Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 11 I returned and saw under the sun that—The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. 13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares[b] around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. 16 Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. 17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.”
SOAP – Ecclesiastes 9:17-18 Solomon states that one’s strength, wisdom, or skill, does not necessarily predict one’s success on earth. But, he does praise the value of wisdom, describing it as better than strength. He describes the words of the wise as quiet and powerful. The wise person does not need to speak loudly as she shares her advice. She speaks calmly, because she wants people to be calm. She speaks sensibly, because she wants people to be sensible. She relies on the double-edged sword of the Word of God as her weapon instead of words of fear, hatred, or envy, because she values truth shared in love.