A Word to the Wise
Introduction:
Most of us would benefit from more wisdom. Read
Ecclesiastes 8:1. “Who is like a wise man? And who
knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom
makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is
changed.” It makes one’s face shine. Read
Ecclesiastes 9:16. “Then I said: ‘Wisdom is better
than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is
despised, And his words are not heard.” It is better
than power and strength. Read Proverbs 24:3.
“Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding
it is established;”
NKJV
By it a house is built. Our text: Ecclesiastes
7:15-29, informs us of several benefits of biblical
wisdom.
Body:
I.
The Benefit of Humility
(Verses 15-18)
·
In general, a person receives what is due, whether he’s
righteous or wicked. (Proverbs 10:28, Proverbs 11:21)
But there are exceptions sometimes, for a short time,
the reverse happens. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-14) Sometimes
good people suffer and bad people prosper. (Psalm
73:3) Life is inconsistent. A wise man will realize
that there are injustices but won’t despair.
·
The writer then warned about the sin of
self-righteousness, being righteous in your own eyes.
(Matthew 23:27-28) This produces pride and arrogance.
It elevates man instead of God. (Romans 9:19-21)
The wisdom of the world also produces pride. (Romans
12:2-3, I Corinthians 3:19-20) Don’t depend on
your own righteousness or your own wisdom to guarantee
God’s blessings.
·
Solomon also warned about wickedness. We should never
allow our sinfulness as an excuse to keep on sinning.
You don’t have to keep on lying, you don’t have to take
another drink, you don’t have to cheat a second time.
You can stop the patterns of sin. (Romans 6:1-2) We
need to exercise wisdom and self-control.
·
Fearing God, which is the beginning of wisdom, will give
one ultimate victory. (Ecclesiastes 7:18) Solomon
advised us to take hold of true righteousness and grasp
the idea that you should not lead a life of sin.
II.
The Benefit of Strength
(Verses 19-22)
·
Wisdom is a strong ally. It is a better companion
than ten of the best, most competent people you could
find. It has the power to help you survive the
difficulties that life throws at you. (Ecclesiastes
9:16-17, Proverbs 21:22, Proverbs 24:5)
·
Wisdom has the power to lead you to see your own sin.
Every single person needs biblical wisdom. Since there
is not a man who is so righteous that he always does
what is right, then he needs all the help he can get.
(Proverbs 20-:9) Wisdom from God’s Word is the best
source of strength and assistance. (I Kings 8:46-47)
Repentance and confession are the fruit of wisdom.
·
Wisdom helps protect one from false accusations. Don’t
give too much value to what men say concerning you.
God’s opinion is the only one that ultimately matters.
People often say things without thinking. You have
probably done the same thing. The tongue is very hard
to control. (James 3:5) Sometimes, though, the sharing
of truth is essential because it will have a benefit to
others.
III.
The Benefit of Insight
(Verses 23-29)
·
Verses 23-24 Solomon tested everything with
wisdom. He wanted to possess wisdom to the greatest
extent possible. He desired to understand all areas of
life that he could. He now wanted to dig even deeper
into the more complex areas. He declared though that
some things are beyond man’s reach. (Deuteronomy 29:29)
A similar passage is Job 28:12-28. Read Verses
12-13 “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the
place of understanding? Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.” Verses 20-24
“From where then does wisdom come? And where is the
place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of
all living, And concealed from the birds of the air.
Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about
it with our ears’. God understands its way, And He
knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth,
And sees under the whole heavens.”Verse 28 “And to man
He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding’.”
NKJV
We see that God is the only source of true wisdom.
·
Verses 25-28 Solomon declared that not only is
wisdom hard to find but so is a wise person! The wise
person is the one who pleases God. Few people, men or
women, fit into that category. He did discover the
depths to which evil men and women are capable of
descending.
·
Verse 29 God made man originally upright. Since
the creation, people have invented ways to sin against
their Creator. (Romans 3:10-12)
Conclusion:
Wisdom provides humility, strength, and insight. If we
want to be wise, we will study God’s Word and apply it
in our lives. (Proverbs 1:7)
Bobby Stafford
May 17, 2015
The
church of Christ
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