Solomon wrote:
“There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 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.
Then I said:
‘Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.’” (Ecclesiastes 9:14-18)
We live in a world where the one who shouts the loudest gets the most attention. It seems that most times, it is not the one who is the wisest who is heeded, but the one who is the most annoying and refuses to shut up.
What are we looking for when we seek advice or answers, the one who will be the first to answer, or the one who will give the right answer? Our world needs more people who desire to be wise more than they desire to be heard. We need men and women who will put God’s Word in their hearts with humility and thoughtfulness, seeking to understand the greatest wisdom to be found in this world – the wisdom from God.
As long as we listen to the one shouting the loudest, we will flounder and fail. It will only be when we begin listening to wisdom, whether it come from a person who is rich or poor, young or old, that we will be able to thrive.