A Thought

“Wisdom is better than strength.  Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.  Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools” (Ecclesiastes 9:16-17).

Wisdom can come from unlikely sources and never be heard or appreciated for this simple reason: we judge a person’s worth by physical appearance, stature, lineage, social status, and level of education before we will consider taking what this person has to say seriously.  Because these criteria are not satisfied, we judge the person to be lacking in wisdom because he or she lacks credentials.  It is fair to say, then, that we miss out on quite a bit because we require that our physical senses be stimulated before we will even prepare ourselves to listen.  Think about it; how can a “poor” person possess any sort of wisdom and still be “poor”?? 

Credentials go a long way when we consider whether a person can speak to a particular situation, but it is a colossal mistake to believe only “rulers” or the highly educated or the well-connected can say something worth hearing.  Our Lord announced the birth of Messiah to shepherds in the field; not to rulers and kings or even the religious leaders of the day.  It is a mistake to believe the Lord will entrust true wisdom only to the well-to-do.

The writer’s message is simple: we must do more listening and less looking, for our eyes can deceive us.  And when our eyes are deceived, so are our hearts.

Blessings,

Michael