Ecclesiastes 6:8

"For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?"does the wise man have over the fool?" -"When we object that men have more in them than this, and better things to live for, verse. does not let this pass without. challenge" (Kidner p. 61). Once again, "advantage" means "lasting advantage". Someone might argue that the wise man will be better off financially, but even this temporary material advantage isn't true in every case (Ecc. Ecclesiastes 9:11). In addition, the wise man's wisdom may bring him pain-rather than peace of mind (Ecc. Ecclesiastes 1:18 "Because in much wisdom there is much grief"). How many secular "deep thinkers" have committed suicide? How many secular writers or poets have been men and women who went from one emotional extreme to the other and basically lived very miserable lives?

"What advantage does the poor man have" -and lest we are tempted to glorify the life of the hard working peasant (as it done in various communist writings), Solomon challenges us on this point also. "What does. poor man, however well thought of, actually get for his pains?" (Kidner pp. 61-62). Lest we say that the hard working and moral peasant will find happiness-not if they also ignore God. The good life isn't found on the farm or working the land when God is excluded from the picture.

"knowing how to walk before the living" -that is the poor man who doesn't use his poverty as an excuse to break the law or sin. The hard working blue color worker who is. good neighbor. The man who knows how to behave himself in the company of his fellowman. But even such. poor man can have dreams, big dreams, dreams which never are fulfilled. One might be rich,. fool or. prudent poor man, but if you can't enjoy what you have-then you are all equal! The rich man who is miserable and frustrated is on the same level as the man or woman living on the street because of their own foolishness.