After having considered Death and life, now Solomon considers the worth of wisdom (Eccl. 9:13-18). The wise king is marveled by the greatness of godly wisdom: “This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me” (v. 13). But his reflection is not really encouraging when applied to human beings. To illustrate what he discovered he tells a story (or maybe just a parable): “There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man” (vv. 14-15). A poor and wise man outsmarts a great and powerful king. The city owes its surviving to him, but he receives no reward and no lasting respect. The sad conclusion is that wisdom is looked for only in the desperate times. Solomon was really impressed with the reality of this story, at the point that he draws three conclusions from it.

First, godly wisdom is greater than human strength. “Wisdom is better than strength” (v. 16a). Even though our society glorifies it, strength is short-lasting. We lose strength as we advance in years, but the wonderful truth is that we can gain wisdom as we grow older. Wisdom works because it is based on eternal principles. When we plug into wisdom, our life will be a successful one. Here is an illustration that applies very well to what Solomon is affirming: “A strong young man at a construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen. After several minutes, the older worker had had enough. ‘Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?’ he said. ‘I’ll bet a week’s wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won’t be able to wheel back.’ ‘You’re on, old man,’ the young worker replied. The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then he turned to the young man and said, ‘All right. Get in.’” (www.preachingtoday.com)

Secondly, godly wisdom is not always heard by man. “Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools” (vv. 16b-17). Unfortunately, godly wisdom is not popular and very frequently goes without human recognition or reward. For as much as we claim that it is right to “give credit where credit is due,” our good words are very rarely followed by our sincere good deeds. Too often, godly wisdom and godly counsel fall unheard, or they go in one ear and  out the other. What a waste!

Thirdly, godly wisdom can be overcome by folly. “Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good” (v. 18). As effective as godly wisdom is, the sad reality is that a single person (“one sinner”) can cancel much good. It takes a long time to build, but just a moment to destroy. The Bible proclaims this great truth: “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6; cf. Gal. 5:9). That is why Jesus commanded: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Matt. 16:6). Solomon experienced how easy it was for him to neglect godly wisdom and allow himself to indulge in sins that caused him to sin much more. Some of the things we overlook are really dangerous and produce much damage in our lives.