This also have I seen as wisdom under the sun, and it was great unto me.
Verse 13 opens a short story the Preacher watched play out, and he says it struck him as great. What he counted great was not armies, wealth or reputation. It was wisdom found in an unlikely place.
The verses just before say that speed, strength and knowledge guarantee nothing. Time and chance overtake everyone. That raises an obvious question, and one writer states it before he answers it.
The moment God provides may never come. Without it the swift and the strong, the wise and the prudent and the well-taught all fail. Ruin follows instead of the prize. Is wisdom then useless? Far from it — and he illustrates this in verses 13-15.
The one calling this "great" was himself famous for wisdom, which is part of why his verdict carries weight.
This touching story of the poor wise man is recorded for our instruction in Ecclesiastes 9:14-15. It takes up little space in the divine record, but it is full of meaning. It shows how the poor are treated, and how an ungrateful world treated the Lord Jesus. The Preacher records the incident, and it impressed him deeply. He introduces it with the words, "I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me." God had richly given Solomon wisdom, so he could appreciate wisdom in others.
Everything in the scene is lopsided. The attacker has size and siege works; the defenders have almost nothing.
The home of this poor wise man was in a little city with few people in it. Small as it was, this great king wanted to have it... The few men inside were no match for the mighty power of the great king, and the great siege works he raised no doubt terrified them. But there was one among them who was not terrified, and his resources were more than a match for the powerful enemy.
We are never told the tactics. The point of the account lies elsewhere.
Natural curiosity might want details of how the poor wise man defeated the powerful monarch. Scripture tells us only that he "by his wisdom delivered the city." Wisdom more than made up for the lack of power, and in Solomon's judgment this was indeed great.
Commentators differ on where the weight falls. One takes the story as proof that wisdom really works. The other watches where the Preacher's own meditation lands.
Earlier he had declared that wisdom is strength. He comes back to this statement and gives an illustration of it. He is in a calmer mood, but what does his meditation come to? Only to show that this too is vanity.
Wisdom like this still gets a cold reception, and the reason is the man it comes in.
Yet this age does not always value wisdom. The first man despises the poor; the Second does not.
One writer counts this story among the few things in the book that escape the verdict of vanity.
If we lost Ecclesiastes, we would also lose the comfort of two things "under the sun" which are not vanity. One seemed "great" to him: this was the deliverance and salvation worked out at Calvary, referred to at the end of chapter 9. The other is the service of Christ — "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." (Eccl. 9:13-15; 11:1.)
The siege pictures a far larger battle, where death itself became the means of victory.
The mighty king's forces attacked the little city. They were only a faint foreshadowing of the forces of evil that met the Son of God at the cross. Satan and all the powers of darkness gathered to bring about the death of the Poor Wise Man. But He turned the very weapon they used against Him back on them and defeated them completely, as it is written, "that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14).
The story ends in ingratitude. That is where the sharpest contrast appears.
The Lord Jesus bears the character of the Poor Wise Man, and, like the poor man of old, the world forgets Him. But there is also a blessed contrast. "No one remembered that poor man," yet many gladly remember the Man Christ Jesus, the One who became poor so that we, through His poverty, might become rich.
- Great danger. Speed, strength and knowledge secure nothing when time and chance turn against them. The siege shows that helplessness.
- Great wisdom. Wisdom more than made up for the man's lack of power. It was the one thing in the city that outmatched the king.
- Great deliverance. A poor man with no army saved the city — a foreshadowing of the cross, where Christ turned the weapon of death back on the devil.
- Great forgetting. The city forgot the man who saved it. This age still overlooks wisdom when it comes in a poor man.
- Greater remembering. The world still forgets its Deliverer. Those who know Him remember the One who became poor to make them rich.
There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and encompassed it, and built great bulwarks against it
Solomon watched a great king surround a small town and build siege works against it. Commentators read the scene two ways: as a picture of the human race trapped by an enemy far stronger than itself, and as a sketch of the One who rescued it and was then forgotten.
Solomon has just said that speed and strength do not decide the outcome. The little city is his answer, and the verses after it carry his comment.
The right moment may never come, and without it the swift and the strong, the wise and the prudent and the well-taught all fail; ruin follows instead of the prize. Is wisdom then useless? Far from it — he shows it in verses 13-15... "Wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good" (verses 16-18). Yet this age does not always value it. The first man despises the poor; the Second does not.
One writer reads the besieged city as a picture of what sin has done to the human race.
Sin has cut the once happy link that joined man, as an intelligent creature, to his Creator. From the start Satan used sin to cut the line of communication between man and his true base of operations — God Himself. Ever since, the human race has been in the position of the little city Solomon speaks of.
The account never tells us how the city was saved. It tells us only who saved it.
Curiosity would like the details of the powerful king's defeat. But we read only that the poor wise man "by his wisdom delivered the city." He had no power, yet his wisdom more than made up for that lack. To Solomon, this was truly great.
Commentators see the poor wise man as a picture of Christ. He was rich, and He chose poverty.
In becoming Man He became poor. All the resources of heaven and earth belonged to Him as Creator of the universe. Yet He gladly came into this world as a lowly baby, in the humblest circumstances. He was born in a stable, and His bed was a manger. Passing through this world He had nowhere to lay His head... The Owner of all things owned nothing as Man in this world, and He went down to the depths of poverty and shame in all He passed through at the cross.
If the siege was the shadow, the same writer sees the cross as the reality — with the enemy's own weapon turned back on him.
The mighty king's forces attacked the little city. They were only a dim foreshadowing of the vast array of evil forces that faced the Son of God at the cross. Satan and all the powers of darkness gathered to bring about the death of the Poor Wise Man. But the very weapon they used to conquer Him, He used against them, and won a total victory over them. As Scripture says, "that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14).
The city owed him everything, yet forgot him. One writer finds the reason in a single word: poor.
There was no denying that they owed their freedom to the wise man who had worked out how to defeat their enemy. But he was not only wise; he was also poor. His poverty had no attraction for them, and that was clearly why they forgot him. Had he been rich, everyone would have praised him, and there would have been some memorial of what his wisdom had achieved.
One writer sees the same picture at Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up.
In Luke's Gospel He deals with man in particular, and here we are shown at once, in a striking way, what man is. It is like the picture drawn by the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. The synagogue at Nazareth proves all this against the citizens of this world.
The forgetting has a time limit.
Every downward step in the path of suffering was only a further stage on the way to glory. The day is not far off when the "poor wise Man" that no one remembered will be "remembered forever" (Ecc. 9:15; Ps. 112:6).
- Besieged. The little city under a great king's siege works pictures the human race after sin cut its link with God.
- Wisdom. No army saved the town. One man's wisdom did, and wisdom beats strength, weapons and numbers.
- Poor. The deliverer was poor. Commentators see here the Son of God, who owned everything and entered the world with nothing.
- Delivered. The king's defeat was a faint shadow of the cross. There Christ turned death itself against the one who held its power.
- Forgotten — for now. The city forgot him for his poverty, not for any failure. But the Poor Wise Man whom no one remembered will be remembered forever.
and there was found in it a poor wise man, who by his wisdom delivered the city; but no man remembered that poor man.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
Just before this verse, one poor wise man saves a besieged city, and then nobody remembers him. Solomon draws his conclusion here: wisdom beats raw force, yet nobody listens to a poor man — so whose verdict counts?
Wisdom here is not stored-up information. It is handling life well. One writer defines it, and pairs this verse with its twin later in the chapter.
Wisdom is the right use of knowledge in relation to practical affairs. "Wisdom is better than might" (Ecclesiastes 9:16). "Wisdom is better than weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:18).
The story behind the verse hides the tactics and gives only the result.
Natural curiosity might want details of how the poor wise man defeated the powerful king. We are only told that he "by his wisdom delivered the city." Wisdom more than made up for the absence of power, and this, in Solomon's judgment, was indeed great.
The second half of the verse explains the silence that followed the rescue. It was not that his advice failed; it was that his bank balance disqualified him in their eyes.
There was no denying that they owed their freedom to the wise man. He had worked out how to defeat their enemy. But he was not only wise, he was poor, and his poverty had no attraction for them. That was plainly why they forgot him. Had he been rich, everyone would have praised him, and there would have been some memorial of what his wisdom achieved.
Solomon knew the worth of wisdom from experience. He also knew where it runs out.
He acknowledged the value of wisdom, for no one was more qualified than he to speak of it. It strengthens the wise more than ten rulers in a city. It is better than might, he could say, and better than weapons of war... But here also the emptiness of everything done under the sun made itself felt. He set his heart to know wisdom and to see the business done on the earth. There he found a limit to how far he could press his search. As he surveyed the works of men, he only grew more painfully aware of the misery and ruin brought in by sin.
Wisdom can diagnose, but it cannot cure. And people value the wise man only while the crisis lasts.
So wisdom may show its owner what is wrong, and make him feel the bitterness of it. All the time he knows he is powerless to correct it... And people seek out the wise man for help in a time of pressing need, then forget him once the hour of distress has passed.
The verse holds a truth and its contradiction side by side. One writer answers by asking who does the despising.
Yet this age does not always appreciate it. The poor are despised by the first man, not by the Second; and one sinner destroys much good, even though wisdom is better than weapons of war.
Commentators read the little city as a picture of how the world treated Christ. One writer sees the whole scene acted out in the synagogue at Nazareth.
This chapter opens the ministry of the Son of God in Luke's Gospel. As this Gospel deals especially with man, it shows us at once, in a striking way, what man is. It is like the picture drawn by the Preacher: "There was a little city with few men in it... he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man." The synagogue at Nazareth proves all this against the citizens of this world.
But at one point the parallel breaks, and that break is the good news of this verse.
The Lord Jesus bears the character of the Poor Wise Man. Like the poor man of old, the world forgets Him. But there is also a wonderful contrast. "No one remembered that poor man." Many, though, gladly remember the Man Christ Jesus. He became poor so that we, through His poverty, might become rich.
- Wisdom wins. Wisdom is knowledge put to practical use. It beat a besieging army where strength and weapons failed.
- Wisdom is dismissed. The city forgot the man not because his counsel failed but because he was poor. Wealth would have earned him a monument.
- Wisdom is limited. Under the sun it exposes evil but cannot fix it. People want the wise man only while the danger lasts.
- Two judges, two verdicts. The first man despises the poor; the Second does not. This age's verdict is not the final one.
- One remembered Man. Christ is the greater Poor Wise Man. The world He rescued forgot Him. Those made rich through His poverty gladly remember Him.
The words of the wise are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
Just before this verse, Ecclesiastes tells of a poor wise man whose plan saved a whole city. Nobody remembered his name, and out of that story comes a verdict: quiet words carry further than loud ones, whoever is doing the shouting.
The verse shapes how we correct someone. Sharpness belongs in what you say, never in how you say it.
"The words of the wise heard in quiet" (Ecclesiastes 9:17). Let the reproof be as sharp as you like; but the spirit must be meek. Passion stirs up the blood of the one being reproved; but compassion moves his heart. We must not denounce wrath in wrath.
Quiet words win a hearing for a reason. Force draws out force, and a poor manner can spoil a right cause.
How often it happens with us. Our motive may be right, and the principles we stand for true, yet all is spoilt because our manner lacks graciousness and gentleness. Let us remember the striking words of the Psalmist, "Your gentleness made me great" (Psalm 18:35). Our strong feeling can quickly turn into violence. That belittles us in the eyes of others, but gentleness will make us great. Violence draws out violence; but gentleness is irresistible.
The verse sets quiet wisdom against a man who has position and uses it loudly. One writer sees the same contrast in the way authority has been handled in the church.
Through the church's sad history, people have often enforced authority with lion-like energy. The results have always been disastrous. It is Lamb-like authority which prevails.
Verses 16 to 18 make a double point. Wisdom is stronger than force, and wisdom still goes unheard. One writer, quoting an older translation, contrasts how people treat the poor with how Christ treats them.
The comment is two-fold. "Wisdom is better than strength: still the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard... Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroys much good" (verses 16-18). Yet this age does not always appreciate it. The poor are despised by the first man, not by the Second.
The city did not forget the wise man because his plan failed. It worked. Something else got in the way.
There was no denying that they owed their freedom to the wise man who had worked out how to defeat their enemy. But he was not only wise; he was also poor. His poverty had no attraction for them, and that was plainly why they forgot him. Had he been rich he would have been acclaimed by all, and there would have been some memorial of what he had accomplished by his wisdom.
Writers see a picture of Christ in this rejected rescuer. He too was poor, wise, and forgotten by the people He served.
Like the poor wise man of old, He used His resources of wisdom for the good of those around Him. They gladly took all His gracious benefits, but they did not remember Him. Though He was poor, He delivered many from deadly diseases, from the power of Satan, and from the very grip of death... But where were they all when the mob was crying, "Away with Him"? His words of wisdom and His works of power were soon forgotten when the forces of evil came against Him.
- Quiet — a reproof may be as sharp as you like, but the spirit must stay meek. Passion stirs up the blood; compassion moves the heart.
- Gentleness — a harsh manner spoils a true principle. Violence draws out violence, but gentleness is irresistible, and it makes a person great.
- Authority — lion-like force to enforce authority has always ended in disaster. Lamb-like authority is what prevails.
- Despised — wisdom is better than strength, yet the poor man's wisdom goes unheard. Writers trace it to his poverty, which had no attraction for the people he saved.
- Remembered — the forgotten rescuer of the little city points to a greater Poor Wise Man. The crowd took His benefits, then forgot His words of wisdom and His works of power.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroyeth much good.
The Preacher has been weighing wisdom against strength. Here he weighs it against war itself, then adds a second half that pulls against the first: wisdom outweighs armies, yet one sinner can wreck what wisdom builds.
The first half of the verse weighs wisdom against the best weapons an army can carry. One writer begins by defining the word:
Wisdom is the right use of knowledge in relation to practical affairs. "Wisdom is better than strength" (Ecclesiastes 9:16). "Wisdom is better than weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:18).
The proverb is true, but the world does not act on it. One writer notes that the welcome wisdom gets depends on who is looking at it. He contrasts the first man with the Second:
Yet this age does not always appreciate it. The poor are despised by the first man, not by the Second; and one sinner destroys much good, even though wisdom excels weapons of war.
The second half of the verse names the damage one person can do. One writer traces it through two lives: Jehoram, a king of Judah, and Paul:
The proverb, "one sinner destroys much good," was sadly shown in the life of this unhappy Jehoram. Some such "sinner" may easily and quickly ruin or mar the lifetime's work of a devoted man of God. We see this in the case of Paul. After he left, "fierce wolves" came in among the flocks he had gathered by his toil and labour. And from among their own selves men rose up, "speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." … Oh, let me not be the "sinner" who destroys the work of God.
The proverb bites hardest at the top. One commentator writes about a failure among God's people where the leaders sinned first and the rest followed. He explains why position multiplies the harm:
"One sinner destroys much good," especially when that one holds a place of position and influence. When a standard-bearer faints in the day of battle, the soldiers are often discouraged and easily defeated. In the same way, once Satan has trapped a leader among God's people, he often finds it easy work to snare many who are less prominent. That is why, under the law, the sin of a ruler or priest needed a larger sacrifice than the sin of one of the common people.
The loss does not stop with the one who sins:
Christians cannot ignore their corporate responsibility without defying God Himself. Christians cannot regard themselves as isolated units in the army of God. The acts of one affect others. "One sinner destroys much good." The sin of one harms a whole multitude. Because of the evil of one, all are defeated and become as weak as water.
Wisdom wins the comparison, but that is not where the book ends. The Preacher who praised wisdom also looked at what men had made of the world:
Again the Preacher speaks and talks about wisdom. He acknowledged its value, for no one was more qualified than he was to speak of it. It strengthens wise men more than ten mighty men who are in the city. It is better than strength, he could say, and better than weapons of war. But here also he felt the emptiness of everything done under the sun … and when he looked at the works of men, he only felt more sharply the wretchedness and ruin that sin brought in.
- Better — wisdom is knowledge put to right use, and it outweighs both strength and armies.
- Despised — the world does not pay for wisdom when it comes in a poor man; the first man rejects what the Second values.
- One — a single sinner can undo a lifetime of another man's work, as fierce wolves undid what Paul had built.
- Many — the higher a person stands, the further the damage spreads. A fallen leader makes followers easy prey.
- All — no believer is an isolated unit; the sin of one weakens the whole company, so the prayer is that I will not be that one.