Are There any Wise Women?

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Ecclesiastes 7:26-28

 

7:26 I find more bitter than death

the woman who is a snare,

whose heart is a trap

and whose hands are chains.

The man who pleases God will escape her,

but the sinner she will ensnare.

27 "Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered:

"Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-

28 while I was still searching

but not finding—

I found one upright man among a thousand,

but not one upright woman among them all.

Are Women Wise? Are Men?

Definition of Wise:

1. having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.

2. characterized by or showing such power; judicious or prudent: a wise decision.

Not One Upright Woman says Solomon

This passage by Solomon is really baited to be a hot topic!

If you take it as is, Solomon is saying that there are no upright or wise women in the world. If this were true, how would you explain women like Margaret Thatcher, Eleanor Roosevelt or Condi Rice?

An Exaggeration?

In reality, Solomon is not saying that there are no wise or upright women. He is really saying that there are very few wise and upright men (one in one thousand) and even fewer wise and upright women.

Cultural Bias

The men of Solomon's day were taught religion and codes of ethics while most women were not. Women were treated more as property so this could account for the statistics of counting fewer wise and upright women. So, instead of just reading in this passage of Solomon that no women be wise, we should restate the passage as meaning that very few men or women are upright in God's eyes.

Let me repeat this; It's very difficult for God to find a wise and upright woman or man.

God is Wise - I am Not

I count myself in this too. When I feel more wise or upright than someone else, I only have to look at God's standards to bring me back to reality. He is the wise one and sometimes shares His ultimate wisdom with the rest of us. Of course, how much God shares depends upon how often we read His words and study the Holy Bible.

Goal to Become Wiser

Strive to be an upright and wise woman (or man) but don't expect to achieve complete wisdom or righteousness alone. Only through Christ can we achieve true holiness.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Ecclesiastes 7:7 - Money Talks and Bribes do Too!