MPC
9th September 2018.September 9 - Ecclesiastes 7, 8 - "The Folly of Wisdom"
MPC
9th September 2018.
Dan Wilton
What's the wisest piece of advice you've ever received?
I remember my Dad sitting me down when I was young. And said to me:
Son, Wilton's aren't geniuses. We need to work hard and study for exams.
It was very helpful advice!
There are different types of advice out there, aren't there?
There's some that is life changing. Like don't put the knife in the toaster while its still plugged in. That's life changing advice!
And there's advice that's just random. Like. An apple a day Keeps the doctor away.
And then there's some advice that's just useless.
When you lose something. And someone says to you - it'll be the last place you'll look for it. Thanks Einstein! Of course it's going to be in the last place you look. It's just useless advice.
Wisdom. Those things that help you live well in this world. Life hacks.
And this morning we come to the Teacher's advice on wisdom. And how far it can get us in life.
If you haven't been with us over the last couple of months, we've been making our way through this book of Ecclesiastes.
And in a way it's a strange book. It's a book that's written 3000 years ago. In a very different time and very different context. But feels like it could have been written today. The topics it raises speaks to our world today.
It's a book written by a King of Israel. He's asking the big questions. What's life all about? What can make you truly happy? He's asking questions about the meaning of life. And he sets out to conduct some experiments to see what life is all about.
He looks at pleasure. He looks at success. Looks at work. His achievements. All the things people think are going to make a difference. That'll bring them satisfaction. But the trouble is, the more he looks, the less he finds.
Time after time, he comes up with exactly the same answer. Everything is hevel. It's the word he uses 37 times in this book. That just means 'vapour'.
Everything's like a vapour. The Teacher says. It's transient. Fleeting. In a moment it's here. And then gone. Like a puff of smoke.
Nothing satisfies. It's all just a thin façade. With no substance. He says it's all just chasing after the wind.
And so now in chapter 7. He turns his attention to wisdom. Maybe life's about Being Wise. Making the right choices. Have a look at verse 25. The Teachers says:
So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and search out wisdom and the scheme of things. To understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.
And he begins by saying. Wisdom is of some benefit. It's good to have your head screwed on. To understand the world.
And so in chapter 7. The Teacher gives out some practical advice. Proverbs. Life hacks. To live a wise life.
We don't have enough time to go through each one. But we'll just select a couple. A compilation of the Teacher's life hacks!
He starts there in verse 1. Proverb 1. A good reputation is everything!
A good name is better then fine perfume. Says the Teacher in chapter 7. Verse 1.
Now I remember when Nicky was pregnant with Archie, our son. We spent months agonising over names.
You didn't want something too out there. Like Pharaoh or Cosmo.
But nothing too boring or standard either. You want a good name.
But the Teacher says it's not so much the name on your Birth Certificate. But the reputation. Or character. You build for yourself that counts.
That when people see you, or even hear of you they think - yeah that bloke is a good fella.
It's wise advice.
Proverb number 2.
You're better off being at a funeral then a feast. Verse 2:
It's better to go to a house of mourning then to go to a house of feasting. For death is the destiny of everyone.
Believe it or not. Death is a better teacher then birth.
The only thing is when was the last time you actually wanted to be at a funeral?
I've been to plenty of funerals over my time. As I look back over the years. As painful and agonising as they were. Whether they were for my elderly grandfather or my mate's day old child.
Each of them in their own unique way have confronted me with my own mortality. In a way that a birthday party never has.
It gives perspective. On our life. To know what it looks like to live well.
The Teacher moves on. Proverb 3. Verse 8.
The end of the matter is better than its beginning. And patience is better then pride.
You know when you've completed that task. When you've had that half-finished project that's been sitting there for ages and you've finally got around to finishing it. That relationship tension. And then its resolved. What feeling do you get? Its a good feeling isn't it!
And the key to it is patience.
It reminds me of quote by Winston Churchill who said: “Never, never, never give up.”
Which is great advice isn't it? Especially when you're putting together Ikea furniture.
Because one of the most common reasons for giving up is pride. Isn't it?
Too proud to ask for help. To proud to read the instructions. You get angry because it's not done your way. Or quick enough.
But if you learn patience. Your relationships will be healthier. Because you don't give up when they get hard.
Better enjoyment in your work. Because you finish tasks.
And you'll have safer furniture. Because you've read the instructions.
Patience is a good thing. It's advice worth listening to. And the wisdom keeps coming. Verse 10.
Don't say: “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Have you caught yourself saying that?
Oh I remember the good old days! The 60s, the 80s, the 90s. Those were so much better then today.
The Teacher says it's not wise to start thinking that way. Because the problem with nostalgia is it doesn't tell you the whole truth. It edits out the bad bits and Photoshops the good bits.
And you don't need to be old to say this.
I said this to a mate recently. As we reminisced about uni days. I remember uni. The good old days. When you start in March and you end in October. And you have 5 months of holidays in between.
Those were the days! Weren't they?
But then I stopped and realised. I was bored in so many of my lectures. Thinking just get me out of here.
I was worried about finances. Scrounging around for enough money to but some Maccas for dinner.
I was so worried thinking if this was the right course for me. Worried if I'd ever get a job after it.
Which was a very real question since I was studying an Arts degree!
We're tempted to keep thinking the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
But the teacher says. Don't live in the past. Live in the present.
It's wise advice. And this chapter's full of it.
And so the Teacher concludes. In verse 12. Wisdom is great if you can get it! It can even prolong your life. But it also has its limitations too. Wisdom can come with its problems.
And the first problem comes in verse 21. Of chapter 7. He says, the more we know. The more it's going to hurt.
Both personally and globally. Have a look with me in verse 21.
Don't pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you. For you know in your heart that many times you've cursed others.
In our hunger to know more. Particularly what people think of us. It can get very exposing. Very painful.
Has anyone seen the movie by Ricky Gervais, The Invention of Lying? It's not a great film. But a good concept.
And the whole premise of the movie is people are unable to lie. And you find out what people really think if you. And all of a sudden you don't want to know. It's very confronting!
Have you ever had the experience of finding someone's diary. Or they've left their email or Facebook account open. And you see your name there.
What do you do? Do you log off? Close the book? No! You read it. You really want to know what they think.
But finding out what people really think can sometimes be really confronting. We see things we really didn't want to see.
But he says to be fair - we're all the same! We desperately want to be respected by others and loved.
But how often have we been critical of others. Or said something harsh about them behind their back?
The more we know. The more it hurts.
And it's the same globally.
Check it out in verse 15.
In this futile transient life of mine I've seen these two things: The righteous perishing in their righteousness. And the wicked living long in their wickedness.
The danger of knowing more. Of being overly wise. Is it can become very bleak. Depressing.
On Twitter I used to follow @BreakingNews. And it would give you the news happening worldwide.
I would find out about a bomb going off in Libya. A landslide in Peru - killing hundreds. A family trapped in a house fire in Mexico.
And after a while I had to unfollow them. Because it was too much!Too much injustice. Too much tragedy!
The more wisdom we have. The more insight we gain. It's just painful. But that's not the worst of it. The worst part of wisdom is that it has its limitations.
Like everything else the Teacher has tried to find meaning in. Wisdom is another dead end. Just something else that's here for a time, but then vanishes. And is gone. Like smoke. Like vapour.
Sure wisdom is good if you can get it. It might help you get ahead in life. Or even prolong your life for a few more years. But it won't save you from the grave. Have a look at verse 12 again:
Wisdom is a shelter, as money is a shelter. And the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.
See that word there - shelter. A better translation of that word is 'shadow'.
Sure wisdom can shelter you from the sun for a time. But like a shadow it's fleeting. Transient. Doesn't last for long. Doesn't last forever.
See the limit of wisdom? Wisdom can preserve your life… for a bit. But then it's gone. Just as a shadow protects you from the sun for a bit. But then it's gone.
There are limitations to wisdom. It won't save your life forever.
So where does it leave us? Well. There's some final reflections there in verse 13:
Consider what God has done. Who can straighten what he has made crooked? When times are good be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
If you detect just a tiny bit of bitterness in this - you're probably right. Because the Teacher doesn't have the closest relationship with God. He doesn't understand what God is doing in the world.
And for him it all seems arbitrary.
Wisdom's great! He concludes. Get it if you can. But ultimately it gives you a very small amount of control. Get wisdom if you can. But wisdom won't save us! Because it still has its limitations. Death is the end point for us all.
And that's where Ecclesiastes leaves it. Get wisdom if you can. But it won't save you!
I don't know where that leaves you? How that makes you feel? Is that really as good as it gets? It's a pretty bleak picture.
But we've got to remember, the Teacher's looking at life without eternity. It's what he calls life under the sun.
Life that says what you see is what you get. The sun in the sky, the earth below; and that's all there is to it. A self contained little bubble. With no room for God; no future. A Life without God.
And the Teacher says. No matter what you do. No matter where you look for meaning in this life. Even if its in good things like wisdom and knowledge. If this life is all there is. Then it's all fleeting!
But that's not the end of the story. This life under the sun is not all there is!
God steps into this world to give us something beyond the limitations of death. He offers wisdom that preserves life beyond the grave. True wisdom. But it's a wisdom that from all appearances doesn't look very wise at all. But foolish.
God enters into our world. As a baby. The Strong. Making himself weak. And as Jesus grows up. He lives a life of wisdom. He even starts throwing out the kind of wisdom that lots of us love:
Do unto others as you'd have them do to you.
Don't worry about tomorrow, it has enough worries of its own.
Blessed are the meek, the humble.
Don't judge others lest you be judged.
Love one another.
In fact, according to a recent survey around 80% of Aussies think Jesus had really wise things to say.
But for all his great teaching, His wisdom, it didn't preserve his life at all. He dies in the prime of his life. And let's be honest, almost embarrassingly. Jesus life ends in his early 30s. As he hangs foolishly on a cross.
We should be under no doubt, that what Jesus has done in dying on the cross ultimately makes him look like a fool to most people.
Sure he had some interesting things to say. But he's just a bloke who went too hard too young, that we can learn from, but that's all. And died a foolish death.
The apostle Paul recognised this about the message of Jesus' crucifixion in his letter to the church in Corinth:
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness... Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.
Perhaps you're someone here today who's feeling the weakness of Jesus. That somehow there's a powerlessness in the gospel that makes you feel like following Jesus is a losing battle. It's foolish.
But in God's wisdom, it's the very foolishness of the Cross that shows God's wisdom.
Because it's the cross where God takes the weakest human moment, death, and overcomes the strongest human problem, sin. Christ dies on the cross like a fool.
But in that moment, of his death, He wins forgiveness. As Jesus dies a foolish death on our behalf. three days later He rises from the dead. And offers true wisdom that will preserve your life beyond the grave.
1 Corinthians goes on to describe the wisdom of the cross like this:
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God
Power of God for Salvation. For eternal life with God.
You and I desperately need wisdom. Not just some more wise advice. Or life hacks. We need wisdom from God. That endures beyond Death. We need Jesus.
Do you want wisdom? Wisdom from God is available to you because of the Cross.
Friends, if you want to be truly wise. start listening to God.
Look to Jesus who is the wisdom of God. Accept him as the one who you will listen to and follow above all else.
This week, don't be afraid of following God's wisdom, even when it looks foolish. Because in God's world, the cross shows us that foolishness is in fact the only wisdom that will endure!