Introduction
Are you treating God’s Word like a treasure you live by, or like a “good luck charm” you keep on the shelf? Wisdom from God is meant to shape your everyday decisions and change your countenance, so you don’t merely live “under the sun,” but with God’s light shining through you. Ecclesiastes has been confronting the emptiness of life lived only on earth, life “under the sun,” where we come with nothing and leave with nothing. Solomon has surveyed wealth, pleasure, work, righteousness, and grief, and he keeps returning to the same conclusion: without God, it’s all vapor. But now the book turns with emphasis toward the practical value of wisdom. I’m reminded of a story about a fisherman in the Philippines who survived a storm because his anchor caught on a mysterious rock. He took that “rock” home and kept it on his shelf for ten years as a good luck charm, until a house fire drew attention to it. Investigators discovered it wasn’t just a rock at all, but one of the largest pearls ever found, worth millions. He lived with a treasure in his home and didn’t recognize it. That’s a picture of what many of us do with Scripture. God says, “Be wise. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Trust Me, and I’ll teach you how life works.” And we say, “Great,” and put it on the shelf. But wisdom is a treasure “more valuable than rubies and precious gold” (implied from Proverbs). Solomon presses the point:
“Who is like a wise man? … Wisdom makes a man’s face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
God intends His wisdom to soften what’s hardened in us and put light where there’s been heaviness. So let me disciple you through several practical “do nots” and one life-giving “do” that help us walk in the wisdom that makes our face shine.
Main Points
Are you treating God’s Word like a treasure you live by, or like a “good luck charm” you keep on the shelf? Wisdom from God is meant to shape your everyday decisions and change your countenance, so you don’t merely live “under the sun,” but with God’s light shining through you.
Ecclesiastes has been confronting the emptiness of life lived only on earth, life “under the sun,” where we come with nothing and leave with nothing. Solomon has surveyed wealth, pleasure, work, righteousness, and grief, and he keeps returning to the same conclusion: without God, it’s all vapor. But now the book turns with emphasis toward the practical value of wisdom.
I’m reminded of a story about a fisherman in the Philippines who survived a storm because his anchor caught on a mysterious rock. He took that “rock” home and kept it on his shelf for ten years as a good luck charm, until a house fire drew attention to it. Investigators discovered it wasn’t just a rock at all, but one of the largest pearls ever found, worth millions. He lived with a treasure in his home and didn’t recognize it.
That’s a picture of what many of us do with Scripture. God says, “Be wise. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Trust Me, and I’ll teach you how life works.” And we say, “Great,” and put it on the shelf. But wisdom is a treasure “more valuable than rubies and precious gold” (implied from Proverbs). Solomon presses the point:
“Who is like a wise man? … Wisdom makes a man’s face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
God intends His wisdom to soften what’s hardened in us and put light where there’s been heaviness. So let me disciple you through several practical “do nots” and one life-giving “do” that help us walk in the wisdom that makes our face shine.
Wisdom Changes Your Countenance
Solomon doesn’t begin with technique; he begins with who wisdom makes you become. “Wisdom makes a man’s face shine.” It changes the look of your life, your tone, your posture, your presence.
I think of children learning to swim in the summer sun: their cheeks and noses start to glow. That’s a small picture of what happens when you live under the light of God’s Word. Time with God, real fellowship, real surrender, real listening, softens the sternness, lifts the heaviness, and puts joy and steadiness into your eyes.
And it’s not meant to be private. People around you should notice: your spouse, your kids, your neighbors, your coworkers. Not because you’re perfect, but because wisdom is making you different, less reactive, less cynical, less hardened, more like your Father.
Also, don’t expect this to be a one-time lesson. The wisdom writings (Ecclesiastes, Proverbs) train us for lifelong pursuit. There’s always more of God to know, more of His ways to learn, and more of His Word to apply.
Do Not Hasten Into Anger
Solomon gets extremely practical:
“Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.” (Ecclesiastes 7:9)
If you don’t want a heavy-hearted life, don’t feed the thing that makes you heavy. Anger often becomes the root beneath many foolish decisions, words you wish you could take back, reactions made in haste, damage done because you were “heated.”
James gives the pathway out:
“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19–20)
Here’s discipleship truth for our time: we live in an angry culture, and it tempts us to baptize our anger as “righteous.” But Scripture is clear, human anger does not produce God’s righteousness. You cannot pressure someone into holiness by being mad enough at them.
For parents, coaches, and leaders: people are moved more by patient, steady love than by uncontrolled wrath. God is “slow to anger” (a repeated biblical theme), and His kindness leads to repentance (implied). So if I’m going to grow in wisdom, I must learn to pause, listen, pray, and respond rather than explode.
And let me widen the lens: anger isn’t only rage. It’s also a strong feeling of annoyance. Many of us live slightly irritated, at drivers, waiters, teachers, coworkers, “impolite people,” and yes, even each other. That low-grade annoyance still hardens the face. Wisdom teaches me to bring even that to the Lord and ask Him to re-form my heart.
Let Love Cover, Not Anger Win
The most direct antidote to anger is not willpower; it’s love, God’s love shaping me.
“Love is not easily angered… keeps no record of wrong.” (1 Corinthians 13:5)
The primary law of the kingdom is love: love God, love your neighbor as yourself (implied from Jesus’ great commandment). When I practice love, I reflect God’s heart. And one rich exercise is to read 1 Corinthians 13 and put God’s name into the text: God is not easily angered. God keeps no record of wrong. He removes our sin “as far as the east is from the west” (implied from Psalm 103). That’s the family resemblance God is building into us.
Peter adds urgency:
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” (1 Peter 4:7–8)
We don’t have time to stay mad. Whether the Lord returns soon or calls us home soon, our window is brief. In the family of God, people will “clog the pipes,” so to speak, there will be offenses, immaturities, messes, and foolish moments. The question is: will I cover in love and move toward restoration, or will I harden, divide, and keep score?
Wisdom says, “Forgive quickly. Love fervently. Pray watchfully.” That kind of life shines.
Do Not Romanticize The Former Days
Solomon gives another warning that sounds almost too ordinary, until you realize how deeply it shapes people:
“Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.” (Ecclesiastes 7:10)
It’s easy to look backward and assume the best is behind: in your life, in your marriage, in your church, in your nation. But Solomon says that mindset is not wise. It’s a misreading of reality, and it becomes a quiet form of unbelief, because it denies that God is still working.
Our lives often move “from glory to glory” (implied from 2 Corinthians 3:18). That means there are glorious seasons, and there are in-between seasons where God is teaching patience, perseverance, and trust. Wisdom helps you accept the season you’re in without despair and without bitterness, believing God is still present and still forming you.
Confess Christ As The Living God
When people are stuck in “former days,” they start looking for God only in the past. That was happening in Israel. They remembered past prophets and past glory, and they were tempted to interpret everything through old reference points.
In Matthew 16, Jesus asked:
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13)
They answered with the past: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the prophets. But Jesus pressed closer:
“But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
Peter’s confession is the hinge:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
That word living matters. God is not only the God of “back then.” He is alive and active now. He receives our worship today. He speaks through His Word today. He works in His church today.
So I’m calling you to a simple but life-shaping act of wisdom: stop measuring God’s faithfulness by nostalgia. Stop assuming the best stories are behind you. Confess Jesus as the Christ in the present tense, and seek His wisdom for the life you’re living right now.
Conclusion
Ecclesiastes exposes the emptiness of life “under the sun,” but it also offers a better way: wisdom from God that changes how you live and even how you look, “wisdom makes a man’s face shine” (Ecclesiastes 8:1).
Don’t keep the treasure on the shelf. Open the Word. Mine it. Apply it. And start with what Solomon puts in front of us:
- Don’t rush into anger, anger leads to folly (Ecclesiastes 7:9; James 1:19–20).
- Let love, not irritation, define you, love covers and forgives (1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:7–8).
- Don’t live in constant nostalgia, the former days aren’t your measuring stick (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
- Confess Jesus as the present, reigning Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:13–16).
This is wisdom that softens hardness, heals relationships, and gives you a bright, steady presence in a dark and angry age.
Father, thank You for Your Word and for the wisdom You freely offer. Forgive me for the ways I’ve treated Scripture like something to admire but not obey. Lord, change my heart where it’s been hardened, especially in anger, irritation, and impatience. Teach me to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Fill me with fervent love that covers a multitude of sins, and give me grace to forgive quickly because the time is short and Your return is near. Help me not to romanticize the past, but to trust You as the living God who is working today. Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, make my life shine with Your wisdom for Your glory. Amen.
Conclusion
Ecclesiastes exposes the emptiness of life “under the sun,” but it also offers a better way: wisdom from God that changes how you live and even how you look, “wisdom makes a man’s face shine” (Ecclesiastes 8:1).
Don’t keep the treasure on the shelf. Open the Word. Mine it. Apply it. And start with what Solomon puts in front of us:
- Don’t rush into anger, anger leads to folly (Ecclesiastes 7:9; James 1:19–20).
- Let love, not irritation, define you, love covers and forgives (1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:7–8).
- Don’t live in constant nostalgia, the former days aren’t your measuring stick (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
- Confess Jesus as the present, reigning Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:13–16).
This is wisdom that softens hardness, heals relationships, and gives you a bright, steady presence in a dark and angry age.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your Word and for the wisdom You freely offer. Forgive me for the ways I’ve treated Scripture like something to admire but not obey. Lord, change my heart where it’s been hardened, especially in anger, irritation, and impatience. Teach me to be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Fill me with fervent love that covers a multitude of sins, and give me grace to forgive quickly because the time is short and Your return is near. Help me not to romanticize the past, but to trust You as the living God who is working today. Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, make my life shine with Your wisdom for Your glory. Amen.