When Wisdom Is Despised
Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:1
October 10, 2021
As you know we are listening to the preacher as he discusses with us
THE IMPORTANCE OF PURSUING WISDOM.
And you are also aware now that the wisdom which he is discussing
Is not so much a wisdom of understanding
So much as it is a wisdom of submission and obedience.
Many times the preacher has reminded us that there will be things which we do not understand, but wisdom is to trust and obey God anyway.
In this regard wisdom is closely associated with faith.
• True wisdom would be to trust God’s knowledge when you don’t know.
• True wisdom would be to trust God’s leadership when you don’t understand.
AND THIS IS THE WISDOM WE PROCLAIM TO THE WORLD.
(It is certainly the wisdom which the preacher has given to us)
But as you know, just because wisdom is presented,
That doesn’t mean that wisdom is always accepted.
Even last week, as the preacher spoke of the uncertainty of death, he made a fitting analogy.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.”
In our mind
• The fastest should always win the race,
• The strongest should always win the battle,
• The wisest should always have bread,
• The discerning should always have wealth,
• And the able should always earn favor.
And in a perfect world with controlled variables
Perhaps that is the way it would be.
But we don’t live in a world of controlled variables.
We live in a world with unpredictable realities.
The preacher said that “time and chance overtake them all.”
• The fastest will win the race provided he doesn’t have an injury.
• The strong will win the battle unless outside circumstances prevail.
• And wisdom will succeed, provided it is accepted and followed.
But the point of the preacher is that
Things don’t always go according to plan.
And this morning his main point is that wisdom is in fact great,
But we live in a world where it is not always accepted.
We live in a fallen world under the curse.
• It is a world where the fastest don’t always win
• It is a world where the strongest don’t always prevail
• It is a world where the discerning don’t always succeed
• And it is a world where the wise aren’t always listened to.
And while that can certainly be frustrating to us
The fact that we know this can also be of great comfort to us.
One of the ways that we deal with frustration is by knowing that
Sometimes things go wrong and it may not necessarily be our fault.
This will prove to be a great comfort to the preacher.
As he recounts to you how at times his wisdom (and yours)
May be despised, and that is not your fault.
He writes:
(13) “Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.”
Literally there he says, “it was great to me.”
This was important to me, this was big in my mind.
It was a lesson he learned and now wanted to share.
It is in fact a lesson that all preachers have learned, and not just preachers
But anyone who has ever endeavored to share the wisdom of God with someone else.
The fact is this: You can share your wisdom with the world
But there is no guarantee the world will accept it.
We have sort of a slang variation of that truth today when we say,
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
Such is the truth about disseminating wisdom.
• You can preach…
• You can evangelize…
• You can instruct…
• You can teach…
• But there is no guarantee that anyone will listen.
Consider the prophets of old.
Isaiah 6:8-12 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.”
Jeremiah 1:18-19 “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 6:10 “To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.”
Ezekiel 3:4-7 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. “For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate.”
Ezekiel 33:30-33 “But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the LORD.’ “They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. “Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. “So when it comes to pass—as surely it will—then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst.”
These men proclaimed the truth of God and yet men would not hear it.
Jesus even addressed this reality when He warned us:
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
• Sometimes people don’t listen to your wisdom.
• Sometimes people don’t want your wisdom.
Now while that is frustrating, the knowledge of this truth
CAN ALSO BE OF GREAT COMFORT.
FOR KNOW THIS.
• Your rejection does not mean that you are wrong, or that your wisdom is bad.
• It may be a reflection on the hearer’s sinfulness rather than your message.
The simple point we will discuss today is that
Wisdom is good, but don’t be surprised if your wisdom is ignored
And certainly don’t be discouraged if sinful men won’t accept it.
In this fallen world sometimes wisdom is despised.
But that certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it or proclaim it.
THIS MORNING the preacher is going to explain to you
Some of the reasons why wisdom is rejected in the world.
He’s going to show you why there are times when wisdom is not effective
And there are 3 reasons given here.
Wisdom is ineffective:
#1 WHEN IT IS NOT HONORED
Ecclesiastes 9:14-16
That is to say if you are in a situation where wisdom is not honored
Then don’t be surprised if your wisdom is rejected.
Listen to the preacher as he illustrates.
(14-15) “There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.”
IT IS CERTAINLY QUITE LIKELY THAT
• The story the preacher references is an actual historical event.
• There is no reason to assume it is a mere parable.
• Yet it is also true that we have no clue what incident he is referring to
• Or even if it is one that is contained in the Biblical record.
But that isn’t important for our understanding.
Simply here we have
• A “small city with few men in it”
• And that city comes under attack by “a great king”,
• And that king “surrounded it and constructed siegeworks against it.”
This is a “David and Goliath” type battle.
There is no reason to assume the small city has any chance of victory.
It is, by all accounts, a lost cause.
HOWEVER “a poor wise man…delivered the city by his wisdom.”
And we don’t even know how he did it.
• Maybe he devised a unique military defense…
• Maybe he devised terms of a ceasefire…
• Maybe he conceived a trade or compromise…
Who knows what he did, and again it doesn’t matter.
All we know is that by his wisdom
This poor insignificant man saved this small city.
At this point there could be NO DOUBT TO THE VALUE of his wisdom.
This man should have been honored.
This man should have been sought routinely.
It is clear that this man possessed saving wisdom.
AND YET, the preacher says, “Yet no one remembered that poor man.”
They never listened to another thing he had to say.
• He received no recognition.
• He received no honor.
• He received no future opportunities.
WHY?
The implication is that it was because he was “poor”.
He wasn’t an important person by worldly standards
And so his message was routinely disregarded.
WE SEE THIS TODAY
• Our world puts more stock in the opinion of celebrities or rich men than anyone.
• It’s not that they are more wise, it’s that they are worldly successful.
What the world is saying is that
They value success more than the value wisdom.
(16) “So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded.”
WHAT IS THE POINT?
This man lived in a city where wisdom was not as important as riches.
You may possess genuine saving wisdom,
But in that city men rejected it if you didn’t appear to be successful.
AND THAT IS A TRUE REALITY.
In some scenarios it doesn’t matter if you speak the truth,
People reject it because they have no respect for your status.
People don’t evaluate your message, they evaluate your status.
• Are you rich?
• Are you successful?
• Are you educated?
OUR WORLD ISN’T LOOKING FOR WISDOM
THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SUCCESS.
They follow people who have what they want, not who tell them the truth.
In that city a poor man wasn’t valued as highly as a rich man
So his wisdom was ignored;
Even though he had a track record of good advice.
And we see this in other places in Scripture.
Remember the blind man Jesus healed and how he told the Pharisees that Jesus was clearly from God?
John 9:34 “They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out.”
Remember when the Sanhedrin disdained the apostles because of their lack of education?
Acts 4:13 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”
They even said the same about Jesus:
John 7:14-15 “But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”
This was perhaps part of what Paul had in mind when he told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:11-16 “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
Paul knew that Timothy would have to be overly careful
To make sure that his lifestyle supported his message
Because people were already going to overlook his wisdom due to his age.
THE SIMPLE POINT IS THAT
In this fallen world there are times that your wisdom will be rejected,
Not because you are wrong,
But because we live in a culture that doesn’t value wisdom.
So don’t get discouraged if people don’t listen to you,
It may only reveal that they don’t value wisdom.
Wisdom is only effective when it is honored.
There is another time when wisdom is not effective:
#2 WHEN IT IS NOT HEARD
Ecclesiastes 9:17
Sometimes people don’t honor wisdom or value wisdom.
And sometimes they aren’t even willing to hear it at all.
The preacher notes ANOTHER SCENARIO when wisdom is not effective.
(17) “The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.”
HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER CONTRAST.
We have the guy who stands behind the scenes and who speaks quietly perhaps to only a few, but he is heard.
And then we have the loud ruler who is shouting to the masses in the streets, but no none is listening to him.
And the preacher says that
It is better to be in the quiet with a few listeners
Than to be on stage with a multitude of fools who won’t listen.
AGAIN, WHAT IS THE POINT?
Sometimes you talk to people who just won’t hear.
It may make you feel better to preach to the masses
But the fact is that often times the crowd won’t hear what you have to say.
Ezekiel learned this
• When God told him that those large crowds were coming but they weren’t listening; they were just enamored with the show.
• Ezekiel was nothing more than good entertainment to them.
And you can gather up a crowd and yell and scream and kick and stomp
But if the people won’t hear, it won’t matter.
YOU CAN’T BEAT WISDOM INTO PEOPLE.
This was in essence WHAT JESUS MEANT by his pearls before swine comment.
Matthew 7:5-6 “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
You remember that as Jesus’ statement on judging.
• It was a warning against self-righteousness and that you should examine your
own eye before dealing with your brother.
Jesus never intended that you leave the speck in your brother’s eye,
It was just important that you deal with your own beam first.
However, even then Jesus warned that there some who still won’t hear it.
Jesus called them “dogs” and “swine”.
• A dog doesn’t know what to do with a good piece of meat so throwing ribeye to
a dog is pointless.
• A pig doesn’t know what to do with a pearl necklace so giving one is a waste.
And the analogy would be of the futility of giving your wisdom to some people.
Some people just won’t hear it.
Consider what Jesus said as He commissioned the disciples.
Matthew 10:11-15 “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
• Certainly they were to go
• Certainly they were to preach
• But they were not to assume that everyone would love it
• Some wouldn’t hear it and they were to shake the dust off their feet
That certainly wasn’t a knock on the disciple’s wisdom
It was a knock on that city’s refusal to hear.
Jesus knew that sometimes people just won’t listen.
Consider the ministry of Jesus and how He preached.
Matthew 12:17-21 “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”
I love this passage about Jesus.
Scripture says that He will not “quarrel, nor cry out”
• “quarrel” is ERIZO and it means “to harass or even to brawl”
• “cry out” is KRAUGAZO and it means “to yell or scream excitedly”
JESUS WAS WISDOM INCARNATE
And yet so often His wisdom was rejected by the crowds.
But He didn’t threaten or bully or scream or try to beat it into them.
He understood that there are some who just won’t hear.
How many times do you read in the gospels Jesus saying:
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Some people just won’t hear and that is not your fault.
Paul understood this:
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
Paul saw no value in ELOQUENCE or CHARISMA or CHARM.
Those things didn’t increase the effectiveness of his message.
• It was only the Holy Spirit’s power
• Behind the message of the cross that mattered
• And people would either hear it or they wouldn’t.
Wisdom is of great value and it should be proclaimed.
But don’t be surprised if it is not honored or heard.
There is a 3rd time when your wisdom may be ineffective.
#3 WHEN IT IS NOT HEEDED
Ecclesiastes 9:18-10:1
• Sometimes people just don’t care about it and never give you a chance because you aren’t rich or educated or whatever.
• Sometimes you deliver your wisdom to people but they just won’t hear it.
And sometimes you deliver your wisdom to people who do hear it,
BUT THEY DON’T HEED IT.
That is to say, “they don’t do it.”
Here we find a proverb of sorts; two of them actually.
(18) “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.”
In other words, you can have the best battle plan in the world,
But if the soldier doesn’t listen to it, it won’t do any good.
Remember Joshua had a plan to defeat Ai
As they entered the promised land, but the plan failed.
Joshua couldn’t figure out why.
Joshua 7:5-11 “The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the hearts of the people melted and became as water. Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan! “O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies? “For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?” So the LORD said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.”
• When the Israelites fought against Jericho God had put Jericho under the ban.
• He said that if it was alive they should kill it, if it would burn they should burn it, and everything else they should bring to God.
• But Achan saw some spoil, coveted it, and took it and hid it in his tent.
• And God’s anger burned against Israel and caused them to lose their next battle.
It was a wise plan, but one sinner ruined it.
We’ve all heard the story about the battle of Gettysburg
• On day 2 when General Lee ordered General James Longstreet to take the two hills known as Round Top and Big Round Top,
• And to take them at sunrise.
The plan was to attack the union army flank
And to take a vantage point of high ground for cannon fire.
It was a wise plan, but
• General Longstreet delayed and did not attack at sunrise as he waited on cavalry help. By the time he started his attack at around 3pm,
• The plan was figured out by Union General G.K. Warren and the Union army took the hill first.
• This blunder ultimately led to the Union victory at Gettysburg and what most credit as turning the entire war.
A PLAN IS ONLY EFFECTIVE IF IT IS HEEDED.
“one sinner destroys much good.”
The preacher continued.
(10:1) “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.”
It is a simple analogy.
• A dead fly can ruin a jar of perfume and cause it to stink.
It is the power of things that defile.
Think about this reality all throughout the Old Testament.
If you take a person who is ceremonially clean and the are contacted by someone who is ceremonially unclean what is the result?
THE CLEAN DOES NOT CLEANS THE UNCLEAN,
RATHER THE UNCLEAN DEFILES THAT WHICH IS CLEAN.
THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS PARABLE.
AND IN APPLICATION the preacher says: “so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.”
It is a sad reality in our world, but it is a reality none the less.
In the first analogy we saw a poor man.
He had wisdom, but no honor and so he wasn’t listened.
In the second analogy we saw a ruler yelling at people.
He had honor, but no wisdom and he wasn’t heard either.
And now the preacher reveals to us that
“a little foolishness” is “weightier” than both of them.
What does he mean?
That far too often when wisdom and foolishness are both offered,
In this cursed world foolishness too often comes out on top.
That is hard to swallow, but it will encourage you
As you face rejection when you preach the wisdom of the gospel.
• We know that Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God.
• We know that the gospel is the message of that wisdom.
• We know that there has never been a better message ever proclaimed.
• Indeed, it is the good news.
And yet, we have all felt the sting of having that message rejected.
Some men reject it because we aren’t suitable messengers to them.
• We aren’t rich or we aren’t educated or whatever.
• They don’t honor our wisdom.
• Our wisdom has no value to them because they see no value in us.
• We are clay pots and they don’t listen to clay pots.
Many of you have felt that sting.
Some men reject our message because they aren’t interested in hearing wisdom at all.
• They don’t want the truth.
• They are dogs, they are pigs, and a message of salvation through the atonement of Christ doesn’t appeal to them at all.
In neither case is it our fault.
In neither case is it wisdom’s fault.
The problem is that we live in a world that is fallen
And doesn’t value or want wisdom.
It is what the preacher said in the text last week: (9:11) “I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.”
It doesn’t mean you don’t have wisdom…
It doesn’t mean your message isn’t wise…
It’s just that you are preaching it to people who DON’T HONOR wisdom,
Who DON’T HEAR wisdom, and who DON’T HEED wisdom.
This was a truth that Jesus also gave us in His famous
Parable of the sower or soils.
Jesus spoke of a farmer who went out to sow his seed.
• Some fell on the road and the birds at it.
• Some fell among the weeds and the weeds choked it.
• Some fell on the rocks and it sprang up but withered and died.
• Some fell on good soil and produced fruit.
Later, Jesus would explain the parable.
Matthew 13:18-23 “Hear then the parable of the sower. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
This is such a comforting message to the evangelist of our day.
The analogy is clear.
• The seed is God’s word.
• The sower is the preacher.
• The soil is the hearer.
Now notice, ALL 4 TIMES it was the same sower.
ALL 4 TIMES it was the same seed.
But it only succeeded 25% of the time.
Was it the sower’s fault? No, he sowed the seed.
Was it the seed’s fault? No, it clearly has the ability to produce fruit.
Where is the blame? The soil.
SOME OF IT WAS TOO HARD – IT WOULDN’T HEAR THE MESSAGE.
It kept the seed right on top, never let it penetrate
Until the devil came and took it away.
Someone preaches the gospel and it offends the hearer.
• They don’t want it so they sort of maintain a skeptical attitude about it.
• Then they go and find someone who will take that seed away for them.
• Maybe they go to a scientist who will seek to refute it.
• Maybe they go to a friend who will discredit it.
• Maybe they go to a family member who will tell them not to worry about it.
And just like their hardened heart pushed away the seed long enough
For Satan to come and get rid of it so that they are no longer bothered.
SOME OF THE SOIL HAD TOO MANY WEEDS.
They heard the message but they wouldn’t honor it.
They loved the things of the world more.
• They were consumed with the message of the world and of money and of
pleasure in life and they had no time for a message of salvation.
• And in time the message they did love totally choked out the wise message
of the gospel.
SOME OF THE SOIL HAD A BEDROCK UNDERNEATH IT.
They heard it, and even pondered it at while, but they did not heed it.
• When life got hard, they quit trusting the message and tossed the seed away.
• It wasn’t worth listening to anymore.
All of those 3 people represent those who are lost.
Only THE 4TH PATCH OF SOIL heard and honored and heeded the message of wisdom and thus produced fruit.
And the point we would make this morning is that
THE SOWER DID THE EXACT SAME THING FOR ALL 4 OF THEM.
It’s just that we live in a world where wisdom is often rejected.
IS WISDOM VALUABLE? ABSOLUTELY!
• (16) “wisdom is BETTER than strength.”
• (17) “the words of the wise heard in quietness are BETTER than the shouting of a ruler among fools.”
• (18) “Wisdom is BETTER than weapons of war”
Wisdom is better, but often times foolishness is “weightier”.
Wisdom is better but men love foolishness more
And thus your message is rejected.
That is this cursed world in which we live.
But again notice the first verse of this text.
(13) “Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.”
I saw this and it was great to me.
This meant a great deal to me.
The preacher found solace here.
The preacher found encouragement here.
Namely that rejection of his wisdom was not his fault.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have wisdom
It was that he lived in a world that didn’t value it.
Take comfort here Christian.
Take comfort here evangelist.
Take comfort here preacher.
Take comfort here teacher.
Be encouraged that it is not your seed,
Nor is it your manner of sowing
It is only that we live in a world with cursed soil.
JUST KEEP ON SOWING.
In fact, the preacher will say later:
Ecclesiastes 11:1 “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.”
Just keep sowing.
The secondary application would be this:
Don’t be the fool that fails to honor, hear, or heed the wisdom of God.
Don’t be the sinner who destroys much good.
• It didn’t work well for Adam.
• It didn’t work well for Achan.
• It won’t work well for you.
Soil that rejects the seed is promised a miserable fate.
Hebrews 6:7-8 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”
Make sure you value wisdom
And even if you live in a world that doesn’t,
Keep on preaching it.
