This morning, I invite you to turn with me as we read together Proverbs chapter 2, Proverbs 2, and then turning to Ecclesiastes 7. As we read the first 12 verses of Ecclesiastes 7 with our focus this morning, the text being Ecclesiastes 7, verse 12. Proverbs 2 and Ecclesiastes 7. Now, the book of Ecclesiastes, we know, is what we call wisdom literature, along with primarily Job and Proverbs. And the wisdom literature talks really about life. It talks about living this life and contrasts the foolish man and how the foolish man lives this life and the wise man and the wise man's living of this life. The author of Ecclesiastes, we know, is Solomon. Now, young people, those of you who were able to attend the Reformed Youth Services Winter Retreat a couple of months ago, you may recall that Reverend Toonstra, in his introduction to his messages, which he spoke from Ecclesiastes, he said that some say that Ecclesiastes was the last book that Solomon wrote. We don't know for sure, but that's what some believe. They say that the Song of Songs, the Song of Solomon, was the first book that he wrote when Solomon was young and he was in love and he was still filled with a romantic view of life. And then it's thought that he wrote the book of Proverbs. When he was maybe middle-aged, he was a little more calm, cool, and collected with regard to his outlook of life. And then finally, in his old age, in the last years of his life, looking back, as it were, at life, then they say he wrote Ecclesiastes. This morning, we want to consider Ecclesiastes 7, verse 12, with the help, really, of the book of Proverbs, as the preacher preaches of wisdom's protection. Proverbs chapter 2, we begin with, verse 1. Hear now the word of the Lord. My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright. He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair, every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it. But the wicked will be cut off from the land and the unfaithful will be torn from it. Ecclesiastes 7, beginning also at verse 1. A good name is better than fine perfume. and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man. The living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. Extortion turns a wise man into a fool and a bribe corrupts the heart. The end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say, Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions. Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who seek the Son. In the words of our text, Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter. But the advantage of knowledge is this, that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. Now, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, Ecclesiastes 1, verses 1 and 2 says, The words of the teacher, also translated preacher, the words of the teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem, meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher, utterly meaningless, everything is meaningless. You see, we might say that the theme of Ecclesiastes is exactly that, that this life and the things of this life is meaningless. The preacher goes on to talk about those things. But Solomon, the preacher here, he doesn't seem to be very encouraging, does he? Doesn't seem to be very positive. In fact, the very opposite. He seems to be quite negative and depressing, a little bit pessimistic. And if you think about it, if you listen closely, the first verses of chapter 7 support this. A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man. The living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. And we could continue on. But we listen to that and we say, well, wait a minute. I don't think like that. The day of death is better than the day of birth. Sorrow is better than laughter. That's depressing. What in the world could the preacher mean by that? Well, in a nutshell, I think he means to say that when we face death, let's say when we face the death of a loved one, it's then, really, that we come to grips with reality. We take a more sober look at life. We tend to then see what's really important. We tend to finally realize what it is that really gives meaning. And the conclusion, then, is that this life, all by itself, has no lasting meaning. The things of this life provide no lasting satisfaction, no lasting contentment. this life and the things of this life have limitations. They're limited. They cannot, they do not provide true purpose, true joy, true contentment, true comfort, true satisfaction. Those things in their true forms come only from God. But then we come to this text, chapter 7, verse 12, And the preacher speaks of two things in particular. And the one is the thing that many in our world think provides contentment and happiness and satisfaction and all those good things, namely money, worldly wealth. But the other thing that the preacher speaks about is that which truly gives the things of this life meaning, even money, namely wisdom. The preacher preaches of wisdom's protection. And we want to consider this, first of all, in connection with its giver. When we understand what true wisdom is, then the giver is unmistakable. Well, what is true wisdom? What is the definition of true wisdom? Well, in the Bible, the words wisdom and knowledge are often used interchangeably. They're used to mean the same thing, but they don't always mean the same thing. They're very closely connected. And one definition of wisdom, we might say, is that wisdom is using knowledge rightly in order to achieve or accomplish the proper end. Using knowledge rightly in order to achieve or accomplish the proper end. Or another way we might say it is that wisdom is the knowledge and the ability to make the right choices at the appropriate time. But now we need to understand that we're not just talking about the wisdom of the world. You see, even unbelievers are said to make wise, or we might more accurately state it as smart business decisions. They make wise or smart choices to avoid trouble. We're not talking about the common sense wisdom that even unbelievers enjoy. The world's wisdom is always motivated by selfishness. But true godly wisdom, beloved, is talking about what is right and true and good as God has revealed it. The right and proper choices to achieve the proper end. In 1 Kings 3 verse 9, when the Lord came to Solomon in a dream and promised Solomon that He would give him whatever he asks for, Solomon asks for an understanding mind to discern between good and evil. That's wisdom. An understanding mind to discern between good and evil. Wisdom then is intimately connected with the One who is the way, the truth, and the life, Jesus Christ. The one whom Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 24 himself is the wisdom of God. Jesus Christ is foolishness to the world we know, but He is the wisdom of God. He is the right. He is the proper. He is the only possible way of salvation. And therefore, true godly wisdom comes from God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. it comes through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Proverbs 1, verse 7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. True wisdom, you see, involves the knowledge of faith in Christ Jesus. And that knowledge of faith includes a knowledge of the truth of the Word of God. It includes a knowledge of the assurance, the trust that His promises are for me too. Maybe you caught it as we read in our law this morning, Ephesians 5 verse 17. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. That's wisdom. Understanding the Lord's will, and it's given by God. Proverbs 2 verse 6, as we read, says, For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Beloved, wisdom embraces the commands of God revealed in His Word, And the result then, as Proverbs 2, verses 9 and 10 says, Then you will understand what is right and just and fair. Every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Then you will understand. When you have wisdom, you will understand what is right and just and fair. The wise person understands every good path. And the fact that God is the giver of wisdom, beloved, that fact alone points to the protection that He gives through true godly wisdom. Wisdom's protection, then, is seen in comparison to worldly wealth. The text begins, Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter. Now, let's be honest. We hear the word money, and we're all interested. It captures our attention. Even the boys and girls, you know what money is. At a young age, you learn what money is all about. You learn what money can do. So we hear the word money. And especially if God talks about money, what's He going to say? Well, here the preacher compares wisdom to money. Interesting, huh? And he says that both are shelters. Now the word shelter is also translated in some versions as protection or defense. Wisdom is a protection or defense as money is a protection or defense. And indeed, the idea includes protection, defense, safety, and security from harm and danger. And that very same word for shelter is used in a number of other familiar passages. We sang from Psalm 91 and there we read, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. And another comforting psalm that we know by heart, Psalm 121, verses 5 and 6, The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. Shade, shadow, shelter. Very clearly the idea is protection. Whether it be from the elements of nature, the scorching heat of the sun, or defense against the enemy, shield and rampart, Psalm 91 talks about. And the preacher says money is as a shelter. Now, if you take even a few moments and think about this, it begins to make sense, I think, very quickly. We can understand this. Money, we know, is not evil. But as the Bible says, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Being consumed by money is evil. Money, we know, is a means, it's a tool of support given by God by which God often provides for the ordinary daily needs of life. And a healthy paycheck or a healthy savings account makes us feel more secure, doesn't it? Especially when we face the financial emergencies of life. And in that way, we can understand that money is a shelter, it is a defense, it is a protection, we might say, from homelessness. Against homelessness or against hunger or against want. It's used for the protection of this meaningless life. If I have money to pay the utility bills, that means that I will have an endless supply of electricity and gas and water coming to my house. If I have money to put gas in my car, that means I'll be able to get to work in the morning. If I have money to put groceries on the table, that means that our hunger, our physical hunger, will be satisfied. And the truth is, beloved, it takes money to live. That's no secret. Solomon in Proverbs 10 verse 15 says, The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor. Wealth is like a fortified city, a stronghold, a refuge of protection and support. And we also know, we also know that money surrounds one with friends. Maybe not the right kind of friends. But one who has money seems to come across friends easily, especially if that one is generous with that money. And those friends, however temporary they might be, are able to benefit somewhat from that money. And money, we know, is able to influence and even protect from enemies. Proverbs 13, verse 8 says, A man's riches may ransom his life. Money is a shelter. We can understand that. But the danger, beloved, is that we are tempted to find our comfort in worldly wealth. We are tempted to place our trust and our confidence in that worldly wealth. I believe that's one of the reasons that when we talk about providence, as the Heidelberg Catechism explains it, we are called to be thankful in prosperity. Not arrogant, not proud, not haughty, but thankful in prosperity. Auger in Proverbs prays, give me neither poverty nor riches. We can understand the poverty part. Don't give me poverty, Lord. But why in the world would He say, give me neither riches? Well, He makes it very clear that I might not curse God. That I might not become arrogant. That I might not become self-sufficient. That I might not think that I don't need God. But the preacher also speaks of wisdom as a shelter. He says, wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter. Now, of course, that seems strange, doesn't it, boys and girls? Because you can't spend wisdom. You can't go to the 7-Eleven and get a smoothie and say, I want to pay for this with wisdom. They're going to look at you and say, you're nuts. It doesn't work that way. Wisdom doesn't put gas in the car. Wisdom doesn't pay the bills. Wisdom doesn't put food on the table. At least not directly. But wisdom, as Solomon prayed, is able to discern between good and evil. And in that way, we can see from the beginning that it is a most important shelter of protection. True wisdom, beloved, loves God above all and my neighbor as myself. And therefore, true wisdom, true godly wisdom treats man with respect and it guards against making enemies. True godly wisdom leads one to make good decisions for this life as well as how to use what God has given for the benefit of this life. True godly wisdom keeps the believer's heart and mind settled and balanced and content even in the midst of trouble and hardship. True godly wisdom causes the believer to be sober-minded and clear-headed about the things and the situations of this life. True godly wisdom gives support and strength to man's spirit and makes him bold but not arrogant. Humbled, not proud. Resolute, but not careless. In other words, wisdom, we might say, provides solid ground under the feet of the believer. True godly wisdom gives strength for service in the midst of suffering and it gives strength against attacks from those who hate us. God gives wisdom to His people in order to live this life as He intends it to be lived in service and obedience to Him who is our true shelter, our true protection. In Proverbs 2, verse 11, it says, Discretion will protect you. And understanding will guard you. And then verse 12, Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men. And later on, the preacher says, It will keep you on paths of righteousness. You see, beloved, both money and wisdom are useful if they are put to use to protect the life of the one who has them. Both are for the service of this earthly life. But the preacher not only compares money and wisdom and shows how they are the same, he also shows how they are not the same, how they are different. There is a contrast. Wisdom's protection is seen in contrast with worldly wealth. Again, worldly wealth has its limitations. It cannot provide true and lasting satisfaction and joy and contentment. It cannot provide a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, wealth, even wealth, only has meaning in connection with true godly wisdom. Apart from that, wealth, like the rest of this life, is meaningless. Now, I want to notice this contrast with you in two ways. First of all, contrasting worldly wealth alone against worldly wealth coupled with wisdom. And then to contrast, simply, worldly wealth and the wisdom. Well, what is the benefit of worldly wealth alone? There is none. There is none. Man will do, we know, whatever it takes to get ahead in life. Illegal immigration teaches us that, doesn't it? They say that people want to come over to our country in order to build a better life for a better life. Man will do whatever it takes to get ahead in life. And we see that too in our society as our society pushes for advanced degrees and also taking classes to improve yourself. And these are all good. These are all necessary. As well our society looks for the best deal or for the best investment, man will do whatever it takes to get ahead in life. But worldly wealth by itself is meaningless. Jesus, with very few words, tells us just how meaningless it is when He speaks of the One who lays up treasures on earth and says moth and rust consume. Thieves break in and steal. Moth and rust consume. Worldly wealth, beloved, all by itself destroys many. Think of the parable of the rich man. He said, I'm going to build bigger barns. I'm going to sit back. I'm going to kick back, put my feet up and enjoy life. God says, you fool. Tonight, your life will be required of you. And when we consider Psalm 73, which we have last week, Reverend Bradenhoff, and the week before I used it for background reading, like Asaph, we might be tempted to think that many unbelievers do benefit from their wealth, at least in this life, at least as far as my eyes can see. Wow! Many of them have a good, so good, Yet, beloved, apart from true godly wisdom, what good does it do? This life is temporary. It's but a breath. Even if you live to be a hundred years old, it is short. And at death, man is separated from his worldly wealth and the preacher says in another place, and then someone else is going to enjoy all the wealth that you accumulated. So what good does it do? And apart from true godly wisdom, beloved, many even squander their wealth. I have a friend, a former co-worker, years ago, he was an only child and his dad had been gone for some time. When his mother died, she left him with a house in the LA area and with a large sum of money, about a quarter of a million dollars. And almost immediately he went out and he bought two very expensive sport cars and the next thing we knew, He was building a swimming pool in his backyard, the backyard of his mom's house. To make a long story short, within about three or four years, if it was that long, he was reduced to poverty, living in a car and not one of the sports cars. Living in a dump of a car. Many squander their wealth. Without true godly wisdom, beloved, unbelievers do not use their wealth for right and good ends in relation to God. They do not see their wealth as a gift from God, and therefore they are not good stewards of God's wealth. And the dreadful result is that their wealth leads them further and further and further away from God. They reject Him. They trust in their wealth. And when their money is gone, their hope is gone. They have no hope. And in their eyes, their shelter, their security is gone. But then contrast that with the benefit of worldly wealth with true wisdom. You see, the two can go together. Verse 11 of chapter 7 begins, Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing. Now, a better translation is, Wisdom with an inheritance is a good thing and benefits those who see the Son. Earlier, the writer talked about those who engage in extortion and in bribery, a foolish use, a fool's use of their resources, of their money. But wisdom with an inheritance is a good thing. Wealth enjoyed with true wisdom promotes true joy and satisfaction in life. When that wealth is used for God's glory, even as it is used to provide for our daily needs. You see, when our wealth is seen as God's gift, we are able to rejoice as He provides for our daily needs beloved, even if we don't seem to be able to get ahead in life financially yet we are able to rejoice as we recognize the wealth that God has given to us and to recognize the wisdom He has given to us to use it to supply for our daily needs but also with wisdom man is kept from getting hurt by his wealth, from overextending himself, from spending foolishly, from trusting more in his wealth than God, that doesn't mean we won't ever act foolishly with our wealth. But those who act in wisdom, they're kept from getting hurt by their wealth. But as well, with wisdom, man is able to do good with his wealth. You see, wealth with wisdom, makes one more serviceable to the world in which we live, providing for the needs of others, using for the benefit of Christ's church and for the kingdom of God. You see, beloved, even our wealth has a purpose. Our money has something to do, or our faith has something to do with our money. Boys and girls and young people, you must learn this at an early age too. Even our wealth has a purpose, and that is to serve the glory of God. Then quickly we contrast the benefit of wisdom over worldly wealth. All people, beloved, have two lives to consider. This one. And the one to come. Unfortunately, many don't ever think about the life to come. But only true, godly wisdom serves both. Not only does it safeguard the present life, but by the grace of God, it leads to a better life to come. Worldly wealth as a shelter only serves this life, if at all. Proverbs 11, verse 4 says, Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath. Ecclesiastes 8, verse 8 begins, No man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the day of his death. Worldly wealth is worthless with regard to the life to come. It cannot keep one from death. It cannot stop God's appointed time clock for you or me. And it cannot purchase the salvation that you and I so desperately need. Proverbs 8, verses 10 and 11 says, Choose my instruction instead of silver. knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies and nothing you desire can compare with her. Jesus said in Matthew 16, What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Boys and girls, what He means is, what good does it do for a person if they have all the riches that the world can supply, but yet they don't believe in Jesus? all those riches mean absolutely nothing apart from true godly wisdom worldly wealth will only testify against the believer on the day of judgment because that one did not see these as gifts from the hand of God did not turn to the Lord in thankfulness and trusted in the things of life instead of God but true wisdom, beloved provides true shelter. The second half of the text says, but the advantage of knowledge is this, that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor. Wisdom preserves the life, the soul of its possessor. Again, ultimately, the truly wise man is found to be in Christ Jesus by faith. And by faith, the believer knows that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we might be saved. By faith, the believer knows that Jesus Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. By faith, the believer knows that He is righteous only in Christ Jesus. By faith, the believer knows that his life has meaning only in Christ. And therefore, by faith, the believer trusts Christ and desires to live for Him. And by faith, the believer lays up treasures in heaven, eternal riches, where there is no moth or rust to consume and destroy or thieves to break in and steal. Jeremiah 9, verses 23 and 24 says, this is what the Lord says, Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of his strength, or the rich man boast of his riches. But let him who boasts boast about this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord. The wise man boasts in the Lord and having a saving relationship with Him in Jesus Christ. Apart from that, this life and the things of this life, they give no lasting meaning, No lasting contentment, no lasting satisfaction, no lasting shelter or protection. But through true godly wisdom, beloved, bound up with faith in Jesus, this life also has meaning as we live quorum Deo, that is, before the face of God. God gives His people wisdom in order that we might glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Beloved, money is precious to us in this life. I don't think that there's anyone here I trust that would argue about that. Money is precious to us in life, in this life. But apart from true godly wisdom, it will do us no good, only eternal harm. We are not to put our confidence or hope in our worldly wealth, but we are to see it as a tool from God to service this life as He prepares our hearts for the life to come in glory. We are called to prepare to come to the Lord's table next week, the Lord willing. We are called to examine, to examine, to look thoroughly into our hearts. And very simply, the question of the Lord's table is this. Where do you place your trust? What is your shelter of protection? You see, the Lord's table is not for those who are able to fill the offering baskets. That's not the criteria for coming to the Lord's table. But it's for those with new hearts of faith. Filled with the assurance that their hope for salvation is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who find their shelter in the cleft of the rock of Jesus. Those who are protected by the cross of Jesus. He alone is the eternal shelter for all those who believe in Him. The eternal shelter under the cross of Jesus. Is He your shelter? If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, if you trust Him fully for your salvation, He is your shelter. Guaranteed, that is your confidence. And beloved, may the Lord by His Holy Spirit prepare our hearts to feast at the Lord's table, to feast by faith on Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God, the believer's eternal protection given from God. Amen. Shall we pray? Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, Once again, as we have been brought face to face with Your Word, we are humbled, O Lord. For we must confess, Father, that oftentimes we too try to separate in our own minds, maybe even our own hearts, our worldly wealth from our faith. Father, help us to recognize that all that we have is a gift from Your hand. And we pray, Father, for Your wisdom. Your wisdom to discern between good and evil. Your wisdom to choose the path of righteousness by Your grace, empowered by Your Holy Spirit. Wisdom, we pray, to honor and glorify Your most holy name with our voices, with our lives, even with the earthly riches You give to us. Indeed, O Lord, You are the great provider. The provider of every good and perfect gift. Yea, the provider of salvation itself in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We thank You for that precious gift which is sure. We thank You for eternal riches which no one can ever take away from us, which will never fade away, which will never be lost, which will never die away. O Lord, we thank You and praise You for Your precious gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And may our hearts truly rejoice and give to You wholehearted praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.