13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
Mark Driscoll explains the parable this way....
Now, the Hebrew, which is the language that this book was originally written in, is some of the most complicated in all of the Old Testament. And there’s a strong debate as to the meaning of this particular story that Solomon tells. There are two basic camps. I’ll give you ‘em both. I’ll actually preach ‘em both ‘cause I think they’re both meritus and they both have good insight.
One is that there was this – he sets it up that there was a small town. That this town was filled with only a handful of people and that coming against it was this powerful king with an enormous army. He sets it up in such an obvious way that you realize that, barring a miracle, these people are going to be absolutely destroyed, decimated, devastated. That, all the commentators agree on. He brings up then, this man, this wise man who happens to be poor. Maybe just a regular working stiff. Some think that the city failed to heed his advice and, because of that, it was destroyed. Others think that they heeded his advice and they were saved, but subsequently a short time later, they forgot all about him and his wisdom and fell right back into their foolish and sinful patterns that had gotten them in trouble in the first place. I would submit to you that the point, the moral of the story is the same either way. Fools never listen. Fools never learn. And that, even if wisdom is available to them, they do not avail themselves to it.
There's a saying that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And it's true! We need to learn from the mistakes of others. Even as parents, we try to teach our children to learn from the mistakes we made, so that they don't need to learn the hard way. And those who are wise heed those lessons.
Wise people listen to advice and are able to discern when it is good advice, and then implement it.
Wise people also remember what worked, and what didn't work. They don't need to be given the same advice over and over again - they learn from both their mistakes and their successes.
Wisdom is so important. It is better than power, wealth, fame or health. Solomon recognized this when he asked God for wisdom.
One sinner destroys much good - this is so true. It's amazing how much destruction can come in the wake of one person's foolishness.
I'm sure we've all seen the devastation that occurs when one person decides to commit adultery and abandon a marriage. It takes two people to make a marriage work well, but one person can destroy it on their own if they choose to. And the amount of people that are negatively affected by that is astounding.
The fact is, our choices do not just affect us. Our choice to sin does not just affect us. And our choice to seek righteousness does not just affect us. Let's choose wisely!
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ecclesiastes 10:1-7
1 comment:
So true! I cringe a little when I hear people use "It's my life!" as justification for decisions they make. Yes, it is your life and you have to make your own decisions, but pay some attention to all the other lives that will be affected by your choice. I'm not always good at this either, but it is so important.
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