Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, Wisdom's Strength

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. [20] For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

The DSS renders verse 19, “Wisdom helps the wise more than ten rulers who are in a city.” Solomon’s books are fixated on the concept of wisdom, and to no surprise. Solomon, when made king, prayed to Yahweh for the sagaciousness to govern the massive nation of Israel as David left it. God answered the king’s prayers and gave him godly wisdom, the likes of which no common man had ever or would ever receive again.

Rather than rely on the rulers of the city that governed in his name, the preacher instead defers to wisdom as an instrument that is more capable and reliable than said rulers. Mind you, that is not to say that having many men of integrity and maturity governing is a bad idea, since it is written, “in the multitude of counselors [plans] are established,” Proverbs 15:22. But as for wisdom, it is written, “The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell (or Sheol) below,” Proverbs 15:24. The Solomonic books evidence that true wisdom descends from God. It is not a humanly attained wisdom but a divinely endowed one. There is a distinct difference. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy,” James 3:17. This is godly wisdom. James writes of earthly wisdom, “This wisdom (bitter envy and self seeking) does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic,” James 3:15.

Following the thought of verse 19, the preacher writes that there is no just man on earth. The ESV trades the word “just” for “righteous.” The Tanakh has a weaker rendering, replacing “just” with “good.” In any case, the effect is the same. The idea is a continuous present tense in this verse, as of a man who goes through life, incapable of always doing what is right and never sinning. Since Adam, save for our Lord Jesus Christ, every human being possesses a sin nature, and is incapable of only doing what is right and never sinning. In fact, according to the New Testament, until we are saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we NEVER do what is right, and only sin. We stand in judgment, we are under wrath, we dwell in spiritual death. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He is life, and if we do not possess Jesus, we do not have spiritual life. We are spiritually dead and can produce or perform nothing that God finds pleasing, John 14:6, Isaiah 64:6, see also Titus 1:15.

Verse 20 is buffered by the closing portion of this chapter, which I will not treat upon at length right now. Suffice it to say, the preacher seeks to know the reason of things, Ecclesiastes 7:25. Moreover, he affirms that he has discovered that God initially made man upright, or honorable, or honest. But men sought out many schemes, Ecclesiastes 7:29. We will deal more on this verse later, but it does serve to shed light on our current passage. There is not now a just or justified man, someone who only does what is good and always refrains from sinning. Jesus warned us that even lusting after a person is sin, Matthew 5:28. Being angry without cause at someone is sin, Matthew 5:22. James wrote that if we keep the whole law but err once, we have completely failed, James 2:10. John wrote, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us,” 1 John 1:9. And this was said to His saints!

It is not necessary to struggle always being upright. We will fail. We are to walk in the Spirit, and not give place to the flesh. Our focus should not be on the flesh and mortifying it; yes we are told to do that, but the focus of our faith, and the strength of our lives, comes not from the flesh but from Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, we will still sin once we are saved. Not even Paul was immune to this temptation by his own confession in Romans chapter 7. But God does not ask, much less demand that we strive by our own means to be upright. Rather, He gives us the righteousness of His Son, imparted to us by faith, so that our Lord’s righteousness is imputed to us, while our sin in all of its heinousness is imputed to our Lord, who paid for it once for all on the cross. If we strive to live the Christian life by the strength of the flesh I won’t say that we will fail. I am saying that we have already failed. Take the preacher’s words to heart: There is not a just man on earth who (only) does good and does not sin.