Experience and wisdom – June 12, 2024

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 119:73-96; Eccles. 9:11-18; Gal. 5:1-15; Matt. 16:1-12

Today’s reading from the Hebrew Bible comes from Ecclesiastes. The rotation of readings from Holy Scripture over the past month has led us through some of the wisdom literature found in the Bible, mostly Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The messages in the Ecclesiastes texts are very often matter of fact observations about the truth of human interactions written from a perspective of one who has experienced much in life. Today’s excerpt from Ecclesiastes offers two sage messages: hardship strikes unexpectedly and randomly, and wisdom is valuable, yet often undervalued.

The wise observer writes, “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate the time of disaster.” (9:11-12a) As I sit with this piece, I think about the families affected by the shark attacks at the Gulf Coast on Friday last week. Three people enjoying time on vacations with family and friends look at life quite differently this day. Two have lost extremities. All are affected by the trauma. Others were around them, physically unscathed. Questions of “why me?” or “why not me?” bubble up – or they will, as these dear people process what has happened to them.

Ecclesiastes says that “time and chance happen to them all”. We all have or will experience hard, scary things … and it is not because of who we are or what we have done. Now, some of us have made poor choices at times and have reaped those consequences…and yet, I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes is pointing to those times when random hardships strike and life is changed. Those who suffer have an invitation of faith: to take the pain and loss, and then use it for courage and vulnerability and inspiration to God’s glory.  

Here's where it can be hard: we learn wisdom through life experience and sometimes our wise, informed voices are not heard or regarded. Ecclesiastes says, “the quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good.” (9:17-18) Much of this is grounded in the foibles of humanity and our proclivity for hard-headedness.

Today’s ancient piece of Holy Scripture from Ecclesiastes invites us to pause and ponder how it is we choose to see the day ahead, and how we choose to listen to those who have experience and insight. Let us pray for those who struggle to recover from disasters. Let us pray for open ears to hear and heed the words of wise people, so that we may not become “bunglers” who mess up the good around us.

May you feel fulfillment in God’s faithfulness today,

Katherine+

Reflection and Challenge

How do you arrive at wisdom? Why is it that others do not always jump to listen to wisdom? To which wise voices do you prefer to listen? What might you learn from other wise voices, though they are hard to listen to?