WALK WITH WISDOM

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

 ¹³ I also came across this wise saying under the sun, and it impressed me.  ¹⁴ There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and laid large siege works against it.  ¹⁵ But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by means of his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man.  ¹⁶ So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is going to be despised and his words are not heeded. ¹⁷ Listening to the words of the wise in quietness is better than listening to the shouting of a ruler among fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.

forgotten wisdom

It is better to be wise than be a fool, because wisdom can help you in a crisis, as it did the city in the story that Solomon liked.  But wisdom is also impermanent.  It will not last.  The wisdom of a poor man is going to be despised, and his words not heeded.  People are fickle, and they are just as liable to ignore wisdom as applaud it. 

For Solomon, this is a major breakthrough, because he had spent his life in pursuit of wisdom.  As an old man, he discovered that even wisdom is not the greatest treasure, because it does not last. 

LORD, show us how to get wisdom without endangering our walk toward holiness.