Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 7:7-14

Earthly wisdom is a good thing, but it does not guarantee a good life. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that wisdom is like an inheritance; even a little wisdom is better than no wisdom. Wisdom helps us to make smart and knowledgeable decisions. Like money, we can use wisdom to provide shelter from the storms of life. Like with money, the more wisdom we have the better we will build our shelter.

Knowing the smart thing to do is no guarantee that we will do it. He notes (vs. 7) that emotions can cause a wise man to act foolish. If someone is extorting us, fear can cause us to act foolish. When we are afraid, it is hard to think and act wisely. He mentions greed as another emotion that can drive wisdom from our mind. It is unwise to give in to greed and accept a bribe, but greed is never wise. Greed not only clouds our thinking, but it corrupts our heart. Pride and a quick temper are also emotions that will cloud our judgment. A quick temper is a mark of a fool. It is also foolish to live our lives in the past. They may have been good old days, but they were then and we are living now. We must make our decisions based on what is, not upon what was. It is good to be wise, but if we allow destructive emotions to control us, we will not live good lives.

Earthly wisdom improves your odds of living good lives, but the writer sees that good times and bad come to both the wise and the foolish. He believes God has made this world crooked (vs.13). Spiritual wisdom knows better. The Hebrew noun for sin, `avon refers to perversity, depravity, iniquity. Its root is the verb `avah, defined as to bend, twist, distort, or to make crooked. Sin, the power of evil let loose in the world, has made the world crooked. Spiritual wisdom never blames God for what humanity’s sin has done.