TUESDAY: HOW TO BE WISE

Oct 11, 2022
2 min read

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 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. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.

I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.” And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Solomon determined his heart to seek and search by wisdom all that is done under heaven. He believed this was a burdensome task that God has given to man, so man may be humbled. While Solomon stated he had seen all the works that were done under the sun, he concluded that everything which was done by man is a striving for something more, and all will pass away. He identified all these things as crooked, disorderly, lacking, and unfulfilled.

Despite his lack of understanding, Solomon strived to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. Madness is boasting about what I have done, and folly is foolishness—acting as a fool, without purpose and without heart.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS

Solomon stated that acquiring more wisdom leads to much grief, and the more knowledge I have, the more sorrow I will have. It is true the more I have, the more I want—that doesn’t apply to just wisdom and knowledge. The more profit I have, the more I want. With more profit comes more boasting (and madness). This in turn leads to more foolishness and folly—living life based on what I have achieved in this world.

What I really want is more God in my life—I want to be closer to Him. However, with each step I take toward boasting and foolishness, the farther I stray from God. I now know that much wisdom causes grief. If I recognize my boasting and foolishness as sin, then I can reverse the process and begin grieving for this sin in my life and repent of it. Repentance, rather than searching for profitable wisdom on my own, brings me closer to God and His wisdom.

With this newfound spiritual wisdom, I will boast in the Lord. I will lift up and exalt the Lord’s Name instead of my own, and I will seek eternal profits—a close relationship with the Lord and others.

Lord, thank You for showing me that repentance is the beginning of Your wisdom, and through You, true wisdom abounds with forgiveness of my sin. Amen!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman