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"Wisdom is better than strength"

Text: Ecclesiastes 9:16

WISDOM DESPISED

How very true and sad that the value of wisdom is not fully valued and upheld. Honour should have been accorded the person whose wisdom saved the city from being conquered. But that, unfortunately, did not take place.

“Then I said:
‘Wisdom is better than strength.
Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.'”
Ecclesiastes 9:16

1. “Then I said: ‘Wisdom is better than strength'”

a) Wisdom and strength

i) Each has its own value.

ii) Each has its own place.

iii) Both are useful and important in its own right.

b) If there is a choice to be made:

i) Solomon would have preferred “wisdom” to “strength”.

ii) With wisdom is associated “finesse”.

iii) Strength can sometimes be rather crude.

2. “Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard”

a) The poor man’s wisdom was heeded

i) For a while.

ii) His wisdom saved the city (Ecclesiastes 9:15).

b) But after the enemy had been defeated

i) His wisdom was not sought.

ii) Those who were strong claimed the victory and the honour.

iii) The words of the wise but poor man were ignored.

iv) The leaders and the people celebrated the victory, without reference to the wisdom that was given.

v) His words of wisdom were not heard.

i) The threat of being overrun was no more.

ii) Those in power protected themselves.

iii) They were not about to share their moment of success with anyone.

3. A sad but solemn reality

a) The poor man tends to be ignored by the successful.

b) The wise man would not be feted by the strong.

c) Life returns to “normal” until another crisis emerges.

d) In the “normal” world, all these things Solomon had observed are all too real.