leave God out.
When Solomon does makes a positive statement, like he does in verse 19 it usually has something to do with the Lord.
· In 2:24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,
· In 3:11 God has made everything beautiful in its time.
· 5:19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.
Solomon is telling you that if you want to know meaning and joy in your life then the Lord has got to be at the centre. Everything thing else falls in place when you Love the Lord your God with all your heart and walk in His ways.
Another way the Bible describes this way of living, is walking in the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord your God is to have such a love and reverence for Him that you want to do the things that please Him.
(ILL) I was speaking to someone who told me they resisted many temptations as a teenager because they didn’t want to hurt their mother who loved them so much.
That is a bit what it is like to walk in the fear of the Lord. You love and respect Him so much that you want to do what pleases Him and you seek to avoid those things that displease Him.
When a fear of the Lord is at the core of all your motivations and decisions then you are on your way to becoming a wise person. Proverbs 9:10 says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Tim read Job 28:28 ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.
Today we will see how wisdom strengthens us but I thought it was worth reminding you that wisdom is the fruit of walking in the fear of the Lord.
In 7:19 Solomon declares that Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Solomon gives an illustration here that you might not be familiar with. Cities in Solomon’s day were almost like little countries. If the city was large enough it would have walls to protect it like Jerusalem did. There would also be officials to help govern it.
To have ten rulers in a city would have been a great source of strength. Together they could organise protection, provide guidance and settle disputes.
Solomon says one wise man has more strength than 10 rulers like this. Sounds good to me! Where can we get this wisdom?
Solomon tells us in Proverbs 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Solomon’s father David said God’s Word is the vehicle God uses to deliver wisdom.
· Ps 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me.
· Ps 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.
· Ps 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
If the desire of your heart this morning is to walk in the fear of the Lord then God will grant you wisdom as you listen to His Word.
And that wisdom will be a great source of strength as you in your walk with Christ. In verses 20-29 Solomon shows how wisdom can strengthen you against four temptations in life.
I. Wisdom will strengthen you against pride. vs. 20-22
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
(ILL) In the world today people might thank a statement like this will damage some one’s self esteem. It will only damage your self-esteem if you are esteeming yourself too highly.
Paul told the Romans For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Rom 12:3
When we think of ourselves too highly we tend to be full of pride. We get bent out of shape when people sin against us. Right away the proud person says How dare they do that to me.
The wise person will remember their own sinfulness and do as Solomon says in verse 21.
21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Haven’t we all done this? That ought to keep us from getting huffy when someone sins against us. That doesn’t mean we ignore sin. But we should deal with it with humility instead of pride.
(ILL) Think about these verses with your family today. How would the atmosphere in your home change if each person responded with wisdom when wronged.
It might be like this. Hey Jan this morning I overheard you telling Cindy that I was acting selfishly. I know I can be selfish so I was wondering if you could help me by pointing out what I did to upset you.
Oh I’m sorry Marcia I was upset with you because you used all the hot water. But it was wrong of me to talk about you behind your back. Will you forgive me? Of course I will and will you forgive me for being selfish? Of course I will.
Ask the Lord for the wisdom that strengthens you against pride.
II. Wisdom will also strengthen you against self-reliance. vs. 23-24
23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
Solomon was granted wisdom beyond that of any other man and yet he acknowledged his own limitations.
He admitted that there was still wisdom that was far from him.
His attitude was similar to Paul’s in Romans 11: 33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
You’ll notice that those who relied on their intellect in the Bible failed. Think of Saul and Solomon’s own son Rehoboam. Their lack of wisdom showed itself in self-reliance.
The wise person looks to the Lord for answers. There are plenty of examples of wise people in the Bible as well. Moses, Daniel and Nehemiah are just three examples.
When situations arose in their lives that required wisdom the first thing they did was go to the Lord in prayer.
(ILL) Self-reliance is a concept that the world promotes. I can trust my own heart. I alone know what is best for me.
Solomon warned against this self-reliance twice in Proverbs There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Pro 14:12, 16:25)
Wisdom will remind you that God is the one you must rely upon. I’m repeating Proverbs 3:5 so much you will have it memorised which is a good thing. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.
III. Wisdom will strengthen you against sexual temptation. vs. 25-26
25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.
26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.
It’s obvious that Solomon is speaking about the same woman mentioned in Proverbs 5, 6 and 7. This is a woman who is trying to entice a man to sin. In Proverbs Solomon is warning his sons but the same warnings will help a woman who is tempted by a man.
You can see the language Solomon uses her. Giving into this sin will leave you bitter and it will entrap you.
This is not the venue to go into detail about this temptation but please ask the Lord for the wisdom to recognise the danger and then ask Him for the strength to run away like Joseph did from Potiphar’s wife.
With this sin you cannot stand against it if you are only half-hearted. Solomon says only he who pleases God will escape this temptation. Anything less and you will suffer the fate as all those who choose folly over wisdom.
IV. Then Solomon shows that wisdom will strengthen you against the schemes of man.
27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
As Solomon surveyed humanity he saw very little virtue and wisdom. In fact, he says a wise man is one in a thousand and a wise woman is even more rare.
If you have a feminist streak in you I’m sure you feel a bit outraged by Solomon’s comments. Don’t be. Solomon is speaking from his own experience.
In 1 Kings 11:2-4 we read that He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God,
(ILL) One commentator was speaking about this time in history and he said it was known that a harem was a den of female wickedness.
The bottom line is that Solomon realised that he could not rely on man to help him find the scheme of things. To help him get an understanding of life. He came to the realisation in verse 29 that although God made man upright he then fell and sought out many schemes.
(ILL) You can see that the schemes man comes up with to explain life always leave God out. Schemes like evolution or humanism or materialism.
Even the religions of the world leave God out by making up their own deities or by making man out to be a god.
As we fill our minds with the wisdom contained in God’s Word we will begin to understand life properly.
David said: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.(Ps 119:105). Paul told Timothy All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16-17)
After looking at this passage isn’t it clearer why Solomon says Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city?
Wisdom strengthens us against pride, self-reliance; sexual temptation and it helps us see through the schemes of man.
This wisdom is available to every Believer who walks in the fear of the Lord. This wisdom is recorded for us in a book that we can read and study and teach to our children.
Let me close by reading Wisdom’s call in Proverbs 8:1-11 (READ)
I pray you will answer that call! Let’s pray.