What Did You Expect? (Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20)

Big Idea: Life's unpredictability and unfairness invite us to let go of earthly success and invest in eternal treasures beyond this broken world.

We're almost to the end of Solomon's most interesting book. His thesis has been that everything under the sun is meaningless—like a bubble that bursts. He's put forward a number of arguments to support his thesis.

There is much scholarly debate over the meaning of many passages in Ecclesiastes. It's not always the easiest book to piece together. A few messages have come through loud and clear. One message is that life sometimes doesn't make a lot of sense. We've seen this theme over and over. Solomon reflects on life and its absurdities, often concluding that many things don't make sense. However, Solomon arrives at a different conclusion. The conclusion is that life is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed under his sovereignty. We only have a couple of weeks left. This morning's passage is definitely in the first category.

Let's look at Ecclesiastes 9 and 10 to read some intriguing insights about life that reveal its absurdities. Now, I don't know about you, but a lot of my life's struggles involve my expectations. We develop certain expectations of life, and when life doesn't deliver, we become bitter and disillusioned. In fact, the word "disillusioned" means "the state of being disenchanted, or free from illusions and false beliefs." Disillusionment comes from our false beliefs. The number of false beliefs and expectations we hold will influence our level of disillusionment in life. Solomon wants to spare us the trouble.

Four Facts

In Ecclesiastes 9 and 10, he informs us of four facts that we'll have to confront if we're going to avoid being disillusioned in life. So buckle up, we're going to go fast.

Skill doesn't guarantee success.

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

We all know of cases where the swiftest or the strongest don't win. We all know of some wise people who have gone hungry, and some intelligent people who have gone unrewarded. In fact, as we look at life, we see that life can be essentially unfair.

I know of a woman who kept the financial side of the business running smoothly. Her boss was very kind but struggled with basic tasks, like recording check numbers. During downsizing, who do you think was let go: the one who kept everything running smoothly or the one who struggled with basic tasks? We can go on with other examples. Many times, when a contest is held, the best candidate does not even win. Many times, the smartest and most talented people in the world don't get ahead. Solomon cautions us that this is a reality: skill, intelligence, and wisdom are not necessarily accurate predictors of success.

Adjust your expectations. We often imagine ourselves starting strong, like a thoroughbred sprinting ahead of the pack. Reality often falls short of this vision. Your initial hopes were likely ambitious, and you've probably encountered less success than anticipated. Solomon reminds us this gap between expectation and outcome isn't just common—it's a fundamental pattern woven into life itself. Not necessarily fair, but entirely normal—a reality we must accept.

Skill doesn't guarantee success. Here's the second fact we learn:

Society often values the wrong things.

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18)

This is a fascinating story. A poor, wise man delivered a small, poorly defended city from a siege by a powerful king. Yet when the city had been delivered, he remained despised, poor, and unrewarded with wealth or social esteem. As verse 17 points out, sometimes wisdom is outshouted by the loud volume of fools. I think there is a correlation there. Fools are usually quite loud and hard to ignore. And fools often get heard by virtue of their loudness, while the wise are ignored and forgotten.

From this we learn a valuable lesson: society does not always acknowledge or appreciate the right things. Our society values wealth, beauty, and success more than wisdom, but wisdom is a more valuable asset. We live in a world that values celebrities and superstars, regardless of their intelligence, more than those who can provide real answers to important questions.

The murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace this past week was certainly tragic. Our society paid more attention to his death than to the deaths of four other men allegedly killed by Andrew Cunanan before him. It's as if their lives weren't worth as much as Versace's.

Solomon would say that things haven't changed much. Society doesn't always honor the right things. It seems to value some people over others, and it's not always fair.

Skill doesn't guarantee success, and society often values the wrong things. Here's the third fact we learn:

Wisdom can be overshadowed by lesser qualities.

Solomon treasured wisdom above all, yet observed how easily it succumbs to lesser qualities. Like rock-paper-scissors, where each element has vulnerabilities despite its strengths. Unlike that balanced game, Solomon shows a harsher truth: wisdom, while valuable, is often at a disadvantage.The world’s systems often elevate superficial qualities, sidelining wisdom despite its inherent value.

Read verse 1 of chapter 10.

Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Solomon tells us that it only takes a little foolishness to overpower wisdom and honor. Much like dead flies can ruin perfume by giving it a bad smell, so a little foolishness can outweigh a lot of wisdom and honor. There are people who have lived exemplary lives and made one foolish mistake, and that one mistake has outweighed much of the good they did. Think David and Bathsheba, or Moses striking the rock. It only takes a little foolishness to undo a large amount of wisdom.

Sometimes it only takes a ruler's caprice to nullify wisdom.

If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,
for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.
(Ecclesiastes 10:4)

In other words, if your boss blows a cork, your boss's temper tantrum – foolish though it may be – may nullify a lot of your efforts. Solomon's advice is to keep a calm head when your boss loses his, and it just may avoid a blow-up. Keep calm, quietly do your work, and your boss will probably get over his or her anger and calm down.

Solomon tells us of another error that arises from bosses and rulers:

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. (Ecclesiastes 10:5-7)

This could almost be a Dilbert cartoon. Bosses don't always promote the most capable or deserving person. In all these things, Solomon is saying that you can be wise, and it doesn't matter. Your wisdom can be easily out-muscled by the whims of a boss, or a little foolishness. It doesn't seem fair, and it doesn't make sense, but it's true.

Skill doesn't guarantee success; society often values the wrong things, and wisdom can be overshadowed by lesser qualities. Now, we're almost to the end. Just one more fact we have to confront to avoid being disillusioned in life.

People don't always use the wisdom they have.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
(Ecclesiastes 10:8-11)

These verses are almost humorous. There has been a lot of debate on this passage's meaning and application.

Ecclesiastes 10:8–11 highlights the risks of carelessness and lack of wisdom in work and life.

• Self-inflicted harm: "He who digs a pit will fall into it" warns of the danger of being trapped by your own schemes or negligence.
• Hidden threats when crossing boundaries: "A serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall" highlights the risks of unforeseen dangers when breaching limits without caution.
• Occupational hazards: "He who quarries stones is hurt by them… he who splits logs is endangered by them" reminds us that even honest, necessary work carries its own risks.
• Inefficiency and exhaustion: "If the iron is blunt… he must use more strength" illustrates the cost of neglecting preparation or failing to maintain tools and methods.
• Missed opportunities: "If the serpent bites before it is charmed…" warns of the danger of losing effectiveness or opportunity through delay.

These verses encourage us to live with foresight and wisdom, avoiding recklessness and procrastination to reduce harm.

Despite careful planning and hard work, we all face daily risks of loss and injury. No matter how carefully you work, disaster could strike at any time. It doesn't seem fair, but seemingly random events can bring disaster to people no matter how hard they have worked. It's not fair, but it's reality.

The end of verse 14 is so true:

...no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him what will be after him?
(Ecclesiastes 10:14)

One of the things we need to teach our children—and ourselves—is that life is not predictable. Hard work and the application of right principles do not always lead to predictable results. They often do, but not always. The book of Proverbs highlights how life would be with fairness, while Ecclesiastes shows the reality of our flawed world.

These are the facts we are supposed to see. Skill doesn't guarantee success; society often values the wrong things; wisdom can be overshadowed by lesser qualities; and people don't always use the wisdom they have.

What Does This Mean For Us Today?

These are the facts we're meant to confront. Taken together, what does understanding these facts mean for us today?

It means that we should adjust our expectations. When you stay at Holiday Inn, don't expect the Hilton. When you drive a Firefly, don't expect the performance of a Ferrari. And when you're living on earth, don't expect the justice of heaven to prevail. On earth, the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. We have to somehow get used to this fact.

I think it also means that we have to have something bigger than what is on this Earth. Let me use an example. If I drive the Firefly I mentioned earlier and find it wrecked after church this morning, my emotional response will depend on whether I have other cars. If that Firefly is my one and only car, it might be junk to other people, but it's all I've got. And I'm going to be plenty upset that it's gone. If I have a fleet of Fireflies and a few Ferraris at home, I won't be too upset about the destroyed Firefly. If all you have is success on earth, and it's taken away, you're going to be plenty upset. But if you have riches stored away somewhere else, you're not going to care very much.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)

Life under the sun is unpredictable, unfair, and often absurd. Solomon has made that abundantly clear. But Ecclesiastes doesn’t leave us in despair. It points us to something greater. The gospel teaches us that although life is temporary and imperfect, God offers us hope beyond this broken world. Jesus entered this unpredictable, unfair world and experienced its full weight—betrayal, injustice, suffering, and death. Through his death and resurrection, he secured an unshakeable future where justice will prevail.

This changes everything. Recognizing that our true treasure is in heaven liberates us from holding on too tightly to the temporary treasures of this life. We can face life’s absurdities with peace, knowing that our worth and security don’t depend on earthly success or recognition. We can boldly take risks for God's kingdom, trusting that our efforts in the Lord are never wasted, even when life is confusing.

So, as Solomon urges, adjust your expectations, but don’t stop there. Lift your eyes to the One who holds eternity in His hands and live with the confidence that comes from knowing your life is hidden with Christ in God. Switch your bank, as it were, from the fleeting treasures of earth to the eternal riches of heaven. That’s where true meaning and lasting joy are found.