Introduction

I reflected on my sharing in 2016. Back then, I struggled for a long time when studying the Book of Ecclesiastes because I couldn't quite understand it. Pretending to understand when you don't is very painful. Sometimes I thought I was explaining things clearly, but after listening, people didn't know what I was talking about. I thought, the only explanation for this is that I didn't explain it well enough. It would be strange if others understood when I myself didn't. When I lead everyone in studying the Bible, I often string together the scriptures, find a theme, and have everyone understand the Bible as a whole through that theme. If you can't see the overall picture, it's like the blind men and the elephant; you can't clearly know what an elephant is like.

The Book of Ecclesiastes speaks of many of God's deeds. When people read it, they should know what God's deeds are. So, what is the theme of Chapter 9? When I spoke on Chapter 9 in 2016, the theme I summarized was to entrust everything to God's hands. Today is the second version, and I summarize the theme as everything being controlled in God's hands. Whether it is love or hate, opportunities in the world, all things are in God's hands. Revering God! This becomes the most important thing in our lives.

Scripture

I applied my heart to all this, and examined it all closely, I know that the righteous and the wise, and what they do are in God's hands; whether it is love or hate, no one knows what awaits them. The same destiny overtakes all—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take an oath, so with those who are afraid to take one. This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes—and the hearts of people are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:1-3)

It can be seen that all of this is God's doing, and everything is controlled by God. As long as we completely trust in God and revere God, we don't need to be entangled in these things while we are alive. Everything depends on the occasion, and the opportunity is also controlled by God. It is useless for people to have wisdom, and it is still useless to have the strength to fight. You must know that everything is in God's hands.

These words are fulfilled in many people. If we pay attention, we will find that some people don't have great skills, and their abilities are not that strong, but they are big bosses. This is too strange, but that's how things are in this world. Later, I discovered that many people are caught in nets and calamities befall them, and this is also God's doing. All things in the world are in God's hands, which is the theme of this chapter.

All This Is God's Doing

There was a brother who took almost a year and a half to get his driver's license. The students who took the driver's license test with him had already started driving on the road, but he hadn't gotten his driver's license yet. He always felt that he was not learning well, so he postponed the exam. He postponed it to today to take the driver's license test again, but it snowed heavily, and the exam was cancelled again, so he was very sad. Why is this so? In fact, this is all God's doing, so why is God doing this?

This brother of ours loves God very much, so he thought, some people don't love God and pass the driver's license test, some people love God very much, but they have been tossing for a year and a half and haven't passed the test, and he felt very sad. The Bible says: The same destiny overtakes all. Many people will feel confused, obviously the things that happen are not the same, why does God say this? Even if we can't figure it out or understand it, we still need to be clear that this is all God's doing.

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

I have one advantage: I am absolutely wholeheartedly devoted to serving God, because I really love God. When I resolved to start building a church for God, I worked and served wholeheartedly, spending money and effort for God. But I didn't expect that the result of serving was being besieged on all sides at work. Although I didn't understand why this happened, I knew one thing: God will never make mistakes. If there is a problem, then I must be wrong!

No matter what happens, I just eat my food with gladness and do my work happily. At that time, many brothers and sisters couldn't see that I was worried. God controls everything! What I experienced and what the sinners experienced, and what many good people experienced, are actually no different in the end. This is God's doing, can you understand?

People often say: Good people don't live long, bad people live for a hundred years. The things in this world are too incredible. If believers and non-believers encounter the same things, then why believe in God! We must all know that although the encounters are the same, the results are different because our reactions are different.

For example, there were many people who were sold to Egypt like Joseph, but their reactions were different from Joseph, and the final outcome was also different. Don't look at things so superficially, you must know that there is God's doing in it. If you don't understand God's doing, you will be sad. Because you will always be confused: Why is this so? Why is that so? God! I serve you with all my heart, soul, and strength, how can you let such a thing happen to me? In fact, there is no need for this, even if you don't understand, don't argue with things you can't decide.

Brothers and sisters, today I will teach you a lesson: No matter what happens to you, don't argue with people. Many things can't be argued. What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted. These are all God's doing. Some people like to analyze and speculate: Why was Joseph sold to Egypt? It must be because he has a big mouth! Just have a dream, why tell your brothers? If you keep it in your heart, you won't be sold to Egypt, etc. In fact, all things are in God's hands, don't argue with things you can't understand.

In this empty life, eat your food happily, do your work happily, do everything happily, and do your best. This is the word of God. Whether you are sweeping the toilet, being a slave, or being a prisoner, do your best in the labor I have obtained under the sun. God gave me a very interesting revelation, which is to let me enjoy what I do. If you don't enjoy doing something, it's very sad. Some people don't like to read, but people can't escape learning in their lives. If they can't enjoy learning, it's a terrible feeling.

Although Joseph was sold as a slave, whether he was a slave or a prisoner, he would do his job diligently and happily. Later, he became the prime minister of Egypt. This is a wise man. These wise men in the Bible are all like this. Jacob went to his uncle's house with a stick in order to obtain the birthright. He was exploited by his uncle, who changed his wages ten times. But Jacob still herded sheep as he should, and did not argue with his uncle.

Why could Jacob do this? Because he knew that this was God's doing, and he had faith in God. God wants us to accomplish God's immeasurably heavy, eternal glory in this empty life. We are originally people unworthy of this world. No matter what kind of environment comes upon me, even if it is bad luck, we choose to be happy, this is true faith.

Don't limit God's doing, God can do anything. Jacob herded sheep for his uncle for more than twenty years, and he didn't get a penny for the first fourteen years, but he focused on seeking wisdom, understanding all of God's doing, and knowing that everything is in God's hands.

A few days ago, I served a brother who failed his driver's license test, but he didn't care. If he didn't pass, he didn't pass. It doesn't matter if he lost face. He saw God's doing clearly, and knew that all things are in God's hands. This brother was originally a senior executive in a company, but as he worked, he became confused and felt that he should start from the grassroots level. As a result, after reaching the grassroots level, his position could not be promoted, and he felt inevitably tangled and sad.

In fact, it doesn't matter, because everything is in God's hands. His superiors often said humiliating words to him, using very harsh words, but that doesn't matter, because all of this, whether it is love or hate, is in God's hands.

If we can clearly know God, then we should just eat our food with gladness, drink our wine with a joyful heart, and do our work happily. Do everything you do with your hands to the best of your ability, and you are a person of faith, a righteous person, a wise person, and a very remarkable person.

I often tell everyone that if one day Jesus says I am a mangy dog, I will definitely say: God, I am a mangy dog! Many people don't understand why I say this. In fact, we are originally stinky dog ​​poop. Only because God has chosen me, I have received grace. What is there to boast about? My ability is not good, my wisdom is not good, and I can't be called clever, but I have a good opportunity. I have the opportunity to know God, and I know that God is everything to me.

Come Out of Arrogance, Don't Be Self-Righteous

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes—and the hearts of people are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

There is a kind of person in this world whose heart is full of evil and whose heart is arrogant when he is alive. He always thinks he is great, and then he goes to the dead. What is there to be arrogant about? Although people will eventually die, the question is whether you know that everything is in God's hands.

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

You have to ponder these two words, time and chance. Sometimes it looks like an opportunity, but sometimes it becomes a trap. For example, a hunter digs a trap and puts a bait, and some animals will fall into the trap. It looks like an opportunity, but it is actually a trap. We must be clear that many times opportunities and crises are closely linked. What happens to everyone depends on the opportunity at that time.

Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:12)

Let us come out of arrogance. If you don't come out of it, you will be very sad. You must be clear that we are nothing originally, and we are nothing without God.

Yesterday I served a sister whose daughter had a fever of 45 degrees, which was very serious. We led her to pray and served her, bringing her out of the knowledge of good and evil. When her thoughts changed, the feverish child stopped crying. I directly revealed the problem, piercing the hidden information in her heart, and she cried. After crying, she confessed her sins and repented, and did what I said, and later her spine returned to normal.

Another sister had the same situation. The pastor often led her to pray, but her child's problem kept recurring. She always told her pastor some old, stale things, but her pastor was very wise and always interrupted her in time and didn't listen to these things.

I never listen to people nagging about old things either. What's the use? Some people talk about their past lives for three days and three nights. Where do I have time to listen to these worthless things? Usually, when someone talks to me for a few minutes, I immediately stop them. Why? It's useless to talk about it, and you've already said it many times. Has the problem been solved? Not solved. It's better for you to listen to me than for me to listen to you, because what I say is the word of God, which can bring people out of confusion. I train my colleagues not to listen, where is the time to listen to those trivial matters, it is meaningless to listen to them.

This sister took her trivial matters very seriously and told everyone about her grievances, because she would feel very uncomfortable if she didn't say it. As a result, yesterday she reached an unmanageable level, shaking all over, her head was swollen, her head was in severe pain, and her stomach was blocked. The whole person was not good. I led her to pray and served her. After serving her, she was fine, and she came again next time. Later, I taught her to put the word of God in her heart, and not to be willful or self-righteous when living. Being self-righteous is a very fatal thing. In fact, many times, we don't know God's actions, and we are often self-righteous. When others don't listen to us, we start to feel lost and frantic, but why should others listen to you?

Brothers and sisters who are often self-righteous, you must read the Book of Ecclesiastes carefully. The Book of Ecclesiastes writes very clearly that the same thing happens to everyone. Wise people know that these things are in God's hands, but arrogant people don't know that this is God's doing, and they have to argue with others. As a result, they are controlled by ghosts very badly and feel very uncomfortable. This sister began to be released after listening to the teaching yesterday, and later her relationship with her pastor was restored.

In the beginning, this sister was extremely arrogant and always thought she was great. I was thinking at the time, this person doesn't read as well as I do, and her position is not as high as my position. I don't know what she is arrogant about? Of course, I can't be arrogant either. If I say arrogant words, I will quickly repent, because being self-righteous is a very fatal thing.

We often don't understand God's actions. God said to the Israelites who came out of Egypt: You have been in the wilderness for forty years, but you do not know my actions. Knowing God's actions can make you a wise person, knowing that everything is in God's hands. Don't try to argue with God, we are not worthy to argue with God, and we can't afford to argue. Come out of self-righteousness, as long as you come out, you will really receive a lot of grace.

In the past few years, I have not met many decent group leaders. Although they love God very much and are very loving, it is really too difficult for me to accept them and admire them from the bottom of my heart, because my requirements are very high and most people cannot meet them. But I accept this reality and constantly adjust and train these group leaders. As for the pastors I have met, not to mention, there are too few that I can appreciate, and I have learned many lessons for this.

Later, I wanted to be a good pastor, but I couldn't do it either. I did it based on my own understanding, and as a result, I made many mistakes, paid a painful price, and was severely disciplined. Finally, I got over the hurdle of self-righteousness. Later, I gradually realized that all of this was God's doing.

In the Bible, King David had incompetent sons and a wife who was not easy to deal with. The priest Samuel did not come to help him, and those around him were all people who owed money, owed debts, killed people, and set fires. From David's perspective, this situation was extremely sad. What was the result? God was able to make him the greatest king in the world. Saul had the best son, the best priest, the best son-in-law... all the best, but he became the worst king.

The things in this world are really difficult for us to understand. We really can't understand them from a human perspective. But if you know God's actions, you will not argue or be stubborn. You will eat your food happily, drink your wine happily, and do your work happily. Then see through this empty life, and God wants us to accomplish that immeasurably heavy and eternal glory in this empty life.

We Must Always Put on the Lord Jesus

We must learn to trust God. Trusting God in the New Testament is called putting on the Lord Jesus. What does it mean to put on the Lord Jesus? It means that your clothes should always be white and there should be no oil missing from your head. If you know that these are all God's actions, you will know that we are just sinners. If we are sinners and do not rely on God's grace but on our own deeds, we really have no way to come before God.

We must rely on God's grace to trust God, and may God cover our sins and transgressions. Because it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us, not how pleasing our own actions are to God, nor does God cleanse us because our actions are good or bad. The righteous will live by faith. The righteous are those who have faith. Those who trust in God are called righteous. It is not that they themselves are righteous, but that God counts them as righteous and does not count them as guilty!

Always let your garments be white, and let not oil be lacking on your head. (Ecclesiastes 9:8)

Always let your garments be white, that is, always put on Jesus, and then trust in God, and God will make your garments white, and God will make us holy, and our actions cannot bring us before God.

Let not oil be lacking on your head. In the Old Testament, anointing is a kind of appointment. When Samuel poured oil on David's head, David was appointed to take on the responsibility of managing Israel and became the king of Israel.

In the Bible, oil is related to destiny, and faith is related to holiness. These are all God's actions. So, today, even if we encounter some bad luck or bad things, it doesn't matter. Our reaction determines whether we trust God. If our reaction is like Joseph, Jacob, and David, then we will be great and be able to live out the destiny God has for us in this empty life.

It turns out that God let us live in this world and experience these things so that we can become people unworthy of this world. If everything you encounter every day is happiness and joy, do you need faith? But when you encounter bad luck, you really need faith. In the beginning, I spent money and effort, loved God wholeheartedly, and served God, but the result was being besieged on all sides and leaving in disgrace. That feeling was really uncomfortable. If I hadn't held on to my faith, there would be no church today.

Do Not Judge by Appearances

In judging matters of this world, it is crucial not to rely on superficial observations. For instance, a person's wealth bears little correlation to their spirituality; neither wealth nor poverty is indicative of anything, as God's work is unconstrained. Consider Jacob, who was exploited in his uncle's household, receiving no compensation for fourteen years. To conclude that this was due to Jacob's sin or displeasure with God would be erroneous. How can one presume to understand God's design?

When reading the scriptures, lacking a comprehensive framework can lead one astray. One might fall into the trap of assuming that the wealthy are unspiritual and the poor are spiritual, based on a fragmented comprehension. Pitfalls and snares abound in the understanding of God's words, often resulting from rash judgments.

God frequently acts beyond our expectations. Jacob, for instance, received the blessing of the firstborn yet ended up toiling in his uncle's household with only a staff. One might question, God, what sort of blessing is this? I cannot comprehend it. Yet, even in incomprehension, one must strive to understand, for this is God's work. Take a person who is wise but poor; one might be puzzled: How can a wise person be poor? Do not despise them, for it is God's work.

Never judge by appearances. People often fall into their own traps due to self-conceit. For example, the Old Testament states that the Messiah would be born in the city of David, so why is Jesus referred to as Jesus of Nazareth? It seems perplexing and incongruous. Yet, our God often does what is unexpected.

Understanding God's Work

Know that those who trust in God display wisdom, while those who do not trust in God display foolishness, yet both are in God's hands. Consider those who leave the church; many mistakenly assume that one should not leave such a blessed and victorious church. However, they may continue to thrive after leaving. Can you comprehend this? I thank God! These individuals can still thrive after leaving the church, having previously cast out many demons with me, only to find that demons cannot harm them after they leave.

Does this confound us? Yet, I maintain that it is permissible to leave, for it is God's work.

God's work is to cause those who should fall to fall and those who should rise to rise. Our God often acts counterintuitively, not according to conventional human wisdom, causing many to stumble and others to rise. We must clearly understand God's work, resolving to be wise and trust in God, for those who trust in Him will not be put to shame. We must not judge by outward appearances but seek to understand the essence of things.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Why did the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years after leaving Egypt? It was God's work. Brothers and sisters, do not contend with God. In this era, be vessels that manifest God's glory. Do not be self-righteous; though you think you are swift, God tells you that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Why? Because it is God's work.

God may allow some who are swift to win and others who are swift to lose. God allows some who are strong and mighty to win and others who are weak and feeble to win. God often allows many who are wise to gain bread and often allows many who are wise to not gain bread. God allows some who are discerning to gain wealth and some who are discerning to not gain wealth.

This is not a rule, for none of these things can be replicated. There is only one rule in this world: God's work endures forever, and what befalls people depends on the opportunity God grants them. If the strong win, thank God! If the wise gain bread, thank God! If the discerning gain wealth, thank God! These are all God's arrangements, God's works.

What is God's work? It is that many fall. Why do they fall? Who caused them to fall? And that many rise. In any case, begin to understand God's work. These things are in God's hands. Your wisdom is not comparable to God's wisdom, your thoughts are not comparable to God's thoughts, your height is not comparable to God's height, so we can only submit.

Do Not Be Self-Righteous

Recently, I have observed strange occurrences. Some sisters, who are utterly disorganized in their own ministries, look down upon their pastors. Is that not strange? Brothers and sisters, do not be self-righteous. Even if your pastor is a King Saul, you must honour them as King David did, for it is God's work.

Brothers and sisters, be vigilant. Without understanding God's word, you cannot discern God's work and will easily fall into pits. I will never rely on myself, nor do I have the means to.

The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. (Ecclesiastes 9:17-18)

Do you know what this passage is about? Wisdom is better than weapons of war, meaning that understanding God's work is better than weapons of war. There are the righteous, those who trust in God, and the sinners, those who do not trust in God. Do not assume that sinners in God's eyes are murderers and arsonists. Sinners in God's eyes are those who do not trust in God, and they destroy much good. Some things are good, but they appear bad on the surface, and because people lack faith, they ruin the good, not knowing that it is God's work.

If it were not Joseph who was sold into Egypt but someone else, that person might have remained a slave until death, with little chance of becoming a prime minister in Egypt. Sinners who do not know God's work and do not recognise it will destroy much good. When people lack faith, what God has arranged turns into something bad.

The Righteous and the Wise

The righteous and the wicked experience the same events, but their reactions differ. The righteous trust in God. Joseph was sold into Egypt and falsely accused and imprisoned, but because he trusted in God, it turned out for good, and he became the prime minister of Egypt. Brothers and sisters, understand this. Do not be sinners or fools, but be wise and righteous.

The righteous and the wise, and their works, are in God's hands. Our God is a good God with a wonderful plan for us, but when people encounter something unpleasant, they lose faith and their vision becomes blurred. I thank God for giving me such faith, having experienced much weeping and sweating. There were so many days filled with sorrow and tears, it was truly arduous. But I still thank God that I have been able to persevere to this day through faith.

Brothers and sisters, be wise, and be righteous and faithful before God, so that God's work may be manifest in us. Our works are also in God's hands. Then you need not fear or worry or wonder about the future, but firmly believe that the future will be better than today. Because our God reigns in us, what is there to fear! Understand God's work, be wise, and know what a good plan God has for us. He will personally accomplish this plan to manifest His surpassing glory through us.

As 2018 draws to a close, we look forward to the future, which will surely be better than today. Someone just asked: How do you determine whether a person's poverty is God's work or a curse?

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. (Ecclesiastes 9:15)

Brothers and sisters, know that curses are also God's work, but how do you tell if a person's poverty is a curse? When a person is poor because they have made many wrong decisions, anyone who violates God's word will surely be cursed. This curse is severe; it is not the work of the devil, so if you live under a curse, know that it is God's work. So, what should you do when you are poor? Start thinking about how you came to be under the curse.

Perhaps it is not a curse but your Mingding Destiny; perhaps you are a Jacob, becoming poor for the sake of Mingding Destiny. But Jacob still maintained his faith in poverty. If a person is under a curse, there will be one characteristic: everything goes wrong, even drinking cold water causes problems.

Overcoming All Through Faith

Some people are poor, like Joseph, but even though he was a slave, God was with him, and he prospered in everything. Jacob was poor, but when he was shepherding Laban's sheep, God was with him. God made his uncle Laban very wealthy because of Jacob. If any of us are living under a curse, quickly learn the lesson of diligently keeping and obeying God's word. In the past, we did not diligently keep and obey God's word, we had thoughts of poverty within us, we loved money and the world, and as a result, God brought disaster upon us.

Brothers and sisters can discern this way: when a person is poor, their current situation is God's work. If they are under a curse, it is also God's work. If it is because of Mingding Destiny, that is also God's work, but as long as a person has faith, they will surely prosper. That poor wise man in the city is God's work, designed to confuse many people, causing them to fall into pits.

Never judge people by their appearance; poverty and wealth mean nothing; they are all God's work. The things we encounter may seem the same outwardly, but our reactions to them differ. For example, a person may be deeply in debt but still be a poor person at heart, without any Mingding Destiny, thinking only of their petty problems. I have encountered many people in dire financial straits whose minds are set on using their own strength and wisdom to turn things around. How can they? This is why we call it Mingding Destiny Theology, because we hope that the brothers and sisters in our church all have Mingding Destiny. Having Mingding Destiny is pleasing to God, and know that God is seeking such people to be a blessing.

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)

All our affairs are in God's hands, but what do you trust in? If you trust in God, you entrust everything to Him, trusting in Him alone, and from now on, no longer trust in yourself, nor in your circumstances, nor in human relationships, but trust in God alone, and God will lead your way. May God bless you all!

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

Scripture

Ecc 9:1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
Ecc 9:2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
Ecc 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Ecc 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Ecc 9:7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
Ecc 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Ecc 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Ecc 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Ecc 9:12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
Ecc 9:13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
Ecc 9:14 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:
Ecc 9:15 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.
Ecc 9:16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the wisdom of this poor man is despised, and his words are not heard.
Ecc 9:17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
Ecc 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.