MAKING SENSE OF WISDOM
When you think of wisdom who comes to mind? Albert Einstein, The Dali Lama, or even Oprah or Dr. OZ?
When you think about words of wisdom what comes to mind? Books for dummies, a horoscope, a fortune cookie or a magic eight ball? Truth is, all people seek to find guidance and direction in their life in some way whether it be through a horoscope in the paper or Oprah on TV.
Today we are going to look to God’s wise guy from God’s wise book to help us make sense of wisdom. Now I’m going to apologize to you now because after this sermon is over you are going to feel as if you have been drinking from a fire hydrant because we are going to cover a lot in a short period of time. We are going to start in Ecclesiastes 10:8 and end in 11:6.
This passage really reads more like the book of Proverbs in that Solomon gives his readers a lot of nuggets of wisdom in this section which is why you have 10 points on your outline. So bear with me while I turn on the fire hydrant and make sense of wisdom from Ecclesiastes.
First Solomon tells us...
THE WISE ARE CAUTIOUS
8 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
Here Solomon makes the point that fools rush in while the wise proceed with caution. His point in these verses is, “Carelessness is foolishness.” Therefore in everything we do, decisions we make for our families, in the church, in our jobs, we need to give those decisions to the Lord. We need to pray over our options, talk to others who have made similar decisions, count the cost and consider the consequences before acting in order to avoid disastrous results.
THE WISE ARE PROPERLY PREPARED
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.
Solomon makes the point, “There is nothing more foolish than a man going in to the woods with a dull axe.” Though many of us applaud hard work—we praise those who work from sun up to sun down, if one is not being productive what good is it? Though one is working harder, he/she is not working smarter. Solomon says that foolish.
Many of our lives are like this lumberjack. Our axe is dull and instead of sharpening it we just keep swinging harder and harder and are doing nothing more than knocking bark off the tree.
In other words, we have lots of goals, we want a wife, good job, kids, buy a house, start a ministry. But we just think that we will figure it out as we go. We are in such a rush to get things done—to mark things off our list so we can say we have accomplished goals in life that we just jump in head first without checking to see how deep the water is.
If God gave us the ability to think and plan ahead, don’t you think it is wise to use this God-given ability? God has a plan doesn’t He? And He is taking the proper steps to accomplish His purposes. We who are created in His image are to be imitators of Him in this way.
THE WISE EXECUTE THEIR PLAN
11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.
I love Solomon’s sarcasm here. He’s basically saying, “You can know all there is to know about snake charming and that matters little if you forget to charm the snake—if you don’t execute your plan.”
Execution is essential. If you have a plan and no execution it’s of no good. Man does this speak to us in our world or what? I mean how many of us have a diet we don’t do? A budget we don’t follow? An instrument we don’t play? How many of you have a desire to know the Scriptures but you can’t stop hitting the snooze button and your miss your opportunity each morning?
Often times the difference between the wise person and the fool is not in what they want or the plan they have to get what they want, the difference is execution. It’s not enough to have a budget, you got to follow it. It’s not enough to have a Bible, you got to read it. That’s what wisdom is. It’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know.
THE WISE RECEIVE WISE COUNCIL
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.14 A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?
The issue for many of us is not that we don’t receive council from others and not even that we don’t receive Christian council. At times we do. Many of us ask the advice of our Christian brothers and sisters.
The issue for us is that many of us often fail to seek out WISE CHRISTIAN COUNCIL. There are plenty of people willing give you advice on any number of things. But is the advice you receive from the mouths of the wise or the lips of fools?
Believers, we need to have selective hearing when it comes to receiving advice because this world is full of fools and they all have their two cents. I’ve heard it said, “Opinions are like armpits, everyone has a couple and sometimes they stink.” Truth is, everybody’s got advice to give, but that doesn’t mean it’s good advice—that doesn’t mean it’s wise council.
Now some of you are thinking, “Well if that’s the case, then how do I know who to call upon for council?” Some of you because there is so much bad council out there maybe fearful of seeking it out at all. Solomon says though it’s good to be cautious, we do need to trust people—we need to seek out wise council. Listen to what he says in Proverbs 13:20,
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
That’s as practical as it gets. You want to be wise? You want to make good godly decisions? Seek out those who are wise—seek out those who are godly. And like Solomon said in last week’s passage, the way you will know if one is wise or foolish is by examining the way they live their lives.
THE WISE KNOW HOW TO BEST USE THEIR TIME
The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
Do you know this kind of person? One who can take any job no matter how easy or how hard and make it more difficult. Like the man in v. 10, they go at each tree no matter how little or how big with a dull ax? This is the person Solomon is talking about here in v. 15. This proverb describes a person who is not even able to accomplish the simplest of tasks. Solomon says “The toil of the fool wearies him.”
In other words, though this person is working harder he is not working smarter and is getting worn out in the process.
The key to wisdom is knowing where you are going in life and the best way to get there and then properly applying that knowledge so that you don’t waste time and wear yourself out in the process.
THE WISE CHOOSE WISE LEADERS
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! 17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your prince’s feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
In this text, you have one group of leaders Solomon says are young and wreckless. Their mentality is, “I’m in charge so I can do I want—I’m going to do whatever makes me happy—I’m going to party. I’m going to party morning, noon and night.”
Then you have another king who rightly knows timing is everything. There is a proper time for feasting and a proper time for serious decisions to be made. And he knows how to divide work and play properly.
Solomon says here that it will be far better for those who have the second ruler ruling over them. And we know this to be true from the Scriptures. Normally in Scripture if you have a good godly king, the people prosper and if the ruler is wicked and foolish, the people suffer.
So the good godly ruler is to be preferred, but that is not always the criteria we use when choosing our leaders in our world is it? Often times people vote for a person they can best relate to. Young people vote for a person who shows up on MTV or the one who makes a cameo appearance on SNL.
At times you will hear people say, “That’s the kind of guy you can go and have a beer with.” Well is that grounds for a good leader? Is it really? Just a guy we can relate to or a guy we feel comfortable being around? I know a lot of people like that, doesn’t mean they will be a good leader. Sometimes we look for the leader who would make the kind of decisions that we would make in any and every situation. Well I know personally that I would be a terrible president so maybe I don’t need to base whether I vote for a certain candidate solely on whether or not he/she would make the exact same decisions that I would make in any given situation.
Don’t you also think grounds for a good leader is one who makes decisions that are honoring to God even if it makes some folks angry? So wise people choose wise leaders so that life can be enjoyed.
THE WISE PRACTICE GOOD STEWARDSHIP
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
In verse 18, Solomon says the foolish man is one who, because he is lazy, has allowed his roof to sag and house to leak. Now this point should make our wives in here very happy guys. Wives, you can thank Solomon here because he is calling for guys to not be lazy and get the honey do list done.
What he means is that you can tell where a foolish person lives by the look of his house. Now he is not talking about the size or the cost of the home, but is talking about the shape or condition of the house no matter the size and cost.
Many of us spend so much time complaining about what we don’t have that we neglect to take care of what we do have. Solomon says here, “Don’t be lazy—don’t be idle. Don’t spend your days wishing you had a better life, better things and more money, but instead open your eyes to the blessings around you and get up and take care of and be good stewards of the blessings God has given."
THE WISE HONOR GOD WITH THEIR MONEY
Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.
What does Solomon mean when he says, “Money answers everything?” It sounds as if he is contradicting himself here doesn’t it? He has already spoken about the fact that those who are mastered by money and who think it is the answer for everything end up miserable in this life.
Now some commentators try and explain this away saying, “Oh, Solomon is being sarcastic here and is speaking critically against those who think money is the answer to everything,” but in this text he actually speaks favorably of money along with other things.
Now remember that Ecclesiastes is poetic. Solomon uses hyperbole throughout this book and uses it again here when he says, “Money answers everything.” He doesn’t mean that all we need is money to be happy in this life. His point is that money, if used wisely, can add to life’s enjoyments. He’s making the point here that the wise know how to properly use money—they know how to manage money and how to spend money in such a way that benefits them personally and in a way that honors God.
THE WISE CONTROL THE TONGUE
Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich,for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
Wise people know that gossiping is foolish and destructive. We have all heard the saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” Solomon tells us why in v. 20. He says, “Because if you do, chances are the person you are talking about is going to hear about it.”
I love this verse. Solomon says don’t even think bad thoughts nor in the privacy of your bedroom say bad things about another person because if you do a bird will carry your voice and tell the matter. I love that don’t you? You ever heard someone say, “A little birdy told me this or that?” This is where that phrase comes from.
Have you ever whispered something under your breath at someone and it was heard? Solomon says the best option is for you to “Hold your tongue.” Ask yourself this? “What good does gossip do?” If you speak bad about your boss and he/she finds out, you could lose your job. You speak ill about your wife or husband that could be bad for your marriage. You speak bad about a friend and that could destroy your relationships. You speak bad about someone in the church and it could divide the church body.
Well, now let’s look at the positives of gossip...There really aren’t any are there? It may make you feel better about yourself for a while, but in the long run it can make your life much more difficult.
THE WISE INVEST WISELY AND TRUST IN GOD
11 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Solomon in this passage makes the point that the wise are those who take calculated risks—they are those who invest wisely. He says, “Cast your bread on the waters.” Now Solomon is not talking here about feeding the ducks. That’s not good use of your bread.
Once again this is where context comes in. What Solomon has in mind here is investing in overseas trade, which was a very common practice in his day. Solomon says here the wise know how to invest. Didn’t Jesus talk about this. Remember during his earthly ministry he commends those who take risks doesn’t He? In Matthew 25, in the parable of the talents, Jesus calls those who invest “Good and faithful servants.”
Now what are we to invest in? Anything? Is Solomon calling for us to just carelessly throw our money at anything? No. Look again at verse 2. He says,
Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
Solomon says here that the wise take calculated risks; they make wise investments by diversifying them. He’s not saying to go to the roulette wheel and put all your money on red. That’s not the kind of risk he is talking about. He is not saying put all your valuables on one ship to send out. Why?
Solomon tells us why. Because you don’t know what kind of disaster can happen. The ship can get lost at sea, it could sink or be attacked by pirates—never to return. Instead he says, “Divide your goods up and send them out on multiple ships. Diversify your investments." You may not make as much and there still is some risk involved, but it’s a wiser investment with a better chance of return.
Solomon is not only critical of the careless in this passage, but also speaks against the one who waits around for the sure thing. Most of us know that there are no sure things in life right? There are with God, but not with anything under the sun.
Solomon says,
He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
Solomon is basically saying here and throughout the rest of this passage that the one who waits for the perfect time to act will never act and the reason why is because there’s never a perfect time.
There is always risk involved because there are all of these uncertainties in life. We don’t know what is right around the corner, but just because that’s the case does not mean that we are to remain idle. God is clear in His word that we are to at times take calculated risks. He wants us to invest wisely and trust in Him.
At times in boxing you will hear the coach tell his fighter, “You got to let your hands go.” What he mean is, "Quit waiting for the perfect opportunity to punch and quit dancing around and get in there and fight." Though you don’t go in carelessly, you have to throw punches and risk getting hit to win.
In baseball they say, “You got to get the bat off your shoulder.” Meaning it’s better to go down swinging than to go down looking. That’s what Solomon is saying. “The fool is the one who goes down looking—the fool is the one who doesn’t let his hands go—the fool is the one who fails to commit period."
How many of you know of a successful person who has gained their success without risk? Not very many if any right? I don’t know of anybody in ministry that have done that. Now let me make an even greater application here. Not only is it wise to take calculated risks and make wise investments financially, but even more than that we need to take calculated risks and wisely invest our lives in activities that honor God.
What do you give your life to? What do you prioritize? What do you make sacrifices for? Do you tend to make more sacrifices for the cause of Christ or for cause of self? God’s word calls us to put first things first and it is clear from Scripture that advancing the cause of Christ should be tops on our list.
CONCLUSION
I want to end this morning by looking to our perfect example of wisdom and no I don’t mean Solomon. I'm speaking of the one who is far greater than him. I’m talking about the Lord Jesus. Let me ask you this, “Did Jesus sacrifice? Did he invest in God’s Kingdom work?” BIG TIME RIGHT?
We are told in Philippians 2 that though Jesus was equal to God, he emptied himself by taking on flesh and dwelling among us. Not only did he become one of us he took the form of lowly servant. And His investment goes even deeper than that. Paul goes on to tell us in this chapter that Jesus was obedient to the point of death and not just any death but a painful death on a shameful cross. Jesus gave everything for us. He left glory and gave His life so that we might live.
You want to be wise like Solomon talks about in this passage? You want to enjoy life and live a life that honors God? Before you can know how to display godly wisdom you have to know the only wise God and the only way you can know Him is by looking to and trusting in the one who has given everything for us—the Lord Jesus.
