Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 9:18
Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
18. Wisdom is better than weapons of war ] The maxim presents another illustration of the irony of history. The excellence of wisdom is acknowledged. Counsel is more than the materiel of war; the statesman more than the general, and yet one man by his guilt or folly, by the perversity which includes both (the Hebrew verb for “sinneth” has this meaning, as in Pro 8:36), may mar what it has taken years to bring to a good issue. The defeat of an army, the most terrible catastrophe, may often be traced to the fact that “some one has blundered,” in carelessness or passion. It is probable enough that, as in Ecc 9:14, the writer had some definite historical fact present to his thoughts which we are unable to identify. The history of Achan, in Jos 7:1-12, presents a sufficient illustration.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sinner – The word in the original indicates intellectual as well as moral error.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. Wisdom is better than weapons of war] So proved in the case of Archimedes.
But one sinner] Such as the Roman butcher above mentioned.
Destroyeth much good] Such as were the life and skill of the Syracusan mathematician. One sinner has often injured the work of God; one stumbling-block has sometimes destroyed a revival of religion. Sin acts like a ferment; whatever comes in contact with it, it assimilates to itself.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Than weapons of war; than armed power.
Sinner; a wicked fool; by which expression and opposition of a sinner to a wise man he gives us a key to understand his meaning in divers places of his books, that by wisdom he means true piety, and by folly wickedness; and withal, showeth that sin, as it is the greatest folly, so it is more pernicious to men than mere folly properly so called.
Destroyeth much good; by his wicked counsels and courses brings much damage and mischief, both to himself and others.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. one sinner, c. (Jos 7:1Jos 7:11; Jos 7:12).Though wisdom excels folly (Ecc 9:16;Ecc 7:19), yet a “littlefolly (equivalent to sin) can destroy much good,” both inhimself (Ecc 10:1; Jas 2:10)and in others. “Wisdom” must, from the antithesis to”sinner,” mean religion. Thus typically, the “littlecity” may be applied to the Church (Luk 12:32;Heb 12:22); the great king toSatan (Joh 12:31); thedespised poor wise man, Jesus Christ (Isa 53:2;Isa 53:3; Mar 6:3;2Co 8:9; Eph 1:7;Eph 1:8; Col 2:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war,…. And does what they cannot do; of which the wisdom of the poor wise man is a full proof, which delivered the city from a potent prince, when weapons of war could not: see Ec 7:10;
but one sinner destroyeth much good: his own soul by his sins, and the souls of others by his counsels, example, and conversation, which corrupt good manners; so does one sinner in a family, neighbourhood, and town; as one poor wise man does much good, one sinner mars much; one Achan in a camp or army, one bad counsel for in a cabinet, one false teacher in the church, will do a great deal of mischief, as well as one debauchee in a town or city. The Vulgate Latin version is, “who sins in one”; offends or sins in one, as in Jas 2:10; so the Syriac version, “one sin destroys much good”, or many good things; and to the same purpose the Arabic version, “he that committeth one sin”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The following proverb also leans on the history above narrated: “Better is wisdom than weapons of war; and one sinner destroyeth much good.” The above history has shown by way of example that wisdom accomplishes more than implements of war, = (Assyr. unut tahazi )
(Note: Vid., Fried. Delitzsch’s Assyr. Stud. p. 129.)
i.e., than all the apparatus belonging to preparation for war. But the much good which a wise man is accomplishing or has accomplished, one sinner ( )
(Note: The Syr. (not the Targ.) had before it, and thus realized it, which appears to correspond better with the parall. .)
by treachery or calumny may render vain, or may even destroy, through mere malicious pleasure in evil. This is a synthetic distich whose two parts may be interpreted independently. As wisdom accomplishes something great, so a single villain may have a far-reaching influence, viz., such as destroys much good.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
18. Wisdom weapons The antithesis is continued, Though wisdom be better. The anecdote given above illustrates this. The “poor wise man” prevaileth over the army and the bulwarks.
But Better, yet.
One sinner One fool. Said the French king of his heir and grandson, Francis I., “This great boy will spoil all.” And so he did; and illustrations of the like are sadly frequent. A fool may mar and baffle the wisest plans of the wise.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
DISCOURSE: 843
THE DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE OF SINNERS
Ecc 9:18. One sinner destroyeth much good.
THE influence of every man in his sphere is considerable. Solomon had seen a remarkable instance of a poor man delivering by his wisdom a small and ill-garrisoned city from the besieging army of a very powerful monarch. From hence he was led to consider the superiority of wisdom above wealth or power. On the other hand, he saw that, as a wise and good man might be extremely useful, so a foolish and wicked man might do a great deal of injury, to those around him. Hence, contrasting the two, he observed, Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
In illustrating the latter member of the sentence, we shall point out the truth of it,
I.
In nations
[Men of all classes in the community may greatly affect the state to which they belong.
A weak and ambitious monarch, how soon may he involve his people in war, and reduce them to the very brink of ruin! Such was Solomons only son, who, in the space of a few weeks, goaded ten tribes out of the twelve that he ruled over, to revolt from him, and to establish a separate and independent kingdom [Note: 1Ki 12:16.].
An aspiring subject also may, by exaggerating the peoples grievances, and promising them effectual redress, stir up multitudes to insurrection, and involve a nation in all the horrors of civil war. Thus did Absalom [Note: 2Sa 15:2-6; 2Sa 15:10-14.]: and thus have demagogues in every age, in every state.
What immense evil too may not a cruel persecutor effect! How may such an one waste the Church of God and destroy it! One Jezebel could murder a whole host of prophets [Note: 1Ki 18:13.]; and one Saul depopulate the Christian Church [Note: Act 9:1-2.]. And, in this nation as well as others, time was, when one cruel bigot kindled fires in every part of the country, to extirpate, if possible, those, who would not return to the justly reprobated errors of her religion.
If a great man be conspicuous for impiety and profaneness, his conduct will be attended with a most baneful influence. Soon will sycophants imitate his example, till irreligion becomes the fashion of the day, and every thing sacred is trampled under foot. What an awful instance of such success have we in Jeroboam; who, the more effectually to detach from Judah the ten revolted tribes, erected idols in Dan and Bethel, which from that hour became, and ever afterwards remained, the objects of worship through the whole kingdom [Note: Hos 5:11. In this verse is mentioned not his success only, but the evil it brought upon them.]! Hence he is continually stigmatized with the name of him who made Israel to sin [Note: 1Ki 22:52.]!
But indeed any enormous sinner, of whatever class, does much to destroy the peace and prosperity of his country. What is it that arms God against a nation, and provokes him to visit it with war, pestilence, and famine? Is it not sin? Every sinner therefore, in proportion as he increases the nations guilt, contributes also to its punishment. In many instances we know, that the whole kingdom of Israel suffered for the offence of one; not for that of David only, who was the monarch [Note: 2Sa 24:10; 2Sa 24:15.]; but for that also of Achan, an obscure individual [Note: Jos 22:20.]: nor till the last day will it appear what injury this nation has sustained by means of every one here present.]
II.
In families
[What confusion is brought into any house by an imperious husband, a contentious wife, or an undutiful, stubborn child! Instead of love and harmony, there is little else than brawling and quarrelling; so that the very sight of each other, which ought to call forth all the tender emotions of their hearts excites nothing but enmity and disgust.
A man addicted to lewdness, gaming, intemperance, evil company, or idleness, to what wretchedness may he soon reduce his family! God has put a price into the hand of such an one to make his dependents happy, but he knows not how to use it [Note: Pro 17:16.]. He might support them in ease and comfort, but brings them to want and desperation. How many instances of this are found in every town and village!
Nor can we easily estimate the good which a whisperer and a tale-bearer may destroy. Behold, he comes into a house where friends or relatives are cemented in the strictest bonds of union and amity: but he creates suspicion, and alienates their minds, and kindles feuds, and fills with animosity the bosoms that once glowed with mutual affection [Note: Pro 16:28.].
But what shall we say of the vile seducer, who under the mask of friendship enters the house of his unsuspecting neighbour, and avails himself of the opportunity to decoy his daughter, or to defile his wife? Alas! what incalculable misery does such a man create! For the sake of a momentary gratification, how many hearts does he pierce with the deepest and most lasting sorrow! What disgrace does he bring upon the whole family, involving the innocent with the guilty in irremediable shame, and bowing them down with grief that hurries them to the grave! Would to God that, if such a character exist in this assembly, he might be smitten with remorse, and wounded to his inmost soul!]
III.
In the church of God
[On whom shall we fix our eyes, as hostile to the Churchs welfare, so soon as on the careless minister? To him God has committed the improvement of sabbaths, and ordinances, and of the sacred oracles. To him he has given souls to be nurtured and disciplined for heaven. But the traitor is intent only on his own gains or pleasures: he performs his weekly task, not caring whether any be edified or not: he wastes the precious opportunities, that can never be recalled; and, in the course of his ministry, leads thousands to destruction. Yes; as far as his influence extends, he makes null and void all the purposes of Gods grace, and all the wonders of redeeming love. When, humanly speaking, he might have been a blessing to the world, and an ornament to his profession, he brings his sacred function into reproach, scattering the flock whom he should have gathered, and destroying whom he should have saved. Such an one is Satans best friend, and the greatest enemy of God and man.
Much good also may be destroyed, especially where men are awake to the concerns of religion, by a proud disputatious sectary. I speak not here of those who dissent from the Established Church, but of those who create divisions within the Church by unduly insisting on matters of minor importance, and of doubtful disputation. Though the sentiments of such an one be not fundamentally erroneous, yet if he be laying an undue stress on matters that are comparatively indifferent, and forming parties in the church, he distracts the minds of the simple; he puffs up many with pride; he loosens the bonds of brotherly affection; he weakens the hands of a pious minister, and he causes many to relapse into formality and indifference [Note: Rom 16:17-18.]. Of such a character were Hymeneus [Note: 2Ti 2:16-18; 2Ti 2:23; 2Ti 3:6; 2Ti 3:13.], and Alexander [Note: 2Ti 4:14-15.]: and one such root of bitterness will trouble and defile many [Note: Heb 12:15. See also 1Co 5:2; 1Co 5:6 and Gal 5:7; Gal 5:9.]: on which account we should be as studious as possible to stop their growth [Note: Tit 1:13-14; Tit 3:9-11.].
There is scarcely any one in the universe who does greater injury to the Church than the professor who walks dishonourably. One act of his brings disgrace upon the whole Church of God, and makes religion to stink in the very nostrils of those around him [Note: Gen 34:30.]. Instantly do the ungodly begin to triumph [Note: Psa 35:19; Psa 35:25.], to arraign all the people of God as hypocrites, and to represent religion itself as a mask for every thing that is vile [Note: 2Pe 2:2.]. Thus the wicked are hardened, the weak are offended, the saints are dishonoured, and the very name of God is blasphemed in the world [Note: 1Ti 6:1.]. How does God himself complain of this in the case of David [Note: 2Sa 12:14.]! and how incalculable must the evil be, when multitudes are thus offended, and set against the very means of salvation!
There is yet one more character that we shall mention, whose conduct indeed is less extensively destructive, but not less injurious to those within his sphere, we mean, the scoffer. He brings no disgrace upon religion, because he makes no profession of it. Nor can he greatly impede its progress in the world, because he is not invested with authority or influence. But perhaps there is some relation, some friend, whom he can discourage by sneers and ridicule, if not also by menaces and actual unkindness. Suppose then that, in one single instance, he succeed in breaking the bruised reed and quenching the smoking flax; who shall appreciate the good he has destroyed? to ruin one for whom Christ died; and who, but for such an obstacle, would have got safe to heaven [Note: Rom 14:15.]! If the whole world be of no value in comparison of a soul [Note: Mat 16:26.], then, in that single act, the scoffer has done more harm than the whole world can recompense.]
Application
1.
Let us guard against receiving evil from others
[It was a heathen poet that said, Evil communications corrupt good manners; and from him the Apostle quotes it, for the edification of the Church of Christ [Note: 1Co 15:33. It is an Iambic verse from Menander.]. Behold then what reason itself, as well as Scripture, teaches us in reference to the subject before us. One person infected with the plague may do us more injury than a hundred healthy persons can do us good. I would earnestly entreat all, therefore, and young persons especially, not to admit to their friendship so much as one associate, whose ways are evil. For who can tell to what an extent the principles and conduct of such a man may prevail, to efface the good impressions that have been made upon his mind, and to induce habits that may prove fatal to his soul? If I regarded nothing but your temporal prosperity, I should give this advice: but when I take eternity into the account, I cannot but urge it upon every one here present, and say with the Apostle, Come out from amongst such persons altogether, and be separate from them, and do not so much as touch the unclean thing or person that may contaminate your soul.
2.
Let us to the utmost of our power repair the evil which we ourselves have done
[Suppose us ever so free from the more flagrant instances that have been mentioned, there is not one amongst us who has not done much evil by means of his example. We have all lived, like the world around us, in a neglect of God and of our own souls: and, in so doing, have countenanced the same conduct in others. Thus, whether we intended it or not, we have confirmed many in their ungodly ways, and have contributed to their eternal ruin. Let us go now, and undo what we have done: alas! we cannot find one half of them: many are not known by us: many are gone to distant parts: many are already in the eternal world: and, if we should attempt to convert those to whom we can get access, they would laugh at us as fools, or despise us as hypocrites. Besides, all of them in their respective spheres have diffused the contagion which they received from us: and thus have put it beyond the reach of man to trace, or even to conceive, the evil we have done. And does not all this call for penitence? Yes; if our head were a fountain of tears to run down incessantly to the latest hour of our lives, it would be no more than the occasion calls for. But with our penitence we must unite our utmost efforts to repair the evil we have done.
To repair it with respect to God, is the work of Christ only. He alone can render satisfaction for our sins; his blood alone can cleanse us from the guilt we have contracted by them. But with respect to man we may do something, though we cannot do all that we could wish. Let us begin with our example: this speaks the most forcibly, and the most extensively. Let us, by giving up ourselves to God, shew others what they ought to do: and let our light so shine before men, that they may be constrained to glorify God, and to take shame to themselves. Next, let us use our influence: be it small or great, let us not neglect to exert it, that by every means in our power we may counteract our past evils, and stir up others to flee from the wrath to come. Finally, let us be fervent in our intercessions at the throne of grace, that God may take to him his great power, and establish his kingdom upon earth. Let us particularly pray for those, whom, in any respect, we may have allured from the path of duty. Thus, like the great Apostle, we shall make some compensation to the world for all the injuries it has sustained by our means, and shew, that, if one sinner can destroy much good, one saint can effect much which shall be a ground of joy and gratitude to all eternity.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
READER! amidst many blessed meditations, which this chapter leads to, let us seek for grace from God the Spirit to derive improvements from the sweet view here opened to our souls concerning the Person, worth, wisdom, love, and salvation of the Lord Jesus.
The church of God is, indeed, like the little city here spoken of; for though beautiful, like Mount Zion, and the joy of the whole earth, yet compared to the world’s wide wilderness it is but little, and as this scripture saith, hath few men in it. Oh! how may the people of God in the present hour mourn over the languishing state of Zion! Oh! how doth the enemy now scoff, saying, Is this Zion whom no man looketh after! And this is not all: for even Zion, though small, and her citizens few in number, yet a great king is come up against her. Jehovah, King of kings, and Lord of lords, hath a controversy with Zion, by reason of her rebellion and sin. And He hath besieged Zion with his law and justice He hath thrown up bulwarks against Zion, so that she is dreadfully beset with the arrows of his broken law, and the curses which must ultimately fall upon everyone that sinneth. And, as if this was not sufficiently alarming, the great enemy of souls, as the accuser of the brethren, throws in his fiery darts, and threatens instant destruction.
Reader! in this representation, (for it ceaseth to be a parable being really and literally the case) whither shall we look, or to whom shall we come, for help? Who can deliver the sinners in Zion from the wrath to come? There is one, indeed, mighty to save; but he is a poor man, though a wise one. Shall we look to him? Yes, precious Jesus! let every eye be directed to thee. Thou wert rich, indeed, Lord, yet we know, for our sakes thou becamest poor, that we through thy poverty might be made rich. And thou art wise, also; for in thee are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Here, Lord, I behold thee in this two-fold character. Poor thou art, indeed, for poverty suited thee when the Godhead condescended to become man. And wise thou must be, for in the moment thou didst assume the manhood, thou wert and still art the only wise God. Such a Redeemer became suited, and thou wert found altogether formed for the purpose. Hence, blessed Jesus, it is thou, and thou alone, who wert equal, by thy wisdom, to deliver the city – And thou hast delivered it, and redeemed us to God by thy blood. Hail! holy, glorious, triumphant Lord! let every knee bow before thee, and every tongue confess that thou art Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
One humble boon I present before thee, Lord, this day! Oh! grant that both he that writes, and he that reads, may rejoice in the blessing granted forever! Grant, Lord, that we may not be among the ungrateful number of them that forget thee! Lord Jesus, forbid it. Shall we ever forget thee? Shall not the remembrance of thee be the first, and last, and everlasting object of remembrance, in our whole souls? Forget thee! Let every thought be done away in eternal oblivion, before that Jesus be forgotten. As long as memory can hold a place in our poor mind, let the name of Jesus, never, never be worn out. Let us, gracious Lord, at thy board, and table, continually celebrate, in the memorials of bread and wine, thy blessed memory. And, when at the last, the heart strings of these dying bodies give way, still may the name and blessedness of Jesus remain, and the last words of our trembling lips be in concord with the first of our eternal song; to Jesus, the Lamb slain, as the Redeemer of his people, his beloved city, be praise, love, and thanksgiving forevermore.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Personality In Evil
Ecc 9:18
We have often taken occasion to point out how easy it is to destroy. The illustrations which instantly crowd around the subject are as obvious as they are innumerable. One touch may damage what it would require hours to repair. A child can pluck a flower, but no angel can put it in its place again. A frightful illustration that of some of the great moral processes which men may accomplish! To pluck the soul out of God really means to destroy the soul; because it is then cut off from the currents of vitality, and dispossessed of all that sustenance which is essential to the maintenance of the spiritual life. No man can put himself back again into God, so to say; nor can any angel do this work of reunion: but in the gospel of Christ it is distinctly declared that by the power of grace dead men may live, and even those who have committed spiritual suicide may rise again in the power of God. We need not hesitate to describe this as a miracle, for we gain nothing by lowering our terms, or robbing them of all their highest meanings, merely to please the carnal reason; regeneration must be regarded as the supreme miracle of God, and spoken of as such with thankfulness and reverence. We all know how true is the doctrine of the text in material things. It is the same in all social relations. For example, ask about a man’s commercial standing in a doubtful tone, and that very doubtfulness has fastened a stigma upon the reputation in question; not a word may have been spoken which if put into print could be regarded as otherwise than respectful and even reasonable, but the whole meaning was twisted by the suggestive tone in which the inquiry was put. For this reason we can never understand any mere report of proceedings; we must ourselves have been present and noticed the spirit and attitude and tone of every speaker. This is the great advantage of examination and cross-examination in a court of law. Judge and jury see the witnesses, form an opinion of their appearance, hear the tone in which questions are asked and answered, and thus are able to bring living evidence to bear upon that which is merely verbal. The soul is the man. Bring an accusation against any one, and the charge may be remembered when the defence is forgotten; years after an enemy may feel himself entitled to ask whether once a very serious accusation was not brought against this or that man. This he may pretend to do with the utmost innocence; he may find it convenient to forget the reply which was made, it being enough for his malign purpose to suggest the existence of the accusation, though at the time it was overwhelmed and destroyed. Say that a man is “not sound in the faith”; nay, it is unnecessary to go so far as to make a positive assertion, inquire whether a man is not sound in the faith, and irreparable injury is inflicted upon that man’s reputation. The accuser has always a great advantage over the vindicator. The human heart, explain it as we may, is predisposed to believe evil. We seem to like to hear evil of one another: it touches our love of gossip; it excites our curiosity; it appeals to our imagination; it slakes the thirst of our depravity. You will find it to be true in human life that a wicked report is more freely circulated than a good one. Send about the report that such and such a friend is a good man, and the report may be listened to inattentively, and circulated with extreme reluctance, if circulated at all. The information that a man is good often goes in at one ear and passes out at the other. On the other hand, circulate a report that the very same person is far from what he ought to be in point of moral character, and the report will seem to take the wings of the wind, and to fly in every direction; again and again it will come up against the man like a hot blast; questions will be asked, attitudes will be assumed, inferences will be drawn from the most unsuggestive circumstances, and around the man an atmosphere will be created in which he can hardly breathe.
A fact so melancholy as this ought to teach us something. A fact so malignantly influential ought not to be lost, especially upon those of us who profess to follow Christ. Such a fact should supply us with a test by which to judge evil reports. We shall know ourselves to be in Christ, and to be breathing his spirit, when we encounter all evil reports with severe suspicion. We should never present a listening ear to the man who has evil to speak of his neighbour; simply because we know that evil exaggerates itself, and is exaggerated by its reporters, and that cruel and even murderous words are easily spoken, and are often lightly remembered by the man who speaks them. It is an excellent rule in social life instantly to believe every good thing that is said of any man; set it down, magnify it, illuminate it, repeat it everywhere; for it is certain to be true, otherwise it could hardly have been conceived by one man of another. Never let a good action, as done by some other man, perish for want of reputation. On the other hand, distrust every statement against a man’s character; give the reporter to feel that he is doing what to you is a most disagreeable business; when he tells you that he was obliged to hear the report, instantly assure him that he was not obliged to repeat it. Do not be a thoroughfare through which all evil may circulate freely; never consent to be the common sewer of the society in which you live and move; let every talebearer feel that in you he certainly will not have an attentive listener, but rather an adverse and determined critic.
This fact should also diminish the influence of the mischief-maker. He must always be treated as a destructionist. Is it after all so very clever a thing to throw stones at a window? Is he to be petted and fawned upon as a genius of remarkable capacity and energy who scratches with a needle-point the silvered mirror? Is he to be listened to with respect, as a seer and a prophet, who tries by foul breath to dim the fine gold of a great character? Again and again let us teach that there should be no place in decent society for any man who disparages his fellow-men; he should not be listened to; he should be made to feel that tale-bearing is immoral, and that to take away a character is to take away a life. That is really the point to be fixed upon with moral intensity. What is life without character? The character is the man. Many a critic who would hesitate to injure a man’s flesh, is almost eager to impair a man’s reputation. The morality of the Church must undergo a thorough change in all these matters. To whisper that a man is not what he ought to be is really to put a knife to the man’s throat. Let us, therefore, no longer hesitate to call the talebearer an assassin, an Iscariot, a murderer. At all events, we should insist upon having day and date down to the very moment of time at which certain things reported against the man are said to have occurred; living witnesses should be called for; every reference should be verified; and in this way the newsmonger would be made to feel that he cannot be permitted to go through and through society, scattering seeds of evil, but that everywhere he will be encountered with suspicion, judgment, and contempt. Good men should be stimulated to do their difficult part with more zealous diligence. It is easy to remove the bloom from a peach, but it is impossible to restore it. The great cathe-dial which is the work of centuries may be reduced to ashes in a night. How hard it is to build it! How easy to pull it down! As Christians, we have the difficult work to do. How difficult to reclaim a man from an evil habit! How earnestly he is to be persuaded, how carefully watched, how dearly defended! You must neither fear him nor hinder him; you must study his varying moods, and address yourself to his varying circumstances; you must watch for his soul as they who must give an account. Beasts trample down, man must build up; winter desolates, summer renews; war destroys, peace reconstructs: one day of war can overturn the civilisation of a millennium. How hard it is to do good! How difficult to save a soul! We have heard of the white ant which works such havoc in the woodwork of some lands. It is never known what mischief the little insect is doing until its work is completed. Take the door of a house for example: it looks in perfect order; not a single trace can be found in any part of the surface of any mischief having been done; but attempt to open that door, and instantly it will be found that there is nothing but a skin of paint; the white ant has eaten out all the wood, and left nothing which it could destroy. So it may be in our moral relations. Our social standing may appear to be just the same it ever was; not a solitary change may be traceable upon all the surface of our lives; so far as appearances are concerned there may be completeness and attractiveness in our position; but a deadlier enemy than the white ant may have eaten out our character, destroyed our best motives and ambitions, utterly wrecked everything that constituted our noblest manhood, and at a given signal a touch may reveal the real state of affairs, and prove us to have been but painted nothingness. Never forget how easy it is to destroy. Take the most beautiful painting ever executed by human hands, and one daub of paint drawn across it by a ruthless hand destroys all beauty and value. It would appear as if in proportion to the ease of doing harm is the temptation to do it. In this, as in all other things, as we have seen, there is but a step between man and death. To have the power to destroy, and yet not to exert that power, is a terrible temptation to some natures. We have heard of instances in which men could not reason themselves out of a temptation to commit suicide; they seemed to realise with a new and strange delight of consciousness that their lives were in their own power; theoretically they would always have admitted this and treated it as the simplest of commonplaces; but in some particular moment there has rushed upon them the consciousness that they could actually take away their own lives, and the temptation has been suddenly carried to the point of irresistible-ness. We are always within one step of suicide. There is but a word between us and utter destruction. One action of the pen, and our whole character is destroyed for ever. Whilst this is true with regard to the individual man, it may be said to be true in a peculiar sense with regard to social man, and to come upon us in that aspect with strong temptations and seductions; for whilst many men would hesitate to commit suicide, they almost feel delight in committing murder. Yes, we murder men, let me say it again, when we take away their character. Fear not them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but hold in deadliest fear the men who would throw a slur upon your character, or in any way filch from you your good name.
The text brings before us the figure of the sinner. Truly he is an old character in human history! We ought to be familiar with his aspect by this time. But our familiarity with him may have bred disregard of his influence. Our efforts are not to be directed against the sinner so much as against the sin. Herein it is that Jesus Christ comes before us as no other reformer ever appeared. He will not merely reason with the sinner, pointing out to him the consequences of his actions, and showing him the better way even from a political point of view; no; he will go further than this; he will address himself to the very springs of life. What he wants may be described not so much as good works as a good worker; therefore he proposes to regenerate the heart, to renew the innermost springs of vitality, and to make man “a new creature”: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold all things are become new.” It is useless to reason with the sinner unless, behind our reasoning, there is the assurance that we can, by the grace of God, bring him to feel that he cannot heal or restore himself, but must be redeemed with an unspeakable price, and regenerated by the mighty energy of the Holy Ghost.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Ecc 9:18 Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Ver. 18. Wisdom is better than weapons of war. ] As David found it in his encounter with Goliath, Gideon in his stratagem against the Midianites, and our renowned Drake in dissipating that Invincible Armada, which being three years in preparing with incredible cost, was by his wisdom within a month overthrown and confounded, with the loss of one English ship only, and not a hundred persons. Romani sedendo vincunt. This was the glory of the Romans, that they conquered the world by wisdom, not by weapons.
“ Unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem. ”
Not Achilles, but Ulysses is termed , the sacker of cities; a Cyneas took mere towns by his policy than Pyrrhus by his prowess.
But one sinner destroyeth much good.
a Plutarch.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
better: Ecc 9:16
sinner: Jos 7:1, Jos 7:5, Jos 7:11, Jos 7:12, Jos 22:20, 1Sa 14:28, 1Sa 14:29, 1Sa 14:36-46, 2Sa 20:1, 2Sa 20:2, 2Th 2:8-12, 2Ti 2:16-18, 2Ti 3:8, 2Ti 4:3, 2Ti 4:4, Tit 1:10, Tit 1:11, Heb 12:15, Heb 12:16
Reciprocal: Jos 6:18 – make the camp 1Sa 14:30 – had there 1Ch 12:32 – all their 2Ch 33:3 – he built again Job 34:30 – General Job 35:8 – may hurt Ecc 2:21 – whose Jer 41:3 – General Dan 2:23 – who hast Jon 1:12 – for 1Co 5:13 – Therefore