By the second half of Ecclesiastes 7, Solomon started to get a little better perspective on life. As a result, his counsel took on a whole new style. The dark clouds of despair and hopelessness broke, thanks to the hope that wisdom brought. Instead of cold, sarcastic cynicism, Solomon’s words evidenced a greater depth of caring, understanding, and insight. In the seventh chapter, each verse drips with rich and rare wisdom…the kind of counsel we get so little of in our world of human advice.

But the writer’s desire was not that we simply extol the virtues of wisdom and stand in awe of it, but that we put it to work. What good is wisdom on the shelf of theory? Who needs it if it can’t benefit everyday life? Ecclesiastes 7:15–29 will help us see wisdom’s practical usefulness.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

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