I thought I did that already but here is probably the most obvious to me,
You said: “‘Ecclesiastes 9:18) Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but just one sinner can destroy much good.’….
So Ecclesiastes 9:18 is in reality a recommendation not to solely rely on wisdom, but to also keep yourself armed just in case. You should always be prepared for a non-peaceable encounter. (Ro 12:18)”
My point is that your “interpretation” of Ecclesiastes is about as twisty as it gets. That scripture is not in any way a recommenation to keep yourself armed just in case and to always be prepared for a non-peaceable encounter. So rather than ask me to reply once again to your comment, you let me know what in my replying comment is incorrect and why.
Thank you very much Driven.
Yes, i saw your response, but you covered many points there and trying to respond to all of those at once is like trying to have multiple conversations at once, which is why i requested a single scripture. After that is discussed we can move on to the another if you wish. And having you pick he scripture i can't be accused of picking an easy one and avoiding a difficult one.
Now, as for Ecclesiastes 9:18, Solomon liked to make statements referring to opposing points, like two sides of a coin, with the word "
but" in between. Here are a couple of examples:
(Ecclesiastes 4:11) if two lie down together, they will stay warm,
but how can just one keep warm?
(Ecclesiastes 4:12) someone may overpower one alone,
but two together can take a stand against him.
(Ecclesiastes 5:2) the true God is in the heavens
but you are on the earth.
(more: Ec 2:11, 21, 26; 4:11, 12; 5:2; 7:4, 26, 29; 8:12, 13; 9:5; 10:2, 6, 12)
He did the same thing in Proverbs. Here is a small example
:
(Pr 3:32-35) For Jehovah detests a devious person,
But His close friendship is with the upright.
The curse of Jehovah is on the house of the wicked one,
But he blesses the home of the righteous.
For he mocks those who ridicule,
But he shows favor to the meek.
The wise will inherit honor,
But the stupid ones glorify dishonor.
Here is what is in the Ramble:
(Ecclesiastes 9:18) Wisdom is
better than weapons of war,
but just one sinner can destroy much good.
Note the use of the word "better". The original Hebrew word "towbah" is translated in most other locations as "good". Here the scripture could literally be translated
: "Wisdom is (more good) than weapons of war", showing that both options are considered to be good since both can be used for the cause of good, one is just better, or more good.
The first half of that scripture is similar to this modern saying
: "The pen is mightier than the sword." In both instances smarter is better, but regardless of how smart or wise you are, if you are being attacked with a 'weapon of war' written words will not save you and trying to talk your way out of the situation is useless if the attacker is intent on harming you. As the counter argument in the second half of that verse points out
: "just one sinner can destroy much good.
" If we added a counter argument to the modern saying like that verse has it could go something like this
:
The pen is mightier than the sword, but a well written letter won't protect you if you are being attacked.
So Ecclesiastes 9:18 is in reality a recommendation
not to solely rely on wisdom, but to also keep yourself armed just in case. You should always be prepared for a non-peaceable encounter. (Ro 12:18)
(end quote)
In that verse Solomon is referring to both wisdom and weapons of war as good. It's like saying that Jehovah is better than Jesus. That does not mean that Jesus is not good, Jehovah is just better.
Remember, this is the old testament. Solomon is a king who has an army, and he is a powerful king because of that army. (1Ki 4:1-5) And Jehovah is called the God of armies. (Amos 4:13) Weapons of war are not thought of as evil. They are highly valued.
Using his style of comparing opposing points of view, he said wisdom is better than weapons, but ...
The opposite of wisdom being better than weapons of war would be weapons of war being better than wisdom, right?
So he adds the other side of the coin by giving an example of why wisdom is
not always better than weapons of war: "
just one sinner can destroy much good."
So if one sinner can destroy the good you have accomplished with your wisdom, how can you protect that good accomplishment from destruction? With weapons of war.
To me it seems clear what Solomon was saying. If you think he meant something else, please share with my your reasonings and scriptures.
(Ecclesiastes 7:5) Better to listen to a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
I welcome your rebuke.