… while I was still searching but not finding — I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. — Ecclesiastes 7:28
There are a few verses in the Bible that are just plain provocative and this is one of them. I cringe and wonder, "How did this get in here?"
But there it is.
And if ever there was a verse that didn’t square with my experience, this is one of them. I know many godly women who love the Lord with all their hearts, and, honestly, not as many men.
So let’s see if we can figure this out.
If Solomon was the author of Ecclesiastes then we know that he had so many wives that I doubt he even remembered their names. No wonder he had a jaded view of women. (Yet, how did he manage to write Song of Solomon? I’m stumped on that one.)
I recently read a one-liner from someone who said, "Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Get over it." (Whoever wrote it probably isn’t married.)
Now, I have a confession to make. When I started writing this devotional, I had no idea how to answer the questions that this verse raises. I walked into this one blind as a bat.
But I think perhaps the Lord just gave me the answer. It’s found in Matthew 7:6: "Do not throw your pearls to pigs."
Let me explain.
What could be more precious to the Lord than one of His daughters who dearly loves Him? Here in Ecclesiastes we have a madman — mad in the sense that he temporarily abandons God and tries to find wisdom apart from Him. Why would God give what is precious to a man like that? Remember the "anatomy of awe" devotional a couple days ago? A woman who loves God cannot be reduced to a premise in a philosophy book. She will elude this man and his search until he stops searching and starts finding God.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.