Scripture Daily

Context No. 3379 of 4322 · Ecclesiastes

Context · Reflection

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18: in context

13I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me. 14There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. 15Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. 18Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

The Preacher tells of a small city besieged by a great king, saved not by weapons but by the wisdom of one poor man, who is then forgotten by everyone. From this he draws his conclusions: wisdom is better than strength, and wisdom is better than weapons of war.

And yet, he notes with a rueful honesty, the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words go unheard; the world honors wealth and power over quiet wisdom. There is a bittersweet truth here. Real wisdom often saves the day and then goes unrecognized and unrewarded, because it came from someone the world overlooks. The words of the wise, spoken quietly, are worth more than the shouting of a ruler among fools, even when no one remembers who spoke them. God's kind of wisdom is not loud or celebrated, but it accomplishes what force cannot. And one sinner, the Preacher adds, can undo much good, so wisdom must also be guarded.

Do I value quiet wisdom over loud power, and am I willing to do good even when it goes unrecognized and unrewarded by the world?

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