13 Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works. 14 There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. 15 A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no one thought to thank him. 16 So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.
17 Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king.
The preacher sees advantages to wisdom, but they are much more subtle than the more obvious advantages of power. His advice is profound: Better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish king. Long-term it is better to be influenced by the wise rather than powerful.
This is relevant in today's culture. Culture shouts to us with messages about what is good for us and what is not good for us. Some of this is wise. Much of it isn't. Sometimes culture can tell a lie better than Christians tell the Truth. One of the marks of a follower of Jesus is to embrace the quiet words of God and influence culture.
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