[17] “Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.” – Ecclesiastes 9:17 (NKJV)
In this life, surely, there are wise people. And one fascinating thing about some of such people is that they are not rash talkers. They speak calmly and slowly. Because of such a trait, it’s easy for people to disregard what they say. But Solomon cautioned us on this. He urged us in Ecclesiastes 9:17 that we should pay attention to the words of a wise man, even if spoken quietly, rather than the shout of fools. How did he learn this?
There were many instances in Solomon’s reign as king where his patience and wisdom were tested. Do you remember when two women came to the king about the ownership of one baby (see 1 Kings 3:16-28)? One woman slept on her baby, and he died. She realised her mistake overnight, got up and swapped her baby with the other woman’s child. And eventually, the case went to the king. Solomon initially gave a verdict that the baby should be divided into two, with each woman receiving a half.
Now, the one who swapped the children didn’t contest the ruling. She expressed herself, through her actions, that if she couldn’t have the living baby, then her colleague too wouldn’t. However, the real mother begged Solomon to give the baby out to the other woman instead of killing him. Eventually, the king recognised the child’s real mother and gave the baby to her. The wicked woman was loud in her expression. Meanwhile, the real mother of the living child was calm and compassionate. If Solomon would have rushed to kill the child, one precious life would have been gone.
Of a truth, the words of a wise person don’t have noise attached to them. And because of that, it doesn’t sound so loud to the human inclination. The one who pays attention to their words will end up grasping the wisdom in it. Don’t let anybody deceive you that everything popular is profitable. It isn’t. So be well guided.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, help me to pay attention to the words of every wise person You bring into my life, lest I stray from the words of knowledge. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2024 – 226
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