11.03.21
Searching for Wisdom
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. (Ecclesiastes 2:24)
Many people have wondered what life would be like if they won the lottery. Solomon had much the same idea. He was searching ‘under the sun’ to see if he could find meaning apart from God. In chapters two and three of Ecclesiastes we find that he conducted two experiments to see if he could achieve lasting fulfillment: first through wisdom, and then through pleasure. He found that both wisdom and pleasure fell short of the lasting enjoyment which he desired.
His first search involved wisdom (1:12-18). He began with an explanation and a conclusion (12-15). I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised by this. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
In ancient times, kings were regarded as the primary source of wisdom. A king had virtually unlimited power to do as he pleased. This power enabled Solomon to use all the advantages of his position as he looked for meaning in life. If the king with all of his special opportunities could not achieve satisfaction, then life truly was vanity. Ultimately, he found that without God, what happens in life is without meaning and beyond control.
He described his specific search for value in wisdom (16-18). I communed with my own heart, saying, “Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Solomon was noted for his unrivaled wisdom. He resolved to use his great experience of wisdom and knowledge to find meaning in life. He thought that he, with all his ability to discern and reason, could surely discover a satisfying answer to the puzzle of life.
In what ways do people today pursue wisdom to find significance? Outside of the truth of God’s Word, modern man has chased the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, Rationalism, Empiricism, Existentialism, Nihilism, Darwinism, etc. None of these things gives a satisfying answer to life.
Solomon gave himself wholeheartedly to the challenge. He searched the full range of human experience, from wisdom to madness and folly. He overlooked almost nothing in the sphere of human experience. However, there was one glaring omission in Solomon’s search. Solomon himself elsewhere gives us the answer. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). He looked everywhere but the right place for the insight he needed. He was trying to find under the sun what can only be understood in terms of God’s control over our life.
So, wisdom was not the answer. What about pleasure? We plan to consider his search in that area next time.