The Elusive Wisdom
Notes
Transcript
The Elusive Wisdom
The Elusive Wisdom
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 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.
This phrase, under the sun, forms the most important single key to understanding Ecclesiastes. The fact that it occurs twenty-nine times indicates the general perspective of the author.
His search is confined to this earth. He ransacks the world to solve the riddle of life.
And his whole quest is carried on by his own mind, unaided by God.
If this key—under the sun—is not kept constantly in mind, then the book will present mountainous difficulties. It will seem to contradict the rest of Scripture, to set forth strange doctrines, and to advocate a morality that is questionable, to say the least.
Two key verses sum it up:
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
vexation of spirit - striving after the wind
grasping something elusive as the wind
Illustration of never arriving:
The one-word answer to this simple riddle is 'Tomorrow'. Tomorrow never comes, but people always push back their plans and say that they will "do it tomorrow". So tomorrow is always coming but it never actually arrives. You only need to think creatively and remember your old English sayings to solve this riddle
They were searching in the wrong places:
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Godly learning is founded on God’s Word.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Wisdom and truth are not found through the pursuit of worldly knowledge.
1 Corinthians 1:25: Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
2 Timothy 3:7: Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I.The Intense Search (1:13)
I.The Intense Search (1:13)
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.
Here Solomon begins his search for happiness under the sun. First, he decides to travel the intellectual route. He thinks he might be happy if he could just acquire enough knowledge.
So he applies himself to get the most comprehensive education possible. He devotes himself to research and exploration, synthesis and analysis, induction and deduction.
But he soon becomes disenchanted with learning as an end in itself. In fact, he says that it is an unhappy business with which God allows men to occupy themselves—this deep inner drive to find out the meaning of life.
Recently someone painted this telling graffiti in bold, black letters on the wall of a university library: APATHY RULES. Someone had found what Solomon had learned centuries earlier—that education is not the sure road to fulfillment, but that, taken by itself, it can be a bore.
This does not mean that intellectual pursuit cannot play an important role in life. There is a place for it, but that place is at the feet of Christ. It should not be an end in itself but a means of glorifying Him.
• His Quest was Sincere.
One of the misconceptions that I believe that we have (at least I did) was that this marvelous gift of wisdom was somehow magically produced.
As if Solomon just “poof” understood everything. I now believe that while he was gifted with a vast “capacity” for the accumulation of wisdom he still had to apply himself to the pursuit of knowledge. And that is exactly what he did – he devoted his life to learning.
• His Quest was Intense. (v. 13)
In verse thirteen Solomon relates, “And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven;
this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.” To convey the how comprehensive his effort was Solomon says that he set his heart “seek and search out” or “to study and to explore” indicating the serious-ness of his efforts.
Auburn University - Accent of Man ---- math meet humanities ---- intense
We will never know truth .... its all relative
The most unhappy people i have ever met
All man's work, accomplishment, and searching for wisdom seem to amount to nothing. In fact God has deliberately built a system where life seems meaning-less and empty - without the understanding of a living God to whom we must give an account.
Many people, even those who are rich and well-known, can attest to that void.
For example, H.G. Wells said at age 61: “I have no peace. All life is at the end of the tether.”
The poet Byron said, “My days are in yellow leaf, the flowers and fruits of life are gone, the worm and the canker, and the grief are mine alone.”
Thoreau said, “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.”
Ernest Hemingway, said this about his life: “I live in a vacuum that is as lonely as a radio… when the batteries are dead, and there is no current to plug into.” Hemingway lived his life in a way that would be the envy of any person who has bought in to the values of this world. But on a Sunday morning in Idaho, he shot himself in the head.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Barton left this note pinned to his pillow before taking his own life: “I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up twenty-four hours of the day.”
II The Unanswered Questions(1:14-15)
II The Unanswered Questions(1:14-15)
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
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.
1:14 There can be no doubt that Solomon got the best education that was available in Israel at that time. This is apparent from his unblushing claim to have seen everything that is done under the sun.
What this means is that he became highly knowledgeable in the sciences, philosophy, history, the fine arts, the social sciences, literature, religion, psychology, ethics, languages, and other fields of human learning.
But an alphabet of degrees after his name and a room papered with diplomas didn’t give him what he was seeking. On the contrary, he concluded that it was all a grasping for something as elusive as the wind.
1:15 He was frustrated to discover that book learning doesn’t solve all the puzzles of life. There are crooked things that cannot be made straight and missing things that cannot be numbered. Robert Laurin observed:
Life is full of paradoxes and anomalies that cannot be solved; and contrariwise, it is empty of so much that could give it meaning and value.
Man can fly to the moon, but the flight of a bee defies all known laws of aerodynamics. Scientists have delved into the secrets of the atom, but they cannot harness lightning or store its power. Diseases such as polio and tuberculosis have been controlled, but the common cold is still unconquered.[1]
Atlantic Magazine Intellectual people - But research into happiness has also yielded something a little less obvious: Being better educated, richer, or more accomplished doesn’t do much to predict whether someone will be happy. In fact, it might mean someone is less likely to be satisfied with life.
“I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” (15) What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered.”
• Grasping For the Wind. (v. 14)
Perhaps you have heard the phrase “That is as difficult as herding cats.” This was illustrated a few years ago in a commercial during a Super Bowl that was called “cat herding”? The commercial featured several thousand cats running in every direction except the direction in which the ranchers on their horses wanted the cats to run. The Hebrew word for “grasp-ing” or “striving” is very similar to “herding.” And so the Preacher is literally saying that everything that is done without taking God into account is like herding the wind—it cannot be done!
• Wisdom Cannot Change Reality! (v. 15)
The first part of verse fifteen says “what is crook-ed cannot be made straight” is the realization that there are some things in life that will not straighten out.
Some of our circumstances cannot be untangled no matter how hard we try. No matter how great an effort we exert we cannot bend them back in alinement. One of the great frustrations of life is that no matter how hard you try there are some things you cannot set straight! Solomon is saying that “the past cannot be changed and it is foolish to fret over what might have been done….We must remind ourselves, however, that God has the power to straighten out what is twisted and supply what is lacking. He cannot change the past, but He can change the way that the past affects us.” [Warren Wiersbe. “Be Satisfied: Looking For the Answer to the Meaning of Life.”
Why did my brother get run over by a car
Why did my grandfather return home from WWII and his brother did not?
The crooked past can not be changed...
moe here
III The Disappointing Conclusion (1:16-18)
III The Disappointing Conclusion (1:16-18)
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.
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
I cant know it
vs 16 - Solomon’s statement in verse sixteen may sound like simple braggadocio when he says, “I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem” but in fact it is a simple statement of fact. He is merely echoing what Scripture says about him in I Kings 3:12, “Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And in 1 Kings 4:29-34 we read, “God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding,… (30) Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt….
Was he happy no
Was he satisfied no
Was he miserable yes
It was all done under the sun!
W/O God ...
• Madness and Folly. (v.17a)
Verse seventeen, “And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.”
. When Solomon refers to “madness and folly” (v. 17) he in not talking about insanity but about immorality. The Preacher is using “madness” and “folly” in the way that they are usually used in the Old Testament – to refer to the mad foolishness of living in disobedience to God.
• Wisdom Increases Sorrow. (v.18)
“For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
Conclusion:
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.