Wisdom and Work Against the Odds
Ecclesiastes 9:13 - 10:15

The Preacher has urged, one more time, eating, drinking, and merriment as the best that can be hoped for under the sun (9:7-9). And he has again noted that no one can secure even so limited a happiness for himself. Everyone is subject to time and chance - - to death at last and unexpected misery before (9:10-12). This leads him to the final contemplation of wisdom and of work. Is there anything we can do to tweak the odds? To increase our chances of a little more happiness and a little less misery in our life of futility under the sun? Yes, he says . . . and no.

1. A Little Folly Outweighs Wisdom (9:13-10:1)
   1. The Parable: A Wise Man and a Foolish City
      1. The translation:
         1. NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV, NRSV etc. all say that the poor wise man of verse 15 actually saved or delivered the city.
            1. But does this make sense in light of the moral being drawn?
            2. If they actually heeded him and saved the city, would The Preacher be lamenting that "the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard" (9:16)?
            3. Further, The Preacher says the moral is that "one sinner destroys much good" (v. 18). But how is that the moral for a story in which a man saves a city but is then not remembered?
            4. With this translation, the moral should be: "Wisdom is better than strength; but the wise are forgotten. The poor man's wisdom is heeded but the poor man himself is cast aside. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but what is the advantage to the one who is wise?"
               1. And this would be very much in keeping with the spirit of the book.
               2. This is why the translations all translate verse 15 the same way.
               3. They don't notice that the moral The Preacher actually draws is quite different from the point of the story as they have translated it.
            5. Fortunately, another translation is possible.
         2. NASB margin notes supply the correct translation
            1. The poor man might have saved the city but no one remembered him.
            2. Then the moral makes sense:
               1. The poor man's wisdom is superior to the strength of the besieging army. (16a,17a,18a)
               2. But what good is that if no one listens? (16b,17b,18b)
      2. This is the story behind The Preacher's earlier dark muttering about a poor wise man
         1. 4:13 - Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king, who will no longer take advice. (You see how this fits in with our interpretation?)
         2. His statement of 7:19 is still true: "Wisdom gives strength to the wise more than ten rulers that are in a city."
         3. Yet now he says, what is the use of that wisdom if the rulers will not listen.
      3. Now let's unfold the story in a little more detail
      4. The Preacher wants us to know that the following event made a huge impression on him (13)
      5. He accentuates the contrast between the two cities.
         1. The first city is "little," and has "few men"
         2. The second city has "a great king," who builds "great snares."
         3. Everything is set up for us to know what the outcome must be: The great king will overthrow the insignificant city.
      6. But wait! The small city has a "poor wise man"
         1. He knows how to deliver his small city.
         2. He has a plan that will tilt the balance in their favor, despite the greater firepower on the opposing side.
         3. He knows that the battle is not always to the strong (v. 11)
            1. But he's about to get hit with a double whammy.
            2. The battle isn't always to the wise either. Time and chance happen to them all.
         4. No one remembers him.
            1. I.e. no one thinks of asking him
            2. After all, he's a poor man.
            3. So who would think that he, of all people, has the solution to the city's dilemma.
      7. This truly is futility
         1. Wisdom could have overcome the greater opposing power.
         2. But the one with the wisdom didn't have enough power to make himself heard.
         3. So what good is wisdom?
   2. The Moral: One Sinner Destroys Much Good.
      1. Wisdom goes unrecognized (16)
         1. Wisdom is better than strength
            1. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the poor wise man could have saved his city, even though the opposition had far greater strength.
            2. A King would do better to have one such man on his side than many troops of men who merely exert brute force.
         2. But the advantage is only theoretical in the story
            1. The man could have saved the city
            2. But no one thought to ask
         3. Because he was poor, his wisdom was despised as valueless.
         4. What good is wisdom if those who surround the wise man don't have the wisdom to recognize that what he says is wise?
      2. Wisdom goes unheard (17)
         1. The quiet words of the wise are contrasted with the shouting of the fool
            1. One ought to listen to the quiet words of the wise
            2. But who can hear his words above all that racket?
         2. By default, you listen to the shout of the ruler of fools, because that's the only voice you can hear.
      3. A little folly outweighs a lot of wisdom (9:18,10:1)
         1. Wisdom is superior to implements of war.
            1. Again, remember the story. The great king built great siegworks around the city.
            2. He clearly had the superior personnel and materiel
            3. But the poor man's wisdom could have overcome all that.
            4. So a little wisdom outweighs a lot of strength.
         2. But a little folly frustrates that wisdom.
         3. One "sinner" can mean, simply, one "bungler" or one fool.
            1. This is the simplest moral to draw.
            2. The poor man's wisdom could have been of great value, but one idiot (i.e. the ruler of fools of v. 17) throws it all away.
            3. This futility is that the fool has greater power for destruction than the wise man has for building up.
         4. However, the word "sinner" suggests that The Preacher's thought goes all the way back to the beginning.
            1. Ultimately, the "one sinner" is Adam.
               1. This is not the first time The Preacher's mind has gone back to the beginning
                  1. Remember 2:4-11. The Preacher compares his work with the work of God in Creation. Unlike God, he cannot pronounce his work good, but must call it profitless futility (2:11)
                  2. Remember 7:29 - God made man (Adam) upright; but they have sought out many schemes.
               2. Remember, the whole perspective of this book is life under the curse.
            2. A single sin on Adam's part wiped out the good that God had done in Creation.
            3. We need a second Adam.
         5. Dead flies in perfume illustrate this principle (10:1)
            1. The dead flies make the perfume stink.
               1. Why not the other way around?
               2. Why doesn't all that perfume make the fly smell good?
            2. Why can one sick person in a room of well people make them all sick?
               1. Why doesn't he "catch" wellness from everyone else in the room?
               2. We're so use to this accursed principle that we are not surprised by it anymore.
            3. When a clean man touches that which is unclean, he becomes unclean
               1. See Haggai 2:11-14 - God says the sacrifices don't make the people clean, the people defile the sacrifices
               2. See 1 Cor 5:6
         6. What we need is someone to reverse all that
            1. Jesus is that someone, the one The Preacher longs for.
            2. He touches the sick and they get well.
            3. He touches the lepers and he doesn't become unclean, they become clean.
            4. He reverses the effects of the curse, spreading health and giving rest wherever he goes.
2. Wisdom is better than folly, but folly often prevails (10:2-7)
   1. The wise man's heart directs him in the right direction.
      1. The "right" is connected over and over with salvation - Ps 16:8; 17:7; 60:5; 98:1; 108:6; 110:1; Matt 25:33,34
      2. Ecc 2:14
      3. Even when a fool manages to go in the right direction, his sense [lit. heart] is lacking.
      4. So wisdom is clearly superior
      5. Wisdom can even overcome the anger of rulers (10:4)
      6. On the whole, it's better to be wise than foolish.
   2. Yet Rulers Don't Recognize Wisdom (10:5-7)
      1. The Preacher notes a prevalent evil - folly and wisdom trade places (10:5-7)
      2. Nothing is as it should be
         1. Folly is exalted and the "rich" are humbled.
         2. Slaves are princes and princes are slaves.
      3. All of this must be straightened out if life is to become un-futile
         1. Mary rejoices over Jesus in these terms when his conception is announced to her.
         2. Luke 1:52 - He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.
3. The Limitations of Wisdom (10:8-15)
   1. Wisdom Cannot Prevent All Accidents
      1. The very act of work may bring disaster (10:8,9) - a terrible curse for man who was created to work.
      2. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it (8a)
         1. This is also stated in Proverbs 26:24 and Psalm 7:15
            1. But there, the context suggests that the pit is being dug for an evil purpose.
            2. It is a snare that ensnares the digger
         2. In Ecclesiastes, the context is that of ordinary work.
            1. The Preacher is slyly reinterpreting this proverb, applying it even to the righteous and the wise.
            2. Because in this futile life, it really doesn't matter why you're digging the pit.
            3. The point is, the work itself brings potential danger.
      3. Whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent
         1. This is not always so, but it could happen.
         2. And who can guard against that sort of thing?
      4. Quarrying stones, a necessary and fruitful activity, may also bring hurt and splitting wood carries danger as well.
      5. We flatter ourselves that wisdom can avoid these dangers.
         1. When an accident happens, we ask all kinds of questions - Was he wearing a seatbelt? Did he look both ways? Had he read the instructions? Etc.
         2. We want desperately to believe that the unfortunate person was a victim of his own stupidity. ("Well even I know to unplug the toaster before sticking a knife in there."
         3. Then we can believe that our superior wisdom will protect us from disaster.
      6. There's some truth to that, but not as much as we'd like to think.
   2. Wisdom has an Advantage in Some Situations
      1. Take the case of splitting wood (9b).
      2. One can be endangered by that very act.
      3. But folly can increase the danger and bring failure
         1. If the ax is dull and one doesn't sharpen it
         2. Then one ends up using more force in chopping
         3. And thus the probability is greater of disaster
         4. Then we all cluck our tongues and say of the poor man who lost a foot, "He should have sharpened the blade first."
      4. So wisdom can indeed provide an advantage in this situation.
         1. And it's crucial that we use the word "advantage" or "profit" here
         2. The Hebrew word is used (Lit. The advantage of wisdom is success)
         3. And this calls to mind a major theme - The Preacher's search for "profit"
            1. 1:3 - What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?
            2. 2:11 - Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
            3. 2:13 - Then I saw that there is more profit to wisdom than folly as there is more profit to light than darkness
            4. 3:9 - What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
            5. 5:16 - And this also is a severe evil-Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?
            6. 7:12 - For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the profit of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
         4. This sets up the next verse where the phrase "no profit" is deliberately used.
   3. But Not in Others
      1. NKJV botches this verse beyond recognition or use
         1. It should not read "A serpent may bite when it is not charmed. The babbler is no different"
         2. but "If the serpent bites before it is charmed; there is no advantage to the charmer.
      2. This recalls the serpent who bites when you break through a wall
         1. How do you prepare for that? Go to snake charming school?
         2. But the snake bites before you can charm it, so what's the point?
      3. Again, considering the way The Preacher's thoughts go back to Adam in Paradise, I don't think it's overreading to find here a reference to the serpent in the garden.
   4. Yet Folly Is Even Worse
      1. Still, The Preacher has to concede that wisdom is better than folly.
      2. At least the wise man knows to let his words be few
         1. Ecc 5: 2
         2. Fools multiply words because they lack wisdom
         3. Compare with 3:22, 6:11,12, 7:14, 8:7,17
      3. The fool, in contrast, makes the situation worse by going on and on when he knows nothing (and, remembering the parable that started this, quite possibly drowning out the words of the wise.)
      4. So his work is tedious and pointless. The limited success that wisdom can supply in some situation is denied him. (10:15)

Go on to Week 12 (10:16 - 11:6)

Go back to Week 10 (9:1-12)

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