Ecclesiastes: The Sorrow of Wisdom
Under the Sun, Above the Sun: Christ in Ecclesiastes • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Open The Text (Ecc 1:16-18)
Open The Text (Ecc 1:16-18)
1: Solomon’s Qualifications (v. 16)
1: Solomon’s Qualifications (v. 16)
Solomon speaks to his own heart.
He claims unparalleled wisdom:
“Surprising all who were over Jerusalem before me”
This is testimony and an expectation that if we desire to learn from the teacher he has the chops to back it up.
If wisdom could solve the problem of vanity, this man would have found it.
KEY POINT: Solomon has maximal access to wisdom - gifted, cultivated, and tested
2: The Scope of His Pursuit (v. 16b-17a)
2: The Scope of His Pursuit (v. 16b-17a)
He does not pursue wisdom selectively.
He applies his heart:
To Wisdom
To Knowledge
To Madness and Folly
He studies life as it is, not as it should be.
Connection to previous sermon:
Wisdom reveals limits. What we can see but cannot fix.
3: The Verdict on Wisdom (v. 17b)
3: The Verdict on Wisdom (v. 17b)
“This too is a pursuit of the wind”
Trying to be filled (stomach) by the wind
Wisdom:
Explains much
Controls little
Redeems nothing
Key tension:
Wisdom is beneficial — but insufficient
4: The Cost of Increased Knowledge (v. 18)
4: The Cost of Increased Knowledge (v. 18)
Wisdom multiplies sorrow.
Hypothetical Disagreement with Wife (With much wisdom comes much grief)
Knowledge deepens (vexation) grief.
With wisdom and knowledge we can better see where things go wrong, and the inability within ourselves to change nature/the curse
Wisdom does not shield us from the curse; it forces us to recognize it.
Doctrine
Doctrine
Human wisdom, though good and God-given, cannot deliver us from vanity; instead, it often increases sorrow by revealing truths we are powerless to change.
Uses.
Uses.
Humbling of the Wise
Accusation: Christianity is a religion of the ignorant. Adam and Eve were cursed because they ate from the tree of knowledge.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Answer: Adam and Eve were cursed because:
They disobeyed God.
They sought to be their own god and gain knowledge apart from Him.
Knowledge was never the prohibition it was seeking it apart from God.
MAIN POINT: Wisdom must not become an idol.
Acknowledging the possible discoveries. (Rebuke)
If wisdom leads to grief and knowledge increases sorrow, then I would rather be ignorant.
I don’t know what I will find so I would rather not go look. Wrong, don’t be afraid to dig deep and learn, but recognize that the outcome may have unhappy findings. (Illustration needed, maybe discovery of cancer? They discovered a disease but yet at the time couldnt fix it?)
Ecclesiastes connection: The work is left to be done by someone else.
Knowledge, education, and awareness cannot save, but it can lead us to recognize that we need saving.
Comfort
Wisdom, though good, can only show us the fact that we need a savior.
It brings sorrow which should lead us to seeking comfort.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
The word Helper can be translated as comforter. The comforter then is going to teach the believer and lead them to truth.
Use 1: For the Humbling of the Wise
Use 1: For the Humbling of the Wise
Accusation: Christianity is a religion of the ignorant. Adam and Eve were cursed because they ate from the tree of knowledge.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Answer: Adam and Eve were cursed because:
They disobeyed God.
They sought to be their own god and gain knowledge apart from Him.
Knowledge was never the prohibition it was seeking it apart from God.
Ecclesiastes Connection: Solomon is the counterexample to the charge of ignorance. He pursued wisdom fully—and yet he warns us of its limits.
Main Point:
👉 Wisdom must not become an idol.
When wisdom becomes ultimate, it no longer serves God—it replaces Him.
Use 2: For Rebuke — Our Fear of Knowing
Use 2: For Rebuke — Our Fear of Knowing
There is a common response to Ecclesiastes 1:18:
“If wisdom leads to grief, then I would rather remain ignorant.”
This instinct sounds reasonable—but it is wrong.
The Fear:
The Fear:
We are afraid of what we might discover.
We are afraid of where truth might lead us.
We are afraid of sorrow that cannot be undone.
So we stop short. We avoid digging deeply. We choose comfort over clarity.
Rebuke:
Rebuke:
Ignorance does not heal.
Ignorance does not save.
Ignorance only hides reality.
Illustration (Cancer — discovery, not diagnosis):
Illustration (Cancer — discovery, not diagnosis):
When humanity first identified cancer, that knowledge did not cure anyone. People still died.
But the knowledge mattered.
It named the enemy.
It clarified what was happening.
It allowed future generations to pick up the work.
Ecclesiastes Connection:
Solomon later laments that a man must leave the fruit of his wisdom to another who comes after him. One generation bears the sorrow of discovery; another may reap the benefit.
Conclusion of Rebuke:
👉 Knowledge, education, and awareness cannot save us—but they can lead us to recognize that we need saving.
Use 3: For Comfort — Wisdom’s Proper End
Use 3: For Comfort — Wisdom’s Proper End
Wisdom brings sorrow—but sorrow is not the enemy.
Despair is.
Wisdom rightly used ends in humility and dependence.
What Wisdom Can Do:
What Wisdom Can Do:
It names the wound.
It exposes the curse.
It strips us of false confidence.
What Wisdom Cannot Do:
What Wisdom Cannot Do:
It cannot heal the wound.
It cannot reverse the curse.
It cannot redeem the soul.
Comfort of the Gospel:
Comfort of the Gospel:
Christ does not leave us with knowledge alone. He gives us the Spirit.
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things.” (John 14:26)
The word Helper can also be translated Comforter.
Important Clarification:
Important Clarification:
The Spirit does not comfort us by removing truth.
He comforts us by leading us into truth and reminding us of Christ.
Final Comfort:
Final Comfort:
Wisdom shows us our need.
The Spirit leads us to the Savior who meets it.
Closing Line (Optional)
“Solomon teaches us that wisdom can diagnose the disease, but only God can heal it. And that is why wisdom, rightly received, must finally lead us—not to pride, not to despair—but to the fear of the Lord.”
