11 I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all. 12 For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.

13 I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me: 14 There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

17 The calm words of the wise are heeded
over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Alex Chen

There’s a great reminder in this passage that time and chance happen to all. As the cost of living rises, do you feel that our human labour feels more and more futile? We can’t always get what we expect for working hard, or even receive our just reward. In a world where we seem to face more uncertainty with each new world event, it is more apparent than ever that what we work hard for, what we look forward to, isn’t guaranteed. So thinking about what is humanly smart, or strong, or skilful – how much value are we putting on these things? What does the way we use our time, our ambitions, or our resources say about how much we’re valuing them?

In uncertain times, what often comes out of us is greed, selfishness, and even paranoia. Instead of allowing these things to take over, let us in these times be grown in dependence on God, in generosity, and in sacrificial love.

Our passage also shows us that in a time of war, wisdom is more important and useful than mere strength. The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is good, and should be pursued – but even then, one sinner can destroy this good. What matters is having a right relationship with God and pursuing him rather than evil.

This passage is a helpful reminder of our human limitations in this world – that we do not control time and chance. No one knows their time. But we have a God who does know our world, who created our world – and he knows us too. Will you rightly acknowledge him? Come to him now in prayer, bring your uncertainties to him and the ugly things that uncertainty tends to produce in you, and ask him to grow you in dependence, generosity, and sacrificial love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex is one of our Student Ministers.