Ecclesiastes 7:19 (ESV)
Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
As is the habit in these postings from the book of Ecclesiastes, you can’t read anything from the book without reading it through the lens of the last two verses of the book. Solomon’s conclusion:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
The thought that Solomon conveyed in 7:19 is no different. It, too, must be viewed in light of his conclusion. In this section of chapter seven, Solomon is drawing a contrast between the wicked and the righteous. But he has just written that the two of them have this in challenge:
Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 (ESV)
In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
The thought is, since, on the surface, there seems to be an odd imbalance between the wicked and righteous regarding their death, we might as well, if true, not strive for righteousness (since we might die early). That, of course, is a false premise, but he is making a point. He goes on in verse 19 to tell us that wisdom still benefits everyone. More than the strength of ten rulers in a city. Solomon’s entire point (and the point of the book) is to strive for wisdom, freely given by God to those who walk in His commands. Fulfill THAT duty and no matter what happens in life (early or late death) you will have wisdom to navigate all aspects of your life.
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