Ecclesiastes 7:19-25

Rachel Workman: ¹⁹ One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

²⁰ Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. With this in mind, I feel pointing out other people’s sins to them is unproductive. How can we point a finger at someone for sin when we ourselves are also guilty of sin?

²¹ Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. ²² For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.

²³ I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. ²⁴ Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. ²⁵ I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

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John Burnett:  Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. ²¹ Also, do not ^[a]take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you.²² For ^[b]you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.

²³ I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. ²⁴ What has been is remote and exceedingly ^[c]mysterious. Who can discover it? ²⁵ I ^[d]directed my ^[e]mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.  Verse 20 points out the total depravity of man and our condemned state because we can do no good.  In verse 23, Solomon declares himself righteous (“I will be wise.”) but he was far from it.  When we see ourselves as righteous (wise), pride is our problem and James 4:6 says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. This is witnessed in today’s church when we hear someone declare their own righteousness by asking Jesus into their heart.  This is usually done with the reward of Heaven in mind and sin and what Jesus did to cleanse us of it, is nowhere in the equation.  The pride and haughtiness to think that Jesus needs your permission to save you is such a low view of King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He will show mercy to whom He shows mercy and he doesn’t need our permission.  

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Tomorrow’s reading for Ecclesiastes 7:26-29

²⁶ I discovered that a seductive woman^[b] is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
²⁷ “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. ²⁸ Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! ²⁹ But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”