WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.100 As we consider life and death this morning, we 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:06.160 find ourselves again in Ecclesiastes. It's a 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.500 book that has not shied away from the reality 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:13.900 of death. Really, it encourages us to live in 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:18.059 light of knowing that death is coming. And we've 00:00:18.059 --> 00:00:20.460 arrived this morning, the end of another season, 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:24.120 at least in terms of sermons, finishing chapter 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:26.879 nine today. Lord willing, we'll get to continue 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:31.100 this book study sometime. after Christmas. So 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:34.340 it might be quite a while before Solomon provokes 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:37.240 your thinking. So I'm going to pray that this 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:39.619 morning is both a challenge and an encouragement 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:44.000 for you, as it has been for me. Last time, we 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.000 wrapped up with the idea of wisdom to live. Knowing 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.719 that death is coming should influence how we 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:56.729 enjoy and pursue the life provided to us. We 00:00:56.729 --> 00:00:59.170 concluded with a timeless and encouraging truth. 00:00:59.549 --> 00:01:04.569 Death is not the end for those who are in Christ. 00:01:05.109 --> 00:01:07.769 And that's what we got to celebrate with Chris 00:01:07.769 --> 00:01:11.569 this morning. Now, the questions that we had 00:01:11.569 --> 00:01:15.569 last time pushed us to consider how we're living, 00:01:15.730 --> 00:01:20.689 taking stock of our priorities, our dreams, our 00:01:20.689 --> 00:01:25.819 aspirations, and to be specific in enjoying this 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:30.780 life for God's glory. Now today, the conversation 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:33.340 that Solomon's having with us is going to continue, 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:36.040 but he's going to pivot a little bit to show 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:40.260 us something unique. And while we ponder the 00:01:40.260 --> 00:01:42.640 temporary nature of life and the uncertainties 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:45.739 that come our way, we're also going to see something 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:49.260 that surprised a man who seemingly would be very 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:53.400 difficult to surprise. I forgot my clicker, so 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:55.159 I'm going to ask Casey to help me out today. 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:58.079 He's got me. So let's go to that first slide. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:01.519 I want you to take a look at the outline to see 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:04.420 how today's theme fits within the book. I'm going 00:02:04.420 --> 00:02:07.260 to have to look backwards because my monitor 00:02:07.260 --> 00:02:09.319 is not working either. I'm just calling out all 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:11.240 the tech. That's my fault on the clicker, though. 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:14.900 You see where it fits with the prescription for 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:17.740 living with vanity today, wisdom amidst uncertainty. 00:02:17.939 --> 00:02:20.740 So in keeping with that theme, we're going to 00:02:20.740 --> 00:02:24.180 see how wisdom helps us in the uncertainties 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:28.419 or the unexpected parts of life. Now let's stand 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:30.259 for the reading of God's word in Ecclesiastes 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:33.780 chapter 9. Beginning in verse 11, you can either 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:37.300 listen or follow along in your Bibles as I read. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:44.740 that the race is not to the swift and the battle 00:02:44.740 --> 00:02:47.800 is not to the mighty, and neither is bread to 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:50.620 the wise nor riches to the discerning nor favor 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:55.840 to men who know. For time and misfortune overtake 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.919 them all. Moreover, man does not know his time. 00:03:00.219 --> 00:03:04.300 Like fish seized in an evil net and birds seized 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:08.000 in a trap, so the sons of men are ensnared at 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.400 an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. 00:03:12.969 --> 00:03:16.169 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, 00:03:16.270 --> 00:03:20.229 and it was great to me. There was a small city 00:03:20.229 --> 00:03:23.949 with few men in it, and a great king came to 00:03:23.949 --> 00:03:26.030 it, surrounded it, and built large siege works 00:03:26.030 --> 00:03:29.550 against it. But there was found in it a poor 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:32.750 wise man, and he provided a way of escape for 00:03:32.750 --> 00:03:36.210 the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered 00:03:36.210 --> 00:03:40.969 that poor man. So I said, wisdom is better than 00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:44.610 strength. but the wisdom of the poor man is despised 00:03:44.610 --> 00:03:47.430 and his words are not heard. The words of the 00:03:47.430 --> 00:03:50.370 wise heard in restfulness are better than the 00:03:50.370 --> 00:03:54.250 shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better 00:03:54.250 --> 00:03:58.030 than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys 00:03:58.030 --> 00:04:08.659 much good. Amen. You can be seated. So hopefully 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:11.740 you see today will not be overly complicated, 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:15.319 but there are some shrouded statements that will 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:20.920 be helpful for us to unpack. Now looking at the 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:24.579 outline for today, I see two sections, the unpredictability 00:04:24.579 --> 00:04:29.819 of life and the remarkably forgotten poor wise 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.620 man. I'm really looking forward to explaining 00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:35.879 that second one, but let's start with verses 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:39.610 11 through 12. Solomon is observing something 00:04:39.610 --> 00:04:43.649 unique. We noted before that Proverbs deals with 00:04:43.649 --> 00:04:48.509 norms. Ecclesiastes deals with exceptions. In 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:51.370 other words, Proverbs tells us how things typically 00:04:51.370 --> 00:04:55.250 work. They're not promises, but they are generalities. 00:04:55.490 --> 00:04:58.189 You could imagine, though, we often take the 00:04:58.189 --> 00:05:02.970 norms as promises, even though that's not their 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:06.480 intent. Now, Ecclesiastes deals with the exceptions, 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:09.439 the things that break the norms, the things that 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.420 confuse us because they're against how things 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:16.379 normally operate. And verse 11 is a perfect example 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:20.620 of this nuance. Don't you think that the race 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:24.399 should go to the swift? Don't you think that 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:26.240 the battle should be to the strong and to the 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:29.800 mighty? So he's contradicting what we have come 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.360 to expect in this life, but he's doing so to 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:37.220 help us not be so surprised, even though we are 00:05:37.220 --> 00:05:41.040 surprised when such things occur. He gives us 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:43.819 five negative categories that we would expect 00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:47.139 to have different outcomes. These are the exceptions 00:05:47.139 --> 00:05:50.720 that trouble us. Five examples of situations, 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.100 I underlined which ones, when things don't work 00:05:54.100 --> 00:05:58.189 like we expect. The swift doesn't win the race. 00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:00.649 The strong or the mighty doesn't win the battle. 00:06:00.750 --> 00:06:03.189 The wise doesn't get the meal. The discerning 00:06:03.189 --> 00:06:05.790 doesn't get the riches. The skilled or knowledgeable 00:06:05.790 --> 00:06:11.050 one doesn't get favor. Each of those can be explained 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:12.410 biblically. We're going to work through them 00:06:12.410 --> 00:06:15.250 at face value. But before we go to the exceptions 00:06:15.250 --> 00:06:17.970 and the explanations of these, let me summarize 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:21.529 these two verses. Solomon's pointing out that 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:25.360 what you thought the outcome would be may not 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:28.660 be the outcome. You see the swift, you think 00:06:28.660 --> 00:06:30.920 they're going to win, but what about when they 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:34.399 don't? When you think the strong is going to 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:38.600 win the battle, what about when he doesn't? The 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:40.899 wise, discerning, the knowledgeable people, aren't 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:43.839 they guaranteed with blessings? He says, no, 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:47.360 no, they're not. You can't guarantee outcomes 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.540 in this life. There will always be exceptions 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:53.540 that shock and surprise you. That's what he's 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:56.680 bringing in front of us. Now, to begin to understand 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.399 the nature first, starting with the swift, we 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:01.079 actually get to do a little bit of history. So 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:03.439 Jeff will be excited on this one. We get to dig 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.339 into Judah and Israel and a story that happened 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:10.839 with Solomon's dad. Remember who his dad is, 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:14.300 hopefully? David. Good. Okay, good. We're there. 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:17.180 Now, up on the screen, we have some characters 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:19.240 because there might be some names that you're 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:21.220 less familiar with. familiar with. And there 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:23.360 might be some that you remember, but this is 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.160 taken from second Samuel chapter two. You don't 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.060 need to go there if you don't want to, because 00:07:28.060 --> 00:07:29.720 I'm not going to read the whole thing. I'm going 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:32.939 to paraphrase the story, but we have to assume, 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:36.600 we have to assume that Solomon grew up hearing 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:39.240 the tales of what happened during his dad's life, 00:07:39.379 --> 00:07:43.000 right? You read the opening chapters of Proverbs. 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:44.720 He says, when I was young and I sat at the feet 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:46.879 of my father, the feet of my mother, and I learned, 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:50.290 what do you think he was listening to? All the 00:07:50.290 --> 00:07:52.209 stories. You've heard your own parents' stories. 00:07:52.569 --> 00:07:56.589 I'm sure Solomon heard his dad's. Now, the story 00:07:56.589 --> 00:08:00.290 in 2 Samuel 2 takes place after Saul's demise, 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:03.129 and it has a description, really, that is the 00:08:03.129 --> 00:08:07.569 exact scenario that we see in Ecclesiastes 9, 00:08:07.750 --> 00:08:10.629 verse 11. So here, setting the stage, Saul and 00:08:10.629 --> 00:08:14.079 Jonathan have died. David has lamented. And now 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:17.160 we have Abner, who is the commander of Saul's 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:20.139 army, coming to grips with what is to happen 00:08:20.139 --> 00:08:23.139 in the kingdom. Now, it's not officially labeled 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:25.459 the divided kingdom at this point, but it is 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:28.000 after, because that happens after Solomon's reign. 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:30.600 But functionally, it's not yet the united kingdom. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.600 Functionally, it is actually a divided kingdom. 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.860 And Abner was key to this dynamic. David, see, 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:42.049 he was anointed as king over Judah. Abner, though, 00:08:42.070 --> 00:08:45.529 seems to be pursuing Saul's son, Ish -boshet, 00:08:45.570 --> 00:08:48.269 if you like to say fun names, as the king over 00:08:48.269 --> 00:08:50.570 Israel. That's what he was working towards. And 00:08:50.570 --> 00:08:54.149 all this takes place over several years. Now, 00:08:54.169 --> 00:08:56.210 we know the guy as Joab. If you were to say it 00:08:56.210 --> 00:08:58.649 in Hebrew, it would be Yoav. But Joab is who 00:08:58.649 --> 00:09:01.169 we always call him. He's serving David essentially 00:09:01.169 --> 00:09:04.250 as his commander of the army. And here's where 00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:07.210 the situation comes to bear. He brings some warriors. 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:10.980 To a place of meeting where Abner is coming with 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:13.559 his warriors to a place of meeting. They each 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:17.519 bring 12. Now Joab and Abner, these are the guys. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:21.980 These are the warrior leaders of their day. They 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:24.720 commanded thousands. These guys are living legends. 00:09:25.820 --> 00:09:29.360 I can only imagine the situation. You have these 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:33.620 guys that they've killed. They've destroyed on 00:09:33.620 --> 00:09:35.460 the battlefield. They've been strategic. They're 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:38.610 respected. They're really skilled warriors and 00:09:38.610 --> 00:09:40.389 leaders. They meet at this place called Gibeon. 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:43.230 There's a cistern there that they come to, and 00:09:43.230 --> 00:09:46.330 it's a fascinating thing. If you try to envision 00:09:46.330 --> 00:09:48.450 it, I didn't use AI or anything. I'm going to 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:50.029 try to paint it with my words the old school 00:09:50.029 --> 00:09:55.090 way, right? That's not a knock, by the way. That's 00:09:55.090 --> 00:10:00.710 just, anyone could do that, right? Think of the 00:10:00.710 --> 00:10:03.230 movies, though, that you've seen. With the ancient 00:10:03.230 --> 00:10:05.889 warriors that are wearing their armor and they 00:10:05.889 --> 00:10:08.730 have their weapons with them. These guys, they're 00:10:08.730 --> 00:10:11.789 not showing up in a phalanx to go and attack, 00:10:12.009 --> 00:10:16.429 but they're walking up ready for action. They're 00:10:16.429 --> 00:10:21.350 ready to fight. It's an okay corral. If you guys 00:10:21.350 --> 00:10:22.950 like Westerns, although this didn't happen in 00:10:22.950 --> 00:10:24.549 Westerns, that's why I like the old ones. You 00:10:24.549 --> 00:10:26.730 got to think like, I don't know, Achilles or 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:28.970 something like that. But they show up with all 00:10:28.970 --> 00:10:31.220 their gear. All their weapons of war, but they're 00:10:31.220 --> 00:10:33.779 not attacking each other. Could you imagine how 00:10:33.779 --> 00:10:37.340 odd that would be? Two opposing forces. In chess, 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:41.259 this would be a check. Saying, hey, I got you. 00:10:41.659 --> 00:10:44.879 I'm here. Joab shows up to let Abner know they're 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:47.899 not going to give the kingdom away easily. They're 00:10:47.899 --> 00:10:50.440 not going to give up Judah easily. And Abner 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.940 arrives with an equal resolve. Remember, Abner, 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:58.340 he's Saul's man. He makes a wager. He sees it. 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:00.179 They see it. They didn't bring their armies on 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:02.639 purpose. They brought 12 on purpose. They were 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:06.220 going to settle this much smaller. He makes a 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:08.659 wager, and he says, rather than go to war, why 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:12.279 don't we just bring these warriors and let the 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:16.460 young men fight it out? And whoever wins, that 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:19.659 can have the throne. Whoever wins. My 12 best, 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:24.039 your 12 best. Let's see who wins. Well, Joab 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:28.210 goes for it. 12 versus 12. And they say it was 00:11:28.210 --> 00:11:31.409 a bloody, bloody fierce battle. Lasted all day 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:33.830 is what it says. And Abner's men are ultimately 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:37.330 losing. And this is hand -to -hand combat. Not 00:11:37.330 --> 00:11:40.809 ranged combat. This is hand -to -hand, vicious 00:11:40.809 --> 00:11:45.490 combat. Joab, the leader of David's army, he 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:48.330 wasn't alone in terms of his family when he came 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:50.789 to that meeting. He brought his brothers, and 00:11:50.789 --> 00:11:52.669 I listed them up there so you could see the relation. 00:11:52.909 --> 00:11:57.000 Joab. was David's nephew. He had two brothers. 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:01.399 One of them is named Asael. Someone you need 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.200 to pay attention to because he was quoted as 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:09.659 being swift -footed, like a gazelle. Keep that 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:12.200 in mind. Now near the end of the battle, as it 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:14.039 was clear that Israel and Abner's men are losing, 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:17.120 Abner seems to flee, to run away. He knows the 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:20.080 battle's lost. He's going to go away. But Asael 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:24.909 would not allow it. He was determined to put 00:12:24.909 --> 00:12:29.269 an end to Abner and began chasing him. Now Abner, 00:12:29.309 --> 00:12:31.250 he's running and he looks back and he sees who's 00:12:31.250 --> 00:12:34.250 chasing him. He says, is that you, Asael? He 00:12:34.250 --> 00:12:37.169 knows him. This is a famous warrior. And he tells 00:12:37.169 --> 00:12:39.529 him, turn around, turn around, go to your left 00:12:39.529 --> 00:12:41.070 or to your right. Take one of those young men 00:12:41.070 --> 00:12:45.470 and the spoils, but don't come after me. Asael 00:12:45.470 --> 00:12:47.950 wouldn't turn to the left or the right. Abner 00:12:47.950 --> 00:12:50.970 warned him again and even told him that he didn't 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:53.789 want to strike him down. He said, how can I look 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:56.090 upon the face of your brother Joab if I strike 00:12:56.090 --> 00:12:59.009 you down? So Abner gives him another warning. 00:13:00.110 --> 00:13:03.610 Abner respected the warrior Joab. He respected 00:13:03.610 --> 00:13:06.769 Asael. He didn't go to strike him first. He gave 00:13:06.769 --> 00:13:11.570 him a warning, but Asael would not turn. So the 00:13:11.570 --> 00:13:16.370 story goes, Abner struck him with the butt of 00:13:16.370 --> 00:13:21.820 his spear. Text is very clear on this. The spear 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:24.700 has an end that's intended to pierce. That's 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:27.840 the front. The butt of the spear is not intended 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:31.419 to pierce the same way. That's the end that he 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:34.820 struck Asael with. And it says he ran him through 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:41.820 entirely. Through his back. So shocking was his 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:44.860 death that the text in 2 Samuel 2 says that the 00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:48.120 soldiers came to where Asael was struck and they 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:53.779 stood still. They were shocked. They were stunned 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:57.460 in disbelief. How could this swift and fierce 00:13:57.460 --> 00:14:04.159 soldier have fallen? That same word for swift 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.720 in Ecclesiastes 9 -11 is used of Asael in 2 Samuel 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:12.320 2 -18. It says that the three sons of Zariah, 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:15.360 we say Zariah, that's not the right way. Anyone 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:20.610 can correct me later. But Yoab. Abishai and Asael. 00:14:21.309 --> 00:14:24.669 Asael was swift -footed as one of the gazelles 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:27.970 in the field. That's the way it describes him. 00:14:28.370 --> 00:14:31.730 He was famous. Surely Solomon grew up hearing 00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:33.870 tales of this soldier and the personal history 00:14:33.870 --> 00:14:36.549 of his father David, how Abner didn't initially 00:14:36.549 --> 00:14:39.169 yield to his kingship after the death of Saul. 00:14:39.529 --> 00:14:42.269 Surely Solomon heard about the warriors of his 00:14:42.269 --> 00:14:45.250 father David's day, and surely Solomon knew this 00:14:45.250 --> 00:14:49.220 battle. Surely he knew how the soldiers stopped 00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:53.659 in awe after their swift and fierce warrior friend 00:14:53.659 --> 00:14:59.720 shockingly fell in battle. Because the race is 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:04.399 not always to the swift. Solomon learned this 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:08.539 as a young man, hearing lessons and stories from 00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:10.460 his father. He would also know how things ended 00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:13.659 for Abner if he were... Listening several weeks 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:16.340 or months ago, Jeff was walking us through the 00:15:16.340 --> 00:15:20.440 nature of a front gate. Remember, we're talking 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:23.000 about Mordecai and being at a front gate. And 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:26.940 he gave the example that Abner was murdered at 00:15:26.940 --> 00:15:28.759 the gate. But it's not a gate like we think of 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.000 it. There were rooms to the gate. And the example 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:34.240 he gave was Abner being killed by Joab. And why 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.919 was he being killed? Because Abner killed Asael. 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:42.539 So even though Abner... Won that day, survived 00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:45.559 that day. He went on to be killed another day. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:50.240 So the race wasn't to the swift in Asael's case, 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:54.779 nor was it to the mighty in Abner's case. What's 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:56.740 another one we could think of when the battle 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.159 is not guaranteed to the strong? How about 1 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:03.360 Samuel 17? The story of this very, very large 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:07.779 man named Goliath. And there's that young shepherd 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:13.860 boy. Who was it again? David, Solomon's dad. 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:18.379 That mighty giant, he struck fear into every 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.320 Israelite, and yet he was felled by a single 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:25.220 stone from a shepherd boy. Because that youth, 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:27.240 what David said that day was that the victory 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:30.179 wasn't going to be by sword or spear, but by 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:33.899 Yahweh, by God himself. And when he won, the 00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:36.139 Philistines, they scattered when their mighty 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:39.820 warrior fell in a surprising feat. They were 00:16:39.820 --> 00:16:42.669 shocked. Laughter one moment of this boy who 00:16:42.669 --> 00:16:45.889 was going to fight this monster of a man. And 00:16:45.889 --> 00:16:49.330 the next moment, fleeing in fear because their 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:51.629 greatest and mightiest warrior came down from 00:16:51.629 --> 00:16:57.210 a stone. The race is not to the swift, nor is 00:16:57.210 --> 00:17:00.730 the battle to the mighty. But there are other 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:05.210 exceptions that Solomon gives as well. So we'll 00:17:05.210 --> 00:17:07.930 continue here, paying attention to the wise. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:11.180 The discerning are those with knowledge. We've 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:13.859 already dealt with several of these actually 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:16.460 in Ecclesiastes already. In chapter 5, verses 00:17:16.460 --> 00:17:19.700 13 through 16, Solomon talks about the reality 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:23.160 of bad business ventures. In one moment, everything 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.880 is going your way. The next moment, everything 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:28.759 is taken and you have nothing. That happens. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:31.440 You didn't do anything wrong, just things ended 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.349 poorly. Think about those who were impacted by 00:17:34.349 --> 00:17:36.670 the financial fallout of the mortgage crisis 00:17:36.670 --> 00:17:38.730 in 2008. Some of you are old enough to remember 00:17:38.730 --> 00:17:42.190 that. That had an impact. That affected many 00:17:42.190 --> 00:17:45.690 people. Most of us probably are not old enough 00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:47.529 to remember the Great Depression, but we probably 00:17:47.529 --> 00:17:50.849 heard stories about it. We know that people were 00:17:50.849 --> 00:17:53.410 impacted by things outside of what they were 00:17:53.410 --> 00:17:57.230 doing. Any season of life or history could be 00:17:57.230 --> 00:17:59.630 similar where difficulties come unexpectedly. 00:18:00.269 --> 00:18:02.829 You can be wise, you can be discerning, but you 00:18:02.829 --> 00:18:05.829 can't guarantee that things will end up the way 00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:09.109 you want them to. Still, we shouldn't give up 00:18:09.109 --> 00:18:13.250 on wisdom. We just don't depend on it. You don't 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:15.329 depend on wisdom like you ought to depend on 00:18:15.329 --> 00:18:20.349 the Lord. Remember Job? He had everything and 00:18:20.349 --> 00:18:23.049 then he had nothing. And then he had everything 00:18:23.049 --> 00:18:27.750 again. And Job says, blessed be the Lord who 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:32.490 gives and takes away. That should be our heart 00:18:32.490 --> 00:18:36.750 posture as well. No amount of skill or knowledge 00:18:36.750 --> 00:18:39.569 can make things go your way. You remember Joseph 00:18:39.569 --> 00:18:42.269 in Genesis 40? He's interpreting dreams, has 00:18:42.269 --> 00:18:45.789 an amazing skill. Even in prison, he interprets 00:18:45.789 --> 00:18:49.910 for the cupbearer who was supposed to tell of 00:18:49.910 --> 00:18:54.359 him to Pharaoh. But how long did he forget? Two 00:18:54.359 --> 00:19:01.160 years. Two years Joseph persisted in prison because 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:06.160 the cupbearer forgot until he remembered. So 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:11.299 much for that skill. Life is unpredictable. There's 00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:14.579 no simple formula to get an outcome, no matter 00:19:14.579 --> 00:19:17.680 how swift or strong or wise or discerning or 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:20.680 knowledgeable. What Solomon's teaching is that 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:23.140 misfortune or bad outcomes, they come upon us 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:27.019 all and no one is immune from that reality. No 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:32.099 one gets their way 100 % of the time. I remember 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:34.819 a tragic incident in 2015. I was working with 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.240 Children's Hunger Fund with a pastor in Nepal. 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:39.140 There was an earthquake there that year. I don't 00:19:39.140 --> 00:19:40.960 know how many of you remember. It was massive. 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:44.619 Thousands of lives were claimed. I was working 00:19:44.619 --> 00:19:47.230 with this pastor and he shared a story. of over 00:19:47.230 --> 00:19:51.589 100 testimonies of children who were at home 00:19:51.589 --> 00:19:56.130 when the earthquake struck. And whether by landslide 00:19:56.130 --> 00:19:59.250 or by the home falling down, parents and family, 00:19:59.269 --> 00:20:03.289 they perished in a moment. In a moment, these 00:20:03.289 --> 00:20:06.950 children became orphans. They didn't see it coming. 00:20:07.329 --> 00:20:09.650 They didn't know what was about to happen. No 00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:12.670 one can predict what's going to happen next. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:15.980 And when the outcome is not what we expected, 00:20:16.099 --> 00:20:19.960 that's when we're shocked the most. And tragedy 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:23.720 strikes when we least expect it, right? We think 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:25.859 that things are going to go a certain way. We're 00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:28.680 comfortable with the norms. But when the exceptions 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:31.660 happen, when the unexpected befalls us, then 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:36.259 that's when we're shook to the core. But we need 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:39.599 to learn something. You know, chance is not what 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:42.539 you think it is. Or at least I should say, chance 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:46.839 is not what the world tells us it is. To the 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:50.799 world, they understand chance as an idea of randomness, 00:20:50.920 --> 00:20:54.319 that anything can happen or befall anyone for 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:57.859 any reason at any time. Now, that's a source 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:01.160 of all kinds of irrational fear. You know, all 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:04.480 the phobias that the world likes to diagnose, 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:10.160 fear of flying, fear of driving, fear of germs. 00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:17.269 Fear of spiders, sorry, any of you. But really, 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:19.990 all of them can be termed fear of getting a bad 00:21:19.990 --> 00:21:23.970 outcome. That's what it should be called. Fear 00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:28.769 of not getting your way. Such fear is not really 00:21:28.769 --> 00:21:32.190 rooted in knowing God. Yes, bad things can happen. 00:21:32.789 --> 00:21:35.829 Actually, they will happen. Bad things will happen. 00:21:35.869 --> 00:21:38.349 And yes, there are certain activities that may 00:21:38.349 --> 00:21:40.569 be more risky than others. If you're jumping 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:43.990 and skydiving out of an airplane, there's a bigger 00:21:43.990 --> 00:21:45.869 risk than walking with two feet on the ground 00:21:45.869 --> 00:21:47.549 in terms of falling out of an airplane, right? 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:51.210 That should make sense. But you need to know 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:54.369 this. And if you don't know it, by God's grace, 00:21:54.410 --> 00:21:56.170 you'll learn it today. And if you know it, remind 00:21:56.170 --> 00:21:58.250 yourself of this constantly when you're prone 00:21:58.250 --> 00:22:01.089 to forget it. There is no such thing as chance 00:22:01.089 --> 00:22:06.539 in terms of things being random. No such thing. 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:10.819 Now at times, you might foolishly think that 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:13.740 there is a randomness nature to chance, but if 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:16.380 it were true for even one millisecond, then God 00:22:16.380 --> 00:22:21.299 would not be God. If he is truly all -powerful, 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:25.099 if he is all -knowing, all -seeing, all -purposing, 00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:29.799 all the things that he says he is, then chance 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:34.779 is not a thing. Not like we have come to understand 00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:39.279 it. Because nothing bad can happen to us that 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:46.740 is not overseen or even intended by God. Now 00:22:46.740 --> 00:22:50.940 that might be uncomfortable to think about. But 00:22:50.940 --> 00:22:54.420 there is no randomness with a sovereign creator 00:22:54.420 --> 00:23:00.079 and God. Everything has purpose. Everything has 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:03.980 meaning, but it's all according to him and his 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:09.039 ways. And yes, he even uses hardship and pain 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:12.900 in a fallen world to bring about his good purposes. 00:23:14.019 --> 00:23:17.839 And in case you're going to say, yeah, but look 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:22.000 at the wisdom from Proverbs 21. There is no wisdom, 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:26.460 no discernment, and no counsel against Yahweh. 00:23:27.049 --> 00:23:29.329 What does that mean? He knows what he's doing 00:23:29.329 --> 00:23:37.430 and you and I are not able to question him. Even 00:23:37.430 --> 00:23:41.289 when that fish gets unexpectedly caught in the 00:23:41.289 --> 00:23:44.529 evil net, even when the bird is snared, sometimes 00:23:44.529 --> 00:23:47.009 it's because we pursue evil and then bad things 00:23:47.009 --> 00:23:50.970 happen. And sometimes evil befalls us because 00:23:50.970 --> 00:23:56.750 we live in a broken, fallen world. We may not 00:23:56.750 --> 00:24:01.970 have an answer for that, but God does. And we're 00:24:01.970 --> 00:24:05.650 not the ones to question him. Friends, people 00:24:05.650 --> 00:24:11.109 have heart attacks. People in shape die. The 00:24:11.109 --> 00:24:13.829 seemingly perfect couple gets a divorce when 00:24:13.829 --> 00:24:18.009 one spouse is unfaithful. The friendship ends 00:24:18.009 --> 00:24:20.930 due to a silly misunderstanding or difference 00:24:20.930 --> 00:24:25.220 of opinion. The sports star flops in their big 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:29.839 break due to an injury. The ministry never seems 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:32.160 to grow or expand no matter how much is poured 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:39.539 in. An untimely diagnosis ruins short -term plans, 00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:44.940 brings doubt to future plans. A successful young 00:24:44.940 --> 00:24:47.240 person with a seemingly bright future dies in 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:51.980 a tragic accident. Solomon is teaching us that 00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:56.059 there are no guarantees in life. You cannot be 00:24:56.059 --> 00:24:59.759 certain about outcomes. And time will prove that 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:04.519 to everyone. So brace yourself for the unexpected. 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:08.319 Brace yourself for the uncertainties. Brace, 00:25:08.420 --> 00:25:15.740 but don't fear. You can't control it. So don't 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:19.599 expect perfect outcomes. But for the one who 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.799 knows, that he's in the hand of God, be encouraged. 00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:26.940 Because nothing can happen to you outside of 00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:30.559 God's sovereign and good control. You may not 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:34.819 like your circumstances. You may even question 00:25:34.819 --> 00:25:38.140 his goodness. You shouldn't, and truly you can't. 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:43.119 You can't. But in pain you might. When things 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:46.920 are hard and when they hurt, you might. But if 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:49.250 you're his, you're gonna come back to the same 00:25:49.250 --> 00:25:54.089 truth that God is doing as he pleases and he 00:25:54.089 --> 00:26:03.289 is working for his glory and for your good. Solomon 00:26:03.289 --> 00:26:06.829 transitions from that thought to an interesting 00:26:06.829 --> 00:26:09.009 one that may seem to be disconnected, but it's 00:26:09.009 --> 00:26:14.470 not. We'll see this in verse 13. He's seen much, 00:26:14.730 --> 00:26:19.210 but something, strikes him as very interesting. 00:26:20.769 --> 00:26:23.150 Solomon doesn't seem to be a surprisable guy. 00:26:24.029 --> 00:26:27.430 He's paying attention to everything. So if he 00:26:27.430 --> 00:26:29.849 tells you, hey, here's something interesting, 00:26:30.230 --> 00:26:33.829 we should listen. In your Bibles, in verse 13, 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:36.049 probably many of your versions say he sees something 00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:39.430 great. But in Hebrew, it means something very 00:26:39.430 --> 00:26:41.670 different than we think it means. It's not awesome 00:26:41.670 --> 00:26:45.410 or magnificent. Really, he's saying it's significant, 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:50.009 it's noteworthy, it's really surprising. He's 00:26:50.009 --> 00:26:52.210 drawing our attention to something surprising, 00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:55.450 and he's going to note the circumstances still 00:26:55.450 --> 00:26:58.150 contain wisdom. So what is that surprisingly 00:26:58.150 --> 00:27:03.109 significant thing? To help us understand, he 00:27:03.109 --> 00:27:06.250 tells us a story. He said, look, there's a small 00:27:06.250 --> 00:27:09.470 town that's getting sieged by a big, bad king, 00:27:09.549 --> 00:27:13.420 and seemingly they're doomed. Now think Lord 00:27:13.420 --> 00:27:15.220 of the Rings. If you've seen those movies, the 00:27:15.220 --> 00:27:17.700 siege towers that are approaching a small city, 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:20.579 they were not going to stand a chance against 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:25.099 that great army and all the weapons of war. But 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:30.240 then in that little city comes along a poor yet 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:35.880 wise man. And his wisdom allows that city to 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:39.119 be saved. Now we're not told exactly how, but 00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:42.170 we're told that it was directly a result. of 00:27:42.170 --> 00:27:47.250 the poor wise man. He delivered the city. Now 00:27:47.250 --> 00:27:50.089 the surprise, or the thing that Solomon thought 00:27:50.089 --> 00:27:53.869 was significant, was not that the city was saved 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:58.150 by this poor wise man, but that the city forgot 00:27:58.150 --> 00:28:04.390 him. That's what he was surprised by. That's 00:28:04.390 --> 00:28:06.289 what he says is the great thing, is that this 00:28:06.289 --> 00:28:09.990 man does this wonderful thing, and yet he's forgotten. 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:16.079 Shouldn't the hero be celebrated? I mean, maybe 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.740 he was for a moment, but it seems that after 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:22.960 a very short while, after saving the city, the 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.720 people went on with their days, forgetting what 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:30.400 he did. Now, this isn't a side conversation to 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:32.579 his earlier point. You know, in the earlier two 00:28:32.579 --> 00:28:34.960 verses, the previous ones, he points to the things 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:37.640 that unexpectedly, you know, they don't go our 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.029 way. And in this tale, he shows that when our 00:28:41.029 --> 00:28:42.490 outcomes are threatened, it seems like we're 00:28:42.490 --> 00:28:44.809 not going to get our way, but then, then, we're 00:28:44.809 --> 00:28:48.990 delivered from hardship. We are yet an ungrateful 00:28:48.990 --> 00:28:56.049 people. Solomon, he's stumped. Just like those 00:28:56.049 --> 00:28:58.690 warriors who stopped in their tracks when Asael 00:28:58.690 --> 00:29:02.690 the Swift was slain. They stopped. They were 00:29:02.690 --> 00:29:05.890 stumped. Solomon stops to consider this surprising 00:29:05.890 --> 00:29:10.569 event. When wisdom rescued the people, yet they 00:29:10.569 --> 00:29:15.130 took it for granted. People taking things for 00:29:15.130 --> 00:29:17.690 granted or being ungrateful, that's all too common. 00:29:18.990 --> 00:29:22.269 Solomon, he thinks this is great. This is noteworthy. 00:29:22.269 --> 00:29:23.970 This is something to make us pause and consider. 00:29:24.410 --> 00:29:27.009 Not because he thought it was uncommon. He's 00:29:27.009 --> 00:29:31.490 not dim. He's very sharp. He's very wise. But 00:29:31.490 --> 00:29:35.019 he is calling our attention to this. Because 00:29:35.019 --> 00:29:39.539 it should surprise us more than it does. When 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:41.420 it comes to that small city being saved from 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:44.220 the big bad king, the people should be grateful. 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:48.079 They shouldn't forget who saved them. Yet that 00:29:48.079 --> 00:29:49.920 poor man who rescued the city, he just slips 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:53.339 into obscurity. The hero, he stands up for the 00:29:53.339 --> 00:29:57.079 people, but then the crisis passes and they have 00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:59.720 no use for him anymore. So in gratitude abounds, 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:03.480 they just forget him. How befuddling that is. 00:30:05.450 --> 00:30:07.950 But pay attention to this. Because Solomon is 00:30:07.950 --> 00:30:09.730 seen so much, but he's saying, look, take note 00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:14.970 of this. Take note that this example of heroism 00:30:14.970 --> 00:30:19.170 is met with ingratitude. Pay attention. The way 00:30:19.170 --> 00:30:21.710 that it reads in Hebrew, Solomon makes a point 00:30:21.710 --> 00:30:25.170 that this man was poor. He makes it a point that 00:30:25.170 --> 00:30:27.609 this man wasn't rich, that he wasn't anything 00:30:27.609 --> 00:30:32.950 special. And his status as a poor man is of primary 00:30:32.950 --> 00:30:36.900 concern for Solomon. He was a poor man with wisdom. 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:39.579 He wasn't rich. He wasn't noble. He wasn't handsome. 00:30:39.819 --> 00:30:43.200 He wasn't anything special. Sure, he had wisdom, 00:30:43.299 --> 00:30:48.079 but he was a poor man with wisdom. Think about 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:54.559 today. Who do we like to listen to? You like 00:30:54.559 --> 00:30:59.039 to listen to the poor man? I think we like to 00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:02.920 listen to those with status. We remember the 00:31:02.920 --> 00:31:07.319 lofty ones. We don't often listen to and remember 00:31:07.319 --> 00:31:11.500 those who are lowly. We quote the famous, right? 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:16.500 And then we forget the humble. Now, I find it 00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:18.920 interesting, and Solomon does as well, because 00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:21.740 it's often those who have humble means who are 00:31:21.740 --> 00:31:25.720 granted wisdom about what truly matters. Those 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:27.900 who go through hardship are typically more likely 00:31:27.900 --> 00:31:31.339 to appreciate the simple things in this life. 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:34.920 People who have to live practically day in and 00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:38.180 day out to just survive without any form of greatness, 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:42.079 they're often quite skilled in many ways. But 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:44.759 that's not who the crowds are drawn to, are they? 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:51.420 No, we love the loud, the raucous, the sarcastic, 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:55.380 the biting, the intellectually proud, the emotionally 00:31:55.380 --> 00:31:59.920 connected voices of our day, do we not? People 00:31:59.920 --> 00:32:02.140 who shout their points to get clicks and views. 00:32:03.299 --> 00:32:06.339 Those who appeal to emotions with their emotions. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:09.579 They garner support no matter how foolish or 00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:14.039 wicked their cause is. Supposed Christian celebrities 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:19.900 do the same. Shameless self -promotion disguised 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:24.859 as noble service. Somehow they're an expert to 00:32:24.859 --> 00:32:27.180 your exact problem even though they've never 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:31.180 met you. Their generalized words are somehow 00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:34.160 more poignant than the seasoned, loving, intentional 00:32:34.160 --> 00:32:39.440 words of your fellow Christian member, discipler, 00:32:39.440 --> 00:32:48.460 or elder. It's easy to ignore the poor, wise 00:32:48.460 --> 00:32:50.160 person in your church. After all, they don't 00:32:50.160 --> 00:32:53.940 have a platform. They don't have letters after 00:32:53.940 --> 00:33:00.650 their name or accolades or royal. Their book 00:33:00.650 --> 00:33:07.029 deals are few. Now, we see it in other realms 00:33:07.029 --> 00:33:11.970 too. What about politics? Pundits, they yell, 00:33:12.109 --> 00:33:15.190 they mock. Politicians, they scream and they 00:33:15.190 --> 00:33:17.950 demean. And people clack away on their keyboards 00:33:17.950 --> 00:33:21.109 on social media for catharsis and pseudo -affirmation. 00:33:22.269 --> 00:33:27.069 Loudness. We see it when people are drawn to 00:33:27.069 --> 00:33:31.220 celebrities. and to writers for advice and for 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:35.559 counsel. And let me be intense for a moment. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:38.539 Some of you know me as that. I'm gonna cut to 00:33:38.539 --> 00:33:40.680 the quick and be really practical here. Don't 00:33:40.680 --> 00:33:42.740 ever listen to a pop star like Taylor Swift to 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:46.200 learn how to walk and how to live. Not for this 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:48.519 side of glory, but before you think that I'm 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:53.259 judging any specific person, hear this. Don't 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:58.000 think that C .S. Lewis or any other Christian 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:06.759 guru is a better guide than God's word. You can 00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:09.619 appreciate good words. You can appreciate good 00:34:09.619 --> 00:34:12.539 warnings, wherever they come from, whenever they 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:15.219 come. But Solomon is pointing something out. 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:19.539 He says, we forget the wise ones from within 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:23.849 our own camp because we don't esteem them. You 00:34:23.849 --> 00:34:26.150 ever wonder why children rebel against the wisdom 00:34:26.150 --> 00:34:30.469 of their parents? That's what's going on here. 00:34:30.530 --> 00:34:32.469 Now, not every bit of advice from parents is 00:34:32.469 --> 00:34:33.949 perfect. None of us are perfect. I'm not trying 00:34:33.949 --> 00:34:35.369 to throw us under the bus, but we're not perfect. 00:34:35.489 --> 00:34:38.510 We know that. But isn't this a general understanding 00:34:38.510 --> 00:34:41.829 that children reject the wisdom of their parents 00:34:41.829 --> 00:34:44.429 and repeat the same kind of mistakes, even though 00:34:44.429 --> 00:34:51.269 they hear about it all the time? Why? Parents 00:34:51.269 --> 00:34:55.039 are ordinary. They see you all the time, take 00:34:55.039 --> 00:34:58.000 you for granted. But that professor, they were 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:02.500 brilliant. That Christian author, mind -blowing, 00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:06.780 right? That internet personality said it exactly 00:35:06.780 --> 00:35:11.659 the way I wanted to hear it. Speaking precisely 00:35:11.659 --> 00:35:14.639 about that dynamic nearly a thousand years later, 00:35:14.699 --> 00:35:16.619 Paul writes about the tendency of the human heart 00:35:16.619 --> 00:35:21.179 to turn away from truth and from wisdom. 2 Timothy 00:35:21.179 --> 00:35:23.679 chapter four, verses three to four, for the time 00:35:23.679 --> 00:35:26.320 will come. Well, they will not endure sound doctrine, 00:35:26.440 --> 00:35:28.320 but wanting to have their ears tickled, they 00:35:28.320 --> 00:35:30.500 will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance 00:35:30.500 --> 00:35:32.980 to their own desires and will turn away their 00:35:32.980 --> 00:35:36.719 ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 00:35:39.019 --> 00:35:41.219 People are prone to acknowledge those that we 00:35:41.219 --> 00:35:43.760 deem worthy of our attention. We remember certain 00:35:43.760 --> 00:35:47.519 people, but our scale of importance is off, Solomon 00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:50.920 says. And Paul repeats that. We want to hear 00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:54.980 what we want to hear. We are an entitled people. 00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:58.800 Even when we're rescued, how quickly we forget. 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:04.800 So the response is these last few verses in Ecclesiastes 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:09.039 9. Solomon says, even still, wisdom is better 00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:12.340 than strength. David did overcome Goliath. That 00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:16.760 poor man overcame that great king. It's still 00:36:16.760 --> 00:36:19.360 noteworthy that that poor man's wisdom is despised, 00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:21.880 that no one truly listened to him or cared to 00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:25.119 listen to him. Even still, Solomon says, don't 00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:28.019 give up on wisdom just because others don't want 00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:30.940 to listen. He says, don't give up on pursuing 00:36:30.940 --> 00:36:33.739 something good just because others may not appreciate 00:36:33.739 --> 00:36:37.340 it. You know, being noisy may be popular for 00:36:37.340 --> 00:36:40.559 a moment. That's what verse 17 alludes to. But 00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:43.440 the best words are spoken not to that clamoring 00:36:43.440 --> 00:36:47.519 crowd. The best words are softly spoken in times 00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:51.179 of peace. The wise man knows that even when fools 00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:53.880 reject wisdom, the solution isn't to just be 00:36:53.880 --> 00:36:59.019 louder. The solution is to be more clear, more 00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:01.699 intent on speaking truth and crafting an even 00:37:01.699 --> 00:37:04.579 better point to help their opponent go a good 00:37:04.579 --> 00:37:09.480 way. See, wisdom focuses on winning hearts, not 00:37:09.480 --> 00:37:13.079 just winning the argument. The story that... 00:37:13.500 --> 00:37:15.980 Solomon shares, it highlights what verse 18 says, 00:37:16.280 --> 00:37:20.199 that wisdom is better than weapons of war. Those 00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:23.480 are symbols of power and strength. And wisdom 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:27.139 applied can be more beneficial than the practical 00:37:27.139 --> 00:37:30.579 means of warfare. And that's something that every 00:37:30.579 --> 00:37:34.159 world leader needs to learn. That's not a partisan 00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:36.659 issue in America. It's a human heart condition 00:37:36.659 --> 00:37:41.900 where we are bent towards folly. Because when 00:37:41.900 --> 00:37:44.800 we don't go a good and wise way, that last part 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:47.260 of verse 18, it gives us this final caution. 00:37:48.119 --> 00:37:52.079 A lot of good can be undone by just one sinner. 00:37:53.820 --> 00:37:55.460 Solomon's going to have a lot more to say about 00:37:55.460 --> 00:37:59.519 that in the next chapter. And with that, we've 00:37:59.519 --> 00:38:02.659 come to the end of another chapter in Ecclesiastes. 00:38:03.159 --> 00:38:05.599 I want to summarize what we've seen this morning. 00:38:05.940 --> 00:38:08.739 Again, you can see the outline that we had for 00:38:08.739 --> 00:38:14.420 today. Life is unpredictable. What may seem to 00:38:14.420 --> 00:38:17.340 be a sure thing may not be, and that's life. 00:38:18.039 --> 00:38:21.420 We should expect the unexpected, but we shouldn't 00:38:21.420 --> 00:38:25.239 fear the unexpected. And when we look at our 00:38:25.239 --> 00:38:27.920 lives, there are so many uncertainties. Will 00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:31.219 you pass this class? What will you do for a living? 00:38:31.800 --> 00:38:36.420 Will you get married? Will you have kids? Will 00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:39.579 your kids have kids? Will your kids know Jesus? 00:38:40.329 --> 00:38:42.389 Will you accomplish your bucket list before you 00:38:42.389 --> 00:38:46.050 die? How much of it will you get to? Will you 00:38:46.050 --> 00:38:48.869 outlive your loved ones? How long will you live? 00:38:49.869 --> 00:38:54.650 How will you die? Will you live in California 00:38:54.650 --> 00:38:59.150 for a long time? Will your spouse remain faithful? 00:39:01.750 --> 00:39:07.230 What will your next hardship be? When will Jesus 00:39:07.230 --> 00:39:14.949 come again? Friends, we live amidst so much uncertainty. 00:39:15.869 --> 00:39:20.889 But there's one certainty you can count on. Death. 00:39:22.489 --> 00:39:24.530 You thought I was going to say Jesus. Not yet. 00:39:25.710 --> 00:39:28.869 You've got to wait. No, the certainty that's 00:39:28.869 --> 00:39:32.789 been on the forefront since chapter 7 has been 00:39:32.789 --> 00:39:37.409 death. That's what's coming. I don't say that 00:39:37.409 --> 00:39:40.429 to be sad. I say that to remind you of that last 00:39:40.429 --> 00:39:43.730 sermon, the beginning of chapter nine, because 00:39:43.730 --> 00:39:46.349 you need to remember that death is coming so 00:39:46.349 --> 00:39:50.849 that you live rightly today. There are so many 00:39:50.849 --> 00:39:54.869 uncertainties. So what can you cling to with 00:39:54.869 --> 00:39:59.190 the one certainty? Do you just, do you cling 00:39:59.190 --> 00:40:04.949 to death? No, no, you don't cling to death. You 00:40:04.949 --> 00:40:07.320 can know that death is a certainty. But you don't 00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:10.940 need to cling to it. So what do you cling to? 00:40:12.360 --> 00:40:18.219 Now it's the Sunday school answer. Jesus. And 00:40:18.219 --> 00:40:20.199 so to understand that well, as we wrap up here, 00:40:20.260 --> 00:40:22.780 we need to consider that poor wise man again. 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:26.280 You remember how he saved the city? How he rescued 00:40:26.280 --> 00:40:30.440 it, and yet the people easily forgot him? The 00:40:30.440 --> 00:40:32.599 blessing of their rescue didn't result in greater 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:34.800 righteousness or faithfulness. It resulted in 00:40:34.800 --> 00:40:38.340 selfishness. So as you think about that poor 00:40:38.340 --> 00:40:40.539 wise man who saved the city yet was forgotten, 00:40:40.639 --> 00:40:46.579 have you made the gospel connection? Do you think 00:40:46.579 --> 00:40:50.099 of Christ's lowly estate? For you know the grace 00:40:50.099 --> 00:40:53.239 of our Lord, that though being rich, yet for 00:40:53.239 --> 00:40:57.920 your sake he became poor, so that you through 00:40:57.920 --> 00:41:02.780 his poverty might become rich. The example in 00:41:02.780 --> 00:41:04.920 Philippians 2, have this way of thinking in yourselves, 00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:07.639 which was also in Christ, who, although existing 00:41:07.639 --> 00:41:10.579 in the form of God, did not regard equality with 00:41:10.579 --> 00:41:12.300 God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself 00:41:12.300 --> 00:41:15.059 by taking the form of a slave, by being made 00:41:15.059 --> 00:41:17.340 in the likeness of men, being found in appearance 00:41:17.340 --> 00:41:22.440 as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient 00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:25.539 to the point of death, even death on a cross. 00:41:26.840 --> 00:41:31.360 The poor man, the humble man. The servant man. 00:41:32.139 --> 00:41:36.980 The God man. Are we like that forgetful city? 00:41:38.179 --> 00:41:42.059 Are we believers today like that small city who 00:41:42.059 --> 00:41:47.340 gets rescued and then forgets their savior? Are 00:41:47.340 --> 00:41:49.900 we living indebted to the one who gave his life 00:41:49.900 --> 00:41:55.800 for us? Or are we living with entitlement? Is 00:41:55.800 --> 00:41:59.989 Jesus less remarkable to us? than the sages of 00:41:59.989 --> 00:42:05.610 our day. The rhymers, the authors, the pundits, 00:42:05.710 --> 00:42:08.789 the personalities and celebrities who take all 00:42:08.789 --> 00:42:11.210 of our attention and yet give us none of theirs. 00:42:14.289 --> 00:42:17.769 You know, if you read Isaiah 53, two through 00:42:17.769 --> 00:42:20.110 three, you see a picture of the Savior that sounds 00:42:20.110 --> 00:42:22.429 a lot like this poor wise man. I know they're 00:42:22.429 --> 00:42:23.989 not the same, but there's similarities here. 00:42:24.070 --> 00:42:26.440 Many of you know this passage well. He grew up 00:42:26.440 --> 00:42:28.260 before him like a tender shoot, like a root out 00:42:28.260 --> 00:42:32.099 of parched ground. He has no stately form or 00:42:32.099 --> 00:42:35.179 majesty that we should look upon him, no appearance 00:42:35.179 --> 00:42:39.159 that we should desire him. He was despised and 00:42:39.159 --> 00:42:42.139 forsaken of man, a man of sorrows and acquainted 00:42:42.139 --> 00:42:45.239 with grief. And like one from whom men hide their 00:42:45.239 --> 00:42:49.420 face, he was despised and we did not esteem him. 00:42:51.579 --> 00:42:54.670 Nothing much to look at. no majesty, despised 00:42:54.670 --> 00:42:57.449 and forsaken. Yet it's that man, the Messiah, 00:42:57.630 --> 00:43:01.809 Jesus Christ, who is worthy above all, above 00:43:01.809 --> 00:43:06.289 everyone. At his command, the wind and the waves 00:43:06.289 --> 00:43:09.289 are stilled. He's the one who has the birthright 00:43:09.289 --> 00:43:13.429 to open that final scroll and bring everything 00:43:13.429 --> 00:43:16.530 into submission under his feet. And yet he's 00:43:16.530 --> 00:43:20.730 the one who's rejected by men, forsaken by his 00:43:20.730 --> 00:43:23.780 followers. And let that sink in for a moment. 00:43:24.880 --> 00:43:28.119 Solomon thought that it was astounding that people 00:43:28.119 --> 00:43:30.739 would so quickly forget the Savior of their city. 00:43:31.739 --> 00:43:35.380 How quickly do we forget the Savior of our eternal 00:43:35.380 --> 00:43:41.260 lives? And when the uncertainties of life come 00:43:41.260 --> 00:43:46.159 our way, who do we turn to? When the unexpected 00:43:46.159 --> 00:43:50.159 things crush our expectations, do we blame God? 00:43:51.690 --> 00:43:57.030 Or do we worship at his feet? When you think 00:43:57.030 --> 00:44:00.849 of the calamity that can befall the swift, the 00:44:00.849 --> 00:44:06.170 strong, the wise, the discerning, don't forsake 00:44:06.170 --> 00:44:08.369 excellence. Don't say, well, if that's going 00:44:08.369 --> 00:44:10.030 to happen, I might as well not do anything good. 00:44:10.289 --> 00:44:13.590 Last time we ended with verse 10 in chapter 9, 00:44:13.690 --> 00:44:16.869 and it was a call to work heartily and excellently 00:44:16.869 --> 00:44:21.980 for God's glory and for our good. So even if 00:44:21.980 --> 00:44:25.760 being swift and strong and wise and discerning 00:44:25.760 --> 00:44:29.860 doesn't land the outcome that you want, fix your 00:44:29.860 --> 00:44:36.559 eyes on what ultimately matters. Jeremiah gave 00:44:36.559 --> 00:44:39.519 us wisdom. This is the last bit. I know we jumped 00:44:39.519 --> 00:44:41.260 around a lot of passages, but I'm trying to put 00:44:41.260 --> 00:44:42.960 them on the screen to help you out. I wanted 00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:46.599 to end practically. Jeremiah gave us this wisdom 00:44:46.599 --> 00:44:49.219 several hundred years after Solomon, and he points 00:44:49.219 --> 00:44:52.539 to where our trust should be. He says, Let not 00:44:52.539 --> 00:44:55.780 a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the 00:44:55.780 --> 00:44:58.699 mighty man boast in his might. Let not a rich 00:44:58.699 --> 00:45:02.320 man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts 00:45:02.320 --> 00:45:06.239 boast in this, that he understands and knows 00:45:06.239 --> 00:45:09.360 me, that I am Yahweh who shows loving kindness, 00:45:09.639 --> 00:45:13.019 justice, and righteousness on earth, for I delight 00:45:13.019 --> 00:45:17.860 in these things. declares Yahweh. And the fullness, 00:45:17.960 --> 00:45:19.980 friends, the fullness of his loving kindness 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:23.579 has been manifest in Christ. So we need to look 00:45:23.579 --> 00:45:26.139 to him. We need to look to Christ. We need to 00:45:26.139 --> 00:45:31.000 long for him. Not boasting in our outcomes, not 00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:33.199 even boasting in our outputs of being strong 00:45:33.199 --> 00:45:37.000 or swift or wise or discerning. We shouldn't 00:45:37.000 --> 00:45:40.239 put our hopes either in our desires, but strive 00:45:40.239 --> 00:45:43.340 to understand who God is and what he has done. 00:45:44.360 --> 00:45:46.480 And we need to ask him for help to know him more. 00:45:46.780 --> 00:45:50.400 Ask him for help to boast in knowing him, to 00:45:50.400 --> 00:45:54.059 know the man who was crucified and risen, the 00:45:54.059 --> 00:45:58.800 God -man, that poor, wise man, Emmanuel, God 00:45:58.800 --> 00:46:01.559 with us. So my prayer this morning is that you 00:46:01.559 --> 00:46:04.800 consider the wisdom of living amidst uncertainty, 00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:07.719 that you will not forget the Savior of souls 00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:11.239 or the wisdom he provides to help us truly live 00:46:11.239 --> 00:46:19.670 this side of glory. Let's pray. God, we ask you 00:46:19.670 --> 00:46:23.130 for help this morning as we think about the uncertainties 00:46:23.130 --> 00:46:26.050 in our lives, as we think about the unexpected 00:46:26.050 --> 00:46:30.070 things that can befall us, we do ask, help us 00:46:30.070 --> 00:46:35.449 to brace, but also help us not to fear. God, 00:46:35.550 --> 00:46:40.889 we need help to trust your ways. We need help 00:46:40.889 --> 00:46:44.630 to not question your goodness, even when calamity 00:46:45.119 --> 00:46:50.500 befalls us. God, we need your help to not find 00:46:50.500 --> 00:46:54.219 our hope in the outcomes of our lives, but that 00:46:54.219 --> 00:47:02.400 our hope would be in Christ, risen, alive. God, 00:47:02.539 --> 00:47:06.079 help us to remember the wise ones among us. Help 00:47:06.079 --> 00:47:09.199 us not to forget, though, the wisest one, Jesus. 00:47:10.599 --> 00:47:14.409 He is our ultimate Savior. We want to know him, 00:47:14.530 --> 00:47:18.630 to follow him. So give us hearts that are rendered 00:47:18.630 --> 00:47:22.969 appropriately to not forget. We ask you to help 00:47:22.969 --> 00:47:27.190 us not boast in ourselves and strength or speed 00:47:27.190 --> 00:47:33.010 or intelligence, wisdom, knowledge. Help us to 00:47:33.010 --> 00:47:36.550 boast in you. Help us to boast in the work of 00:47:36.550 --> 00:47:41.539 Christ. That's what matters. So help us to praise 00:47:41.539 --> 00:47:45.679 Christ's name. Help us to exalt his name because 00:47:45.679 --> 00:47:49.139 he has displayed perfectly your loving kindness 00:47:49.139 --> 00:47:53.840 to us. So now as we turn our hearts to sing, 00:47:54.059 --> 00:47:57.760 may we lift our voices to declare truth to one 00:47:57.760 --> 00:48:03.340 another, to respond in wisdom displayed through 00:48:03.340 --> 00:48:07.639 your word. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.