The ise person saves a city, but his name is not remembered. Is it a waste of time to be wise? It is better to be wise, but there is no gaurantee of lasting significance because of wisdom. The nature of proverbs is that they tell us how we are to make wise choices. Unfortunately some people read the wisdom of the proverbs and take them as promises. A proverb is not a promise, it is just a better choice. Strange happenings happen to people even if they make good choices. So it is better to be wise and make good choices, however a falling rock doesn’t stop and think whether the head it is crushing is a wise one or a foolish one. God is not bound to save us from events that are unforeseen. Sometimes wise people endure hardship and even face death. Look at the fate of Jesus and his apostles.
Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20
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 siege works 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. 16So 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.
1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14and fools multiply words.
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a]
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Questions
- How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
- Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
- Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
- How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
- When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
Plymothian 
1. How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
There are man fools but a few actually wise persons
2. Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
3. Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
World Wisdom is meaningless but Godly wisdom means everything
4. How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
5. When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
1. Wisdom is described as being better than strength and weapons of war. Foolishness is described as a dead fly that makes perfume smell bad.
2. The righteous speak graciously while the fools speaks only of himself. When foolishness is added, even to something good, it makes the whole thing bad. Everything done by a foolish man show his foolishenss to the rest of the world.
3. Although wisdom is fleeting and will not change the fact that you will die in the end, it is still a good thing to be wise. We see in this passage that being wise is better than being foolish.
4. They hope that they will receive special priveledges because they are wise or that people will lift them up in their minds. They hope that others will hold them in reverance for their wisdom.
5. I made a wise decision to stay back from doing something fun so that I could get my homework done, but it didn’t turn out exactly how I had planned because it did not all get done. I think people get mad at God because they expect that if they make wise decisions that nothing bad will happen to them. God does not promise us that nothing bad will happen to us, however, He does still want us to make the wise choice.
1.How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
– wisdom has stronger than folly. positiveness vs negativeness
2.Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
– The words from the wise like the paved road while the foolish planted rocks on the road. Wisdom comes when one looks upon the heaven. Folly seems to make things easier but at last it have nothing left.
3.Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’
– To teach what is genuinely worthy. Of course the the author says pursuit of wisdom is meaningless but it also is not true that pursuit of foolishness is the same value as that of wisdom.
4.How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
– People want to boast what they have done well and want their names to be higher than the others.
5.When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
– Because people often believe that “the wise decision” which is thought as wise in their eyes looks wise in God’s eyes as well. Althought people make a wise decision in a particular situation, the time would not be perpect for the decision to pay off. People should remind themselves that God know the best.
1. Wisdom is contrasted with foolishness and is considered much better than foolishness. Wisdom is described as good things such as “better than weapons of war” whereas foolishness is described as “dead flies that give perfume a bad smell”.
2. Even if the ax is dull, skill is what will bring you to success. The words of a wise person are so gracious and melodious to the ears but the the foolish people are so concerned with their lips. Do not plan your future because you are not in control and do not know what will happen.
3. Although everything is meaningless, it is still useful to be wise while you live because you being wise and making wise decisions is what will help you to glorify God even more.
4. People that are wise hope for recognition because they know that they make smart decisions and want to be known for them.
5. There was a time when I chose to stay in on a night and catch up on homework and studying. It was a wise choice, but at the same time it did not go well because in the end I ended up taking a long nap from being too tired.
-wisdom is better than strength, whereas foolishness is like a dead fly that gives perfume a bad smell.
-although everything is fleeting, the writer gives examples of proverbs to help us make wise and biblical decisions rather than foolish ones.
-they hope that their names to be honored and be remembered forever.
-i once made a wise decision of not taking someone’s dinner shift in order to have more time to work homework. It did not turn out well. I spent most of that evening watching my favorite korean drama.
People tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well because they think that if theyre good choices, then God must be pleased. And that everything should go well. But when they dont go well, they get angry at God.
1. How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
– Wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man’s wisdom is despised.
2. Rewrite three proverbs in your own words. A wise man benefits himself by his word, but the fool man dishonor himself by his word.
– A wise man’s advice is better than a foolish ruler’s shout. The wise put their hearts on the right thing, but the poor put theirs on evil thing.
3. Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
– Just as nobody would remember the poor man, even though it is better to have wisdom than not to have it. It is still meaningless because people will forget the wise man after a long time.
4. How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
They wish to be recognized and remembered by people for their wisdom.
5. When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
– People may get angry with God because they think of good choices that always go well. It is better to be wise; however, it does not always provide us with good results.
1. It is better to have wisdom than any physical strength. Folly is compared to the putridness of flies in perfume.
2. -Proverbs 15:1 If respond with thoughtful words, people will not be angry at you -Prov 7:4 When you have pride in something, soon you will fail -Prov 2:20 Wisdom will not leave the child that was reared with wisdom
3. Wisdom is meaningless in the sense that wisdom is not our God. However, wisdom leads us to live godly lives.
4. Often people with wisdom flourish, but they want it to be seen that they were obedient to God, so it is pridefulness for having wisdom.
5. When I first started at Moody, I applied to several places for jobs, which was a wise decision, but for a long time I wasn’t able to get a job. People get angry at God because we see him as the bubble-gum machine in the sky that we put quarters of our obedience and thoughtfulness into and we get upset when no reward comes out of it.
1. Wisdom is the better way but fools are often placed in positions of power that they don’t deserve.
2. Wisdom is more productive than fighting with weapons in war, but one who is foolish can undo good.
The quiet words of a wise person are important, but a foolish person’s words are not worth listening to.
If a man is lazy, his possessions will not be take care of.
3. He has observed that wisdom is still better than folly. It just won’t necessarily get us to a higher status.
4. They hope that others will see their good decisions or
5. My words were poorly spoken and hurt my friend. It was completely my fault. Somehow we often blame God that He didn’t prevent us from making that decision, or for not cleaning up after us.
1.How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness? wisdom is better than foolishness. but sometimes foolishness can be placed in a higher position than wisdom.
2.Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
-wisdom leads a heart towards a right way, but foolishness leads a heart towards a wrong way.
-Woe to the land whose Christians were not distinguished from the world and whose Christians compromised with the world.
-Do not gossip others even in your thoughts,or curse your enemies in your bedroom,
3.Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
only pursuit of wisdom without knowing the ultimate truth is meaningless. But still wisdom is better than foolishness
4.How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
they hope that others would treat them honor
5.When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
because people might have been expecting rewards from God resulted by their wise decisions.
1. wisdom is obviously better than foolishness.
2. (proverbs 31:30): Beauty and charm are not what makes a woman worthy; her relationship with God does. (proverbs 18:2) A stupid man cares not about what is important and true, but cares about what he thinks and his own needs. (proverbs 8:36) Any man who sins against God is ruining his life; all who want to live against God’s will are sure to perish.
3. to be facetious. 🙂 or, to show that wisdom is important… even if everything, in essence, is meaningless.
4. they hope that they will be wiser than others, and that they will be recognized for their wisdom.
5. i decided to buy a car when i was 18, but i ended up getting screwed over. i was angry with God because i thought, “how did i do anything wrong here? i just wanted to be an adult and pay for my own car and now i’m being punished for it”. i thought that God had given me the wisdom and means to buy the car, but i was wrong… and then, in turn, i did not feel very wise.
1. Wisdom is contrasted with foolishness, as wisdom produces good results and should be heeded by people, whereas foolishness does no good, and the fools are looked upon as stupid.
2. (12) When a wise person talks, their words are full of mercy,
but a fool talks just to talk.
(13) At first when a fool talks his words are silly
but by the end they are just ridiculous
(14)And the words of a fool just keep on coming.
3. The author still writes proverbs when he says that wisdom is meaningless because he understands that there are benefits to wisdom, it is simply that wisdom alone will not save you from death.
4. People hope for recognition because of their wisdom as they want the world to see that they are wise, and exalt them for it. At Moody, as we attempt to become more wise about the ways of the Lord and the truth of His Word, we can even become to focussed on wisdom for the sake of recognition, which then is meaningless.
5. I made the very wise decision to come to Moody, even though my mom was very ill at this time, but out of trust in God, and out of wisdom for what is best for the kingdom I came to Moody, but then my mom became even more ill, and wondered why it seemed God was not rewarding my obedience to Him, but then I realized that God has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves and there is goodness in the fact that He is God and we are not. However, I think we get angry with God in these times because we feel entitled to something that we are not entitled to, though the Lord wants us to be wise He does not promise that life will be easy just because we obey.
1. Wisdom and folly are definitely contrasted in the fact that wisdom is just the smart thing to do and fooolishness not so much.
2. Be prepared for the consequences of your actions — sometimes they might not be as pleasant as you expect.
If you sit on your but, your roof will fall in; if you don’t do nuttin, yo house will leak.
If your boss is ticked at you, just chill — sometimes a chill pill can pacify a hothead.
3. I think that not all wisdom is meaningless, just the pursuit that is apart from God and really worldly.
4. Sometimes they offer advice so that others will look up to him, and they do something that is supposed to be selfless and turn it into selfishness.
5.There was a time when I confronted a boy in my class about being mean to a girl in our class. It was hard, and he did not respond well, but I knew that I had done the right thing. I am super glad now that I did it and stook up for her when she couldn’t stick up for herself.
1) The writer says that wisdom is better than weapons for war and a wise persom can save a whole city, but unfortuantely, those in power are often the rich, unwise people.
2) – A kind word said at the right time is like ice cream on a silver platter
– Some men trust in wealth and prosperity, but we trust in the Lord
– Children, listen to your parents, because thier words will adorn you like jelery
3) To show that some things are more meaningless than wisdom
4) They hope that people will think of them as really wise, and they will be asked to speak at major events, or be looked up to for advice.
5) I made a wise choice to stay home and spend more time with my family, but they were too busy to really do anything together. I think it’s easy to get mad at God in these situations because you think you will be rewarded for doing right.
1. It says that wisdom sometimes isn’t heeded but saves alot of trouble in life, but folly i guess is heeded many times and will disrupt a body of believers just if one Christian is a fool.
2. its better to softly speak wisdom than to shout out foolishness.
one foolish person’s actions can out way the good actions of many solid Christians
the way of the wise is totally contradictory to that of a fool
3. meaninglessness is in terms of eternal perspective, but while were here on earth it is good to seek words of wisdom.
4. They mentally expect to be verbally praised in a group of people when they speak wisdom into a situation or a person.
5. I pursued a godly girl, but it didn’t work out. People equate good intentions with God’s will, but God’s will is beyond that. However people dont understand that and feel as though God isn’t really in control.
1. Wisdom is contrasted with foolishness by showing that the wise are usually the poor ones and the foolish are the wealthy, powerful ones.
2. 9:17 – It is better to listen to the soft, gentle words of a wise person than to listen to the foolish proclamations of a person with lots of power.
10:1 – One bad decision is worse than many good, wise decisions.
10:19 – If you are lazy, it will backfire on you and your house and your work will fall apart.
3. The writer gives examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is meaningless because it is wise to have wisdom; what is meaningless is constantly being in pursuit of wisdom.
4. People hope for recognition because of their wisdom by wanting to get noticed and acknowledged for the wise things that they do, and wanting to get a reward for their wisdom.
5. I made a wise decision that did not go well about a year ago. People tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well because they think that God owes it to them to make things work when they make a wise decision, or they think that God should not have let them make that decision.
1. How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
Wisdom is seen as the good whereas foolishness is the evil and bad.
2. Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
Proverbs 9:19: The house is falling apart because of lack of care.
Proverbs 9:15: Fools do not know how to work or get to town.
Proverbs 9:17: Soft words from the wise are more important than a fools shouting.
3. Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
He understands that wisdom is still better than folly.
4. How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
They hope for worldly praise and affirmation or job promotions.
5. When have you made a wise decision that did not go well? Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?
We have an expectation that wise choices will be honored by God and when they aren’t we get mad. It is very much the mentality of “if I do this, then you do this”.