The subtitle of our sermon series has been “wisdom for life under the sun.” “Under the sun” is the realm initially blessed by God in Genesis 1 when he hung the sun in the sky. Now, because of sin, it’s the realm beneath God’s curse. Under the sun, we experience all kinds of futilities and frustrations. One frustration is how the clearest wisdom often gets rejected.

Consider this story from 1846. Hungarian physician Ignaz Simmelweis was appointed to assist Professor Johann Klein at Vienna General Hospital. A year later, he makes a most radical proposal: doctors should wash their hands. You see, there were two maternity clinics. One had a mortality rate of less than 4 percent. The other had a mortality rate of 18.7 percent, most dying from postpartum infection. Simmelweis observed how the clinic with a higher mortality rate also housed the autopsy labs. Doctors would perform research on cadavers and, in between, deliver babies.

Simmelweis instituted a simple policy—wash your hands after touching the dead. Within a month, mortality rates dropped from 18.7 percent to 2.2 percent; within two months rates were less than 1 percent. Conclusion? Doctors should wash their hands. Clear wisdom. Or so you’d think. Germ theory was not yet accepted. Also, reputations were at stake: “We can’t have people thinking the doctors were spreading infection.” Thus, the medical community was reluctant to embrace Simmelweis’s research.

The more he published, the stronger the rejection. Years later, the rejection led to a mental breakdown for Simmelweis. The medical community would eventually support his findings. But not before he was confined to an insane asylum, treated poorly, and died (of all things) from infection.[i]

This is life under the sun. The clearest wisdom often despised. If this is the world we inhabit, we might be tempted to say, “What use is wisdom, then? If there’s no guarantee that people will listen, that my life will be successful, why bother with wisdom at all?” Ecclesiastes 9 and 10 wrestle with the same questions: why choose wisdom when folly so often wins the day? But once the Preacher gets a good look at wisdom versus folly, the better choice stands out. Our big idea goes something like this: choose the meekness of wisdom even when folly wins the day. Let’s read starting in 9:13…

¹³ I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. ¹⁴ There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. ¹⁷ The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. ¹ Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. ² A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. ³ Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴ If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. ⁵ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: ⁶ folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. ⁸ He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. ⁹ He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. ¹⁰ If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. ¹¹ If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. ¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. ¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. ¹⁴ A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? ¹⁵ The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! ¹⁷ Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! ¹⁸ Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. ¹⁹ Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. ²⁰ Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.

What a passage! I’d compare it to one of those random dot autostereograms. At first glance, it seems like a collection of random dots: great kings, dead flies, biting serpents, consuming lips, birds that tattle. But stare at the dots long enough and suddenly the unity of a 3D image stands out. A few clues that might help you see that bigger picture—one is the repeated comparison between wisdom and folly. The Preacher is trying to persuade you to choose wisdom over folly, even if folly wins the day.

Another is the repeated use of kings/rulers. Apparently, in the Preacher’s day much like our day, examples of folly aren’t lacking in the realm of politics. But his goal is to keep you choosing wisdom even when rulers do foolish things.

The structure also helps you see the bigger picture. Notice how 9:13 begins with “I have seen…under the sun,” followed by an example involving a ruler. The same happens in 10:5. It begins with “I have seen under the sun,” followed by an example involving a ruler. Both sections then close with a basic exhortation: “do not leave your place” (before the king) in 10:4; and “do not curse the king” in 10:20. Based on these markers, we’ll take this passage in two large chunks; and then we’ll tease out a few implications in light of Christ and the wisdom he calls us to embody.

Choosing Wisdom When Folly Wins (Part 1)

Let’s start, then, with 9:13-10:4. The Preacher observes an example of wisdom, and it seems great to him. “There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city.” In telling this story, the Preacher emphasizes the greatness of wisdom. Even the mightiest of kings with all his military clout didn’t stand a chance against wisdom.

The story echoes 7:19, “Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.” We’re not told how the poor man’s wisdom delivered the city. But verses 16 and 17 (and 10:4) indicate that it had something to do with his words.

Maybe it was like the wisdom practiced by the woman in 2 Samuel 20. A worthless man named Sheba fled to a city named Abel. Joab (who’s a bit of a hothead) and his army besiege the city; and they’re battering the wall to throw it down when a woman approaches. Calmly, she reasons with Joab, “Listen…this city is a mother in Israel. Is it worth destroying a whole city.” She then promises Joab the head of Sheba; and it says, “the woman went to all the people in her wisdom.” They killed Sheba, Joab’s army dispersed, the city was spared. Maybe something like that happens here.

Whatever wise words he shared, the Preacher finds wisdom impressive, more impressive than what humans often perceive as powerful. Notice what he repeats three times. Verse 16, wisdom is better than might (meaning earthly, man-made might). Verse 17, “the words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” Verse 18, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war.” You think the F-35 is impressive when it rattles your walls? According to God’s word, wisdom is greater.

But here’s the thing—the Preacher is observing this wisdom, verse 13, under the sun. There’s that phrase again. Under the sun is the realm in which we experience futility. Wisdom is better than might, sure! But under the sun, wisdom is often forgotten. If anything, they should’ve named the city after this wise man. Yet he gets nothing. End of verse 15: “Yet no one remembered that poor man.” When you give yourself to wisdom, don’t think that it will guarantee you praise or remembrance in this life.

Under the sun, wisdom is also despised. Verse 16, “the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.” A later generation doesn’t learn from the wisdom he taught. In verse 18, wisdom is also destroyed: “one sinner destroys much good.” He then illustrates the point in 10:1, “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” We might say, “one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.”[ii] “One hair ruins a casserole.”[iii] Point being, it takes just a little folly to ruin all the good that wisdom established.

Just ask the husband who, after ten years of a good marriage, in a moment of frustration, shoves his wife against the wall. Just ask the pastor who, after twenty-five years of faithful ministry, decides to have an affair. Just ask the employer who, after earning a good reputation, decides to save face and lie about the financials. Just ask professional athletes who’ve had their medals stripped for doping on that final event. Just ask Israel when one man named Achan decided to disobey the Lord and keep some of the spoil for himself. Just ask David when he took another man’s wife. Or just ask Adam what it cost to eat one fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Wisdom is better than might. But in this life under the sun, it doesn’t take much to spoil it. Perhaps you’ve told yourself before, “It’s just a small sin. It’s not that big a deal. I only did it once.” Let this text reshape your thinking about sin. It doesn’t take much to ruin what’s good. We must, then, guard our hearts and make sure they stay inclined toward the things of God. Verses 2-3 address the root and the fruit, the heart and the behavior. “A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.” (No, this isn’t commentary on right- versus left-wing politics.)

In the Old Testament, the right hand was often associated with the place of blessing, honor, and protection before the Lord.[iv] Applied here, the heart of the wise trusts the Lord and walks in his ways. But the fool’s heart runs the opposite direction. And you can tell it by how they conduct themselves. Verse 3, “Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.” Not that he walks around and announces it. Rather, his/her behavior makes it obvious.

How, then, should we respond when wisdom is forgotten, despised, and destroyed? Verse 4 answers that question, but it does so by applying wisdom to a specific situation where someone faces a powerful but foolish ruler. Likely, the initial ruler of verse 14 hasn’t left his mind. Because in verse 17, he was also described as a “ruler shouting among fools.” He’s a loudmouth pushing his weight around. And now, in 10:4, we meet that shouting ruler again: “If the anger of the ruler rises against you”—literally, “if his spirit flares up…” He’s moody. He’s easily agitated when he doesn’t get his way. How should you respond? “Don’t leave your place, for calmness/gentleness will lay great offenses to rest.” What’s he saying?

Choose the meekness of wisdom (calmness/gentleness), even when folly wins the day. People might not remember you. They might despise your wisdom; they might destroy it. Rulers might intimidate you. But wisdom stays calm. Wisdom doesn’t embrace the tactics of a fool to get things done. Wisdom doesn’t repay evil for evil, as Paul would put it later in Romans 12:17. Rather, wisdom “gives thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” So far as it depends on you, wisdom seeks to “live peaceably with all,” even that angry ruler. And who knows, the Lord may work by your wisdom to save others in mighty ways. So, keep choosing the meekness of wisdom.

Choosing Wisdom When Folly Wins (Part 2)

Verses 5-20 make the same point, again starting with a foolish ruler. The Preacher observes an evil, “as it were an error proceeding from the ruler.” Verse 6, “folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.”

“Why’s this so bad?” one might ask. “Isn’t it good for a slave to finally get the horse? Isn’t it good that he’s in charge for a change?” Not if he’s incompetent. The focus is wisdom versus folly. You could be poor and wise, like the man in 9:15. But you could also be poor and foolish, like the people in charge here. Here, the rich are not the dishonest oppressors; they are the “wise stewards who know how to use a position of authority to benefit others.”[v] Yet they “walk on the ground like slaves.”

The point is that folly is ruling in places it shouldn’t be. Wisdom ought to be prized no matter what social class a person belongs to. Whether they’re poor or rich—it’s to our benefit that we listen to wisdom, and to our peril if we don’t. This foolish ruler is putting foolish people in positions of power, while those who ought to be leading are removed. Sadly, we see this all the time. There’s nothing new under the sun. Only that in our system of government, we elect them to power; and thus, as our representatives they more closely reflect how our culture values wisdom or folly.

Wisdom would help this ruler to succeed. But it’s clear that he’s reckless. He gives no forethought to the consequences of his actions. Hence the rapid-fire examples in verses 8-11. The hunter digs a pit to trap animals but falls into it himself. Another moves a stone wall. But instead of checking for snakes, he just starts knocking things down. No surprise that he’s bitten. In verse 9, the person quarrying “stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.” In verse 10, “If the iron is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” Wisdom stops long enough to sharpen the axe. It doesn’t trust in brute force.

“If the serpent bites before it’s charmed, there’s no advantage to the charmer.” So, wisdom might pause, in some cases, to sharpen an axe; but wisdom also knows not to delay too long when dealing with certain dangers. Wisdom gives careful consideration. But this is not the ruler who’s putting folly in high places. He’s reckless, giving no thought to how wisdom might help him succeed.

He’s also presumptuous. That’s what verses 12-15 are about. “The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor.” The ESV shows a footnote of how that could also be translated: “the words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.” They impart grace to others. But such an idea isn’t necessarily lost with the other translation. “Win him favor” could mean favor from the Lord or favor from others (or both).

“But,” he says, “the lips of a fool consume him.” They are self-destructive. Verse 13, “The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.” What’s he running his mouth about? Verse 14, “A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.”

The fool’s words are self-destructive in that he presumes to know things that he doesn’t know and cannot know; and the result is a life of weariness. He’s so busy talking about things he doesn’t know that he ends up lost. He doesn’t even know the basic things right before him, like how to get home after work—always talking like he knows everything, but he can’t even get home to feed his family.

Wisdom would help him succeed, but he’s also self-indulgent. We see this illustrated in verses 16-19. “Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!”

Verse 17 pictures the ideal king. He feasts at the right time. His princes feast for the right reasons. And everyone keeps their wits about them. They lead the people with strength and valor. But the other king of verse 16 is immature, childish. Instead of waking early and working hard in the morning, he spends it feasting and getting drunk. It’s a curse when people have rulers like this.

Verses 18-19 then build on that picture. “Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.” Now, one way to read these verses is as isolated proverbs that balance each other. The idea being: “Don’t be lazy but also don’t forget to enjoy good things.” But if you read them within the political context of the verses around them, then both verses criticize the lifestyle of the bad king in verse 16. When you party in the morning, don’t be surprised when your laziness causes the house to fall apart—and in this case I think he means “house” as in “dynasty.” Things go sideways when all you do is party, drink, and keep everyone occupied with money.

How, then, should we respond when wisdom is set aside for recklessness, presumption, and self-indulgence? Verse 20 answers that question. But again, the Preacher does so by applying wisdom to a specific situation where someone is facing a powerful but foolish ruler. He says, “Even in your thoughts, don’t curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.” How many of you have heard or used the expression, “A little birdy told me.” Same idea here. Word gets out and you can’t control where it goes.

We must be careful when we’re tempted to badmouth those who have authority over us. We must not curse them even in our thoughts. Notice, the concern is once again with our internal character. Earlier it was the heart; here it’s our thought-life. What you bring into your mind will eventually come out of your mouth. It will shape who you are. Therefore, you must guard your thoughts.

Eric Ortlund puts it this way: “Harboring criticism of a leader, chewing on your frustrations and giving a lot of mental space to them, is dangerous because it is so difficult to keep them hidden—even if they are justified. Your frustrations will all too easily color your speech and become known to your own hurt. [The Preacher] is consistent in his advocation of restraint, submission, and faithful work, irrespective of the moral qualities of the authority you serve.”[vi]

If you don’t guard your thoughts, you’ll become just as reckless with your words as the foolish king. If you don’t guard your thoughts, you’ll become just as presumptuous and self-destructive with your words as he is. What’s the point? Keep choosing the meekness of wisdom, even when folly wins the day.

Isn’t it James 3:9 that warns about the tongue being “a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” President Biden is made in the likeness of God. President Trump is made in the likeness of God. Our senators and governor and mayor are made in the likeness of God; and they, like the foolish ruler here, might appoint people to office that shouldn’t be serving in that capacity. Some things you won’t be able to control. But you can control your tongue. You can control your thought life.

James 3:13 asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom…The wisdom from above [could we add “from above the sun”?] is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jas 3:13, 18). Such is the wisdom that Ecclesiastes is calling us to, even when folly wins the day.

Choosing Wisdom in Christ

Some might object, “Come on now! Calmness will lay great offenses to rest? Don’t curse the king? You expect me to calm down and stay meek? You don’t know what time it is! You don’t see what they’re doing to our country! This so-called wisdom sounds to me more like weakness.” But be careful what you call weakness. The weakness of God is stronger than man (1 Cor 1:25). Wasn’t that the story of verses 14 and 15? Wisdom in the poor man was better than the mighty, loudmouth, pushy ruler.

Haven’t we also learned this from the life of Christ? From his early years, Luke tells us that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). In Matthew 13:54, the people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching: “Where did this man get such wisdom?” Colossians 2:3 says that “in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom.” Jesus embodied wisdom throughout his earthly ministry.

He kept choosing the meekness of wisdom, even when folly won the day. He kept choosing wisdom, even when he was “despised and rejected by men” (Isa 53:3). Even when Jesus faced rulers who were known for their folly, he did not resort to folly in dealing with them. He did not leave his place but spoke truth with calmness. He did not curse when he was cursed or revile when he was reviled (1 Pet 2:23). Jesus kept choosing the wisdom we’ve seen here, even when his own people “esteemed him not.”

In a way, Jesus became more like the poor, wise man of the story the Preacher started with. Only, Jesus didn’t simply deliver a city. God worked through the wisdom of Jesus to save the world. The wisdom of the cross is better than human might, for in it we find the forgiveness of sins, and the freedom to obey, and the power of a new heart, and the defeat of Satan, and the hope of nations, and the promise of final judgment. Christ crucified in the meekness of wisdom—it might be a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles. But to those who are called, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

We need a new heart to see things this way. In our flesh, we’re not naturally drawn to the meekness of wisdom. We’re drawn to what’s loud and angry and immediately satisfying—you only need to look at which posts get the most traction on social media, or which news headlines get the most publicity. Companies profit on what’s loud and angry. We need a new heart that’s inclined toward the Lord and what he values; and you will only gain that new heart through a personal union with Jesus.

If you’re not a Christian, I would appeal to you: study the wisdom of Jesus in the Gospels. Take note of his genius and how humble and just and healing his words are. See how his wisdom shines when the religious leaders attempt to trap him in his words—the way he navigates their questions, the way he exposes the real heart-issue at hand, the way he keeps the gospel clear. There are also times when authorities try to arrest Jesus, but he eludes their grasp—it’s not that he’s afraid to suffer but that he’s more interested in completing the Father’s will. Or later they try to accuse Jesus of breaking the Law, but consistently he’s innocent. Even a pagan governor can see it: “I find no guilt in him.”

Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of choosing wisdom when folly wins the day. But even more, if you take the Gospel witnesses at their word, I think you’ll also find Jesus to be a perfect Savior from all your own personal folly. I know there’s much folly in myself for which I’ve needed his saving grace. Jesus walked this path before us not merely to give us an example, but to save us and enable us to walk in wisdom after him.

If you already know Jesus, choose the meekness of wisdom. Wisdom has its benefits. We’ve read about some of them. It’ll make the swing of your axe more productive, and it’ll guard you from dangers, and sometimes it’ll save a city. Wisdom is good for people, and it will make for better societies. If anything, Christians should be among the wisest in the workplace and in government and in causes for social good. We know the Creator above the sun who has ordered this world to work a certain way.

At the same time, remember that you are still living “under the sun.” We must be careful not to choose wisdom simply for what we might get in this life. In this life under the sun, the benefits of wisdom aren’t always guaranteed. People forget it, despise it, and sometimes destroy the good it accomplishes. People ignore it for what’s reckless, presumptuous, and self-indulgent. Why, then, keep choosing wisdom?

Because even though wisdom might not change the world in an instant, it will change you; it will make you a better image-bearer of our Lord. We choose wisdom also because it’s right. It grows from a fear of the Lord—folly won’t always win the day. God will judge the world, 12:14 says. He will reward what’s good. How do we know that? Because God raised Jesus from the dead. He vindicated wisdom; and one day Wisdom will be enthroned in a New Heaven and Earth; and he will rule the nations with justice.

Until that day comes, our lives must keep pointing people to him. We choose the meekness of wisdom, because wisdom reflects Jesus, and Jesus is the one this world needs most. I’ll close with this verse from Titus 3:2-3, as it relates to both the meekness of wisdom and the one who saves us from folly.

The apostle writes: “[Remind them]…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” “All people” include rulers and authorities (Tit 3:1). Why treat them like this? “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us.”

Choose the meekness of wisdom because even when folly wins the day, Jesus can still save people from their folly through the witness of your wisdom.

________

[i] Róza Gombos, “Ignaz Simmelweis,” Science History Institute (September 15, 2025), accessible at https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/ignaz-semmelweis/.

[ii] Choon-Leong Seow, Ecclesiastes, Anchor Bible 18c (New Haven: Yale, 1997), 323.

[iii] Casserole illustration first heard in a sermon by Bobby Jamieson, “Weigh Wisdom (Eccl 10:1-20),” Capitol Hill Baptist Church (September 26, 2021), accessible at https://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/weigh-wisdom/.

[iv] E.g., Gen 48:13; Exod 15:6; Ps 16:11; 63:8; Prov 3:16.

[v] Eric Ortlund, Ecclesiastes (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2024), 160. See also Seow, Ecclesiastes, 324-25.

[vi] Ortlund, Ecclesiastes, 164.