The Poor Wise Man – Part unknown

^“This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed good unto me.

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.” (Ecclesiastes 9: 1 3-1 6 )

This is a parable taken from real life. In general, though not often in detail, it has been enacted many times in history. Attempts have been made to find an occurrence of the actual kind described in the record. Those who want to deny that the Book of Ecclesiastes dates back to the time of Solomon have suggested that it describes events which occurred during the apocryphal time of the Maccabees or even actions from Greek and Roman history. If the book was of early date these suggestions are old and, in any case, it seems most unlikely that an Old Testament Jewish writer would draw upon Greek and Roman records for his parable.

There is an event which occurred in the time of David and Solomon, however, which might well have suggested the theme of the Preacher. After the death of Absalom, there was jealousy between the tribe of Judah and the ten tribes, which afterwards formed the kingdom of Israel, about the return of David to the throne, and a Benjamite, named Sheba, seized the opportunity to raise a rebellion against the king. David requested Amasa, who had been appointed commander in chief of the army in place of Joab, because of the latter’s murder of Absalom, to muster his troops. Amasa defected and David turned to Abishai and the latter, accompanied by his brother. Joab, went out in pursuit of Sheba. During the march. Joab murdered Ama­sa, and in the meantime Sheba took refuge in the city of Abel-beth-Maach. Joab set up battering rains to break down the walls.

It seemed only a matter of time before the city would be taken and destroyed, probably with many of its inhabitants. Then “a wise woman out of the city” sought an interview with Joab. She pointed out to him that Abel had a reputation for good advice. “They were wont to speak in old time saying. They shall surely ask counsel at Abel; and so they ended the matter”. She told him that she was a peaceful and loyal person. a mother in Israel, and asked him why he would destroy her and her fellow-citizens and thus “swallow up the inheritance of the Lord”. Joab explained that he had no wish to do any such thing. All he wanted was the arrest of the rebel Sheba. The woman promised that Sheba’s head would be thrown over the wall. “In her wisdom,” she persuaded the citizens to behead Sheba. The head was thrown out to Joab and the siege was raised. Thus, by her wisdom, she saved the city. There is no further Scriptural mention of the woman.

Since the deliverer was not a man and the besieger was not a king, the reference in Ecclesiastes cannot be specifically to this event, but the similarity of the two records is such that the earlier one may well have suggested the later one.

The main lesson is clearly that wisdom is better than either strength or weapons of war. Yet the Preacher describes it as wisdom under the sun and says that it seemed  good to him We may therefore extend our interest in the parable and see in it a parable of human weaknesses and hopes.

Mankind is trail and the little city of little strength fitly represents the race It is co-instantly under attack by the arch enemy the great king. Sin which wages warfare against it as say the apostles Wherein as time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2 )

Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour    ( I Peter 5:8)

From this perilous position Divine wisdom alone can deliver us At one time this seemed impossible for the prophet Isaiah lamented And he saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor God himself provided the remedy His arm brought salvation unto him and his righteousness it sustained him this was the giving of His own son Jesus who put on righteousness as a breastplate and in helmet of salvation upon his head and was clad with zeal as a cloke ( Isaiah 59 16 -17)

The words there was found in it indicate that the deliverer was an inhabitant of the city and they also imply in the original that his discovery was sudden.

All the marks of identity in the parable are applicable to the Lord Jesus In the first place the deliverer is said to he poor So it was with the Lord, “The foxes lust holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head ‘

The Apostle wrote for your sakes, he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Con 8 9) He was wise From his early days he increased in wisdom and stature To them who are called, both Jew and Greek, he is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 4: 24) In him were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3 )

Although the full fruits of his victory have not yet been seen Jesus has made certain the deliverance of the city from its from He being of the same nature as those in the city has brought about the defeat of sin in ill its forms As it is vs written.

Forasmuch then as the children ire partakers of flesh and blood he 1150 him self likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil And deliver them vs ho through fear of death were ill their lifetime subject to bondage”

He is the kinsman redeemer

Although this salvation has been made possible however Jesus is largely forgot ten in the world he came to save even when he was in the world he was despised and rejected of men Today his wisdom is largely counted is nought left behind by the wisdom of this world which fondly believes that it can save itself His words arc not heard Yet though in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knows not God it still pleases God by the foolishness of preach mg to save them that believe 1 here are still sonic who hear the words of the Redeemer I or them the words of the true wise man ire heard in quiet more than theory of him that ruleth among fools.

The day is coming when the arch enemy sin will be destroyed and the whole world will experience the deliverance wrought by our kinsman-redeemer. The return of the Lord will be in an hour when men think not the Lord will come suddenly is a snare on all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth

We know now that wisdom is better than weapons of war One sinner can destroy much good, but let us each avoid this guilt by listening attentively to the words of the ‘ poor wise man “