Ecclesiastes 9
The Poor Wise Man
This touching story of the poor wise man, recorded for our instruction in Ecclesiastes 9: 14-15, occupies but little space in the divine record, but it is pregnant with meaning regarding the treatment given to the poor, and also as indicating the treatment given to the Lord Jesus by an ungrateful world. The Preacher, who records the incident, was greatly impressed by it, for he introduces it with the words, "This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me." Being richly endowed with wisdom from God, Solomon had the capacity for appreciating wisdom in others.
The abode of this poor wise man was in a little city with few inhabitants, but in spite of its being small this great king desired to possess it, being no doubt governed by the same spirit as king Ahab who, in spite of his great possessions, coveted the vineyard of Naboth. The few men within the city were no match for the mighty power of the great king, and no doubt they were terrified by the great bulwarks he raised against them; but there was one among them who was not terrified, and whose resources were more than a match for the powerful adversary.
Natural curiosity might desire details of how the powerful monarch was defeated, but we are only told that the poor wise man "by his wisdom delivered the city." The absence of power was more than compensated for by the presence of wisdom, and this, in the judgment of Solomon, was indeed great.
While doubtless relieved and thankful at the time for their great deliverance, "no man remembered that same poor man." There might often be the recalling of the great king and his mighty power, his great bulwarks and his great defeat, but the one who had wrought the great deliverance for them was not remembered by the few men in the little city.
There was no gainsaying that they owed their liberty to the wise man who had devised the means to thwart their enemy, but he was not only wise but poor, and his poverty had no attraction for them, and was evidently the reason for their being forgetful of him. Had he been rich he would have been acclaimed by all, and there would have been some memorial of what he had accomplished by his wisdom.
Are we not reminded by this touching story of another "Poor Wise Man"? One who accomplished for men a much greater deliverance than that recorded in Ecclesiastes 9. Of this we read in Hebrews 2. The Son of God became Man, He was made a little lower than the angels, taking part in flesh and blood to "deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
Moreover, in becoming Man He became poor. The Creator of the Universe, to whom all the resources of heaven and earth belonged, was pleased in becoming Man to enter this world as a lowly Babe in the most humble of circumstances; His birthplace a stable, His cot a manger. Passing through this world He had nowhere to lay His head, and before He left they parted His garments among them and cast lots for His vesture. The possessor of all things possessed nothing as Man in this world, and descended to the depths of poverty and shame in all He passed through at the cross. Well has it been written, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor" (2 Cor. 8: 9).
As God He is all-wise, yet as a child in this world He "grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2: 40); and in verse 52 of this same chapter it is written, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." It is indeed an inscrutable mystery that the source of all wisdom should, as Man, increase in wisdom; but this only brings out the perfection of His Manhood. We cannot wonder that some said, "Whence hath this man this wisdom?" (Matt. 13: 54), as we retrace the steps of this "Poor Wise Man" in His sojourn down here, and listen to the wonderful revelations that fell from His lips.
From the Scriptures considered we learn that the features of the poor wise man were seen in Jesus, who in becoming MAN became POOR, and in Him all divine WISDOM was manifested here in this world. But these were not features that attracted the natural man, for, as the prophet had written, "There is no beauty in Him that we should desire Him." The features that appeal to man in the flesh are altogether contrary to the features of moral beauty displayed in Jesus, and that belong to the divine nature that is given to those who are born of God.
There was abundance of evidence that Jesus was more than Man, yet man rejected Him. Like the poor wise man of old His resources of wisdom were used for the benefit of those around Him, and they willingly availed themselves of all His gracious benefits, but they did not remember Him. Although poor, He delivered many from the deadly diseases, from the power of Satan, and from the very clutch of death. The deliverance from the mighty king, and from his great bulwarks, was as nothing compared with the great deliverances wrought by Jesus. Many blind received their sight, many lepers were cleansed, many lame and infirm were healed, and multitudes were fed from the resources of His wisdom: but where were they all when the mob was crying, "Away with Him "? His words of wisdom and His works of power were soon forgotten when the forces of evil assailed Him.
Not only did Israel not remember this POOR WISE MAN, they hated Him without a cause. He had done everything to merit their trust, and to cause them to remember Him with deepest gratitude; but instead of gratitude there was envy in the hearts of the leaders of Israel, and they stooped to bribe Judas to betray Him, and put forth false witnesses to have Him condemned. Added to all this infamy, they heaped upon His holy head every dishonour of which their evil hearts were capable, even spitting in His face.
The people of the little city did not remember their deliverer, but they did not gratuitously abuse him as did the leaders of Israel the blessed Son of God who had brought to them the rich grace of God. Not content with ill-treating Jesus, the leaders of God's ancient people delivered Him up to the Gentiles to mock, scourge and crucify; and when He was crucified, "the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes. He saved others; Himself He cannot save" (Mark 15: 31). Such was the awful treatment of God's Poor Wise Man by the most cultured, educated and religious men of this world.
But it was through death that the Son of God procured His greatest triumph and secured for men the greatest deliverance. The forces of the mighty king that assailed the little city were but a dim foreshadowing of the great assembly of the forces of evil that confronted the Son of God at the cross. Satan and all the powers of darkness were marshalled to encompass the death of the Poor Wise Man, but the very weapon they used to conquer Him He used against them, and completely vanquished them, even as it is written, "that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2: 14). And what a great deliverance He wrought then for His people.
In Christendom today there are millions that profess allegiance to Him who wrought this great deliverance from Satan's power, but how few there are among them who truly remember Him. Not only did He defeat Satan at the cross, but even now He holds the forces of darkness in check. Were it not for His divine power in restraining the powers of spiritual darkness, every trace of ordered government would speedily be removed from this world, and chaos, corruption and violence would fill the whole earth. Things are bad enough, even in Christendom with the light God's word has brought; what would they be without the restraining hand of the Son of God?
Before leaving this world the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples the means of remembering Him, saying to them as He gave them the loaf and the cup, "This do in remembrance of me." And having entered heaven, He gave to the Apostle Paul for His people this same memorial, and regarding it Paul wrote, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 11: 23-26). It is therefore the privilege of those who love the Lord Jesus to remember Him week after week, recalling His great love in going into death for them to deliver them from the power of sin, death and Satan, and to bring them into the knowledge of God and His love.
The memorial of the Lord may have been deprived of its simplicity by the great religious systems of Christendom, and many who partake of the Lord's Supper may not be true disciples; but there are still those who in devotion to their absent Lord remember Him with a true heart, and count this remembrance their greatest privilege while waiting for Him to come to call them to be for ever with Him in the Father's House, where there shall be no need for the memorial.
From the time of Christ's rejection by the world, God has taken care that His Son should not be forgotten. Even in the dark ages, when there was little light regarding many of the great truths that had been revealed to the apostles, there were those who were true to their absent Lord, and remembered Him by partaking of His Supper. The memory of their Master caused many to lay down their lives in testimony to Him, while others suffered untold privations and trials with the memory of what Christ had done for them as the controlling influence of their lives.
Some say that they can remember the Lord without partaking of His Supper; but those who value His word and the expressed desire of His heart on the night of His betrayal, will surely manifest their love to Him by remembering Him in the way He has Himself instituted. How must it gladden the heart of the Lord to see His own recalling all that He passed through in love for them in the way He desired. For His own, the fellowship of His death is sweet, having its own peculiar joys; knowing too that where two or three are gathered together to His Name, He is in their midst.
So that while the Lord Jesus bears the character of the Poor Wise Man, and, like the poor man of old, is forgotten by the world; there is also a blessed contrast, for while "no man remembered that same poor man," there are many who gladly remember the Man Christ Jesus, the One who became poor that we, through His poverty, might be rich.
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