Sermon Tone Analysis

13 And uI gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done vunder heaven: wthis sore xtravail hath God given to the sons of man ||to be exercised therewith.

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

LESSON TEXT:

13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine 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.

17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

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5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

. . . . .

9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

Culture Connection

First Responders

First responders are those who are likely to arrive quickly at the scene of an emergency and who act to preserve life and protect property.

They include police officers, firefighters, and ambulance medics who have been trained in urgent care and other critical procedures.

A highway overpass in Fort McMurray, located in northern Alberta, has been renamed Responders Way.

This is a tribute to the bravery of those police officers and firefighters who remained behind to help evacuate 88,000 residents from a devastating wildfire that swept through the community in early May 2016.

The fire destroyed some 2,400 homes and buildings and was the costliest disaster in Canadian history.

Thankfully everyone was evacuated safely without loss of life.

When we think of disasters, who can forget the events of September 11, 2001, when nearly three thousand people were killed?

In New York City, among those who perished were 343 firefighters, 23 police officers, and 37 officers at the Port Authority.

Heroic efforts by the city’s fire and police departments helped save 25,000 lives.

In these last days, the church needs those who will hear the urgent call of the Almighty to be first responders.

There is nothing of greater importance than winning souls.

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” ().

Contemplating the Topic

Though not particularly young, he was still likely a rather inexperienced man.

He had lived a life of luxury and ease in the palace of his father, King David.

For the most part, he had been waited on, catered to, and cared for.

Real life, as experienced by the common man, had been a distant, abstract idea for him.

But now he was the king.

There were abundant counselors in the palace.

He had the law of Moses.

And still it was not enough.

Still he needed something more.

He needed something more profound than could be found in this earthly realm.

Solomon needed wisdom, so Solomon needed God.

In similar fashion, we are on a journey with which we have no experience.

We are making our one and only passage from temporal life to eternity.

We have the guidance of the Scriptures.

We have the influence of His indwelling Spirit.

We have the blessing of wise counsel from spiritual leadership and fellow believers.

And still, to navigate this path best, we need something more.

We need wisdom, so we need God.

Searching the Scriptures

I. GOD IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM

The good thing about searching for wisdom is there are not multiple viable options to consider.

With only a modicum (the limiting of a statement) of observation, we can quite readily discern that there is truly only one place to find the wisdom we need for life.

God, and God alone, is the ultimate source of wisdom.

Yet today human opinions abound and can be accessed for free with nothing more than a few mouse clicks on social media.

One can easily find someone to express nearly any perspective desired.

But the challenge is that unless the counsel aligns with the Word of God, its source is not heavenly.

And what comes from this world rarely does align.

But true wisdom is with God.

He is the only source from which we can draw the needed wisdom to traverse this life well.

“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly” ().

Fee and Stuart in How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth state, “Wisdom is the ability to make godly choices in life” YOU ACHIEVE THIS GOAL BY MAKING GODLY CHOICES IN YOUR LIFE

We need to stop looking to everyone or everything else for wisdom.

As Solomon states is , “there is no new thing under the sun.” -

The only thing that I know to be new and fresh like a river of living water is God’s word.

And God is the Word; which we know he became the word made flesh, which is Jesus

» What are some other sources people look to in order to find wisdom?

A. Life under the Sun Is Vanity of Vanities

Because we are surrounded by the world, there is a natural tendency to seek for answers and fulfillment in life down here.

We are prone to search out the avenues we see others pursuing by some misguided assumption that they must know something we do not.

Solomon was no different.

With the riches of the throne and nearly unlimited manpower at his disposal, the newly crowned king sought for purpose in all manner of venues.

One need only read the chapters of Ecclesiastes to see him recount with painful honesty his pursuits along those lines.

He amassed wealth.

He built buildings.

He enjoyed music and entertainment.

He pursued laughter.

He accumulated education.

He set his life toward anything and everything his heart thought to desire.

And having seen it all, had it all, and experienced it all, Solomon could testify to this truth: life under the sun is devoid of purpose without God.

Vanity is what Solomon called it:

“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit” ()

The Hebrew word is hebel which means “vapor, breath, or nothingness.”

» What do you find significant about the word vanity meaning “vapor, breath, or nothingness”?

Vapor is a form of water; similar to God being a living water, life without God removes it’s soluble nature and makes an airy gas

e.i.

humidity

Life without God is nothing; thus, I have no idea how atheist live day to day but in deep dark depression.

B. Life above the Sun Is Where True Wisdom Is Found

Having searched out every venue below the sun and having found them all a collection of “nothingness,” Solomon came to this obvious conclusion.

If true wisdom cannot be found under the sun, it must originate above it.

True wisdom must have as its fount a well that springs from another sphere.

We know it exists, and we know it does not come from the Earth; therefore, if one would find wisdom, he must seek a higher place.

Wisdom is in that higher place, because God abides there.

“Is not God in the height of heaven?” ().

I love how our text states, “wisdom is God personified.”

You see in the OT, they only had wisdom as personification of God, they didn’t have a Jesus to look too.

II.

SOLOMON SOUGHT FOR WISDOM

It is interesting how certain individuals in the Bible will forever be associated with one character trait, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.