MEANINGLESS (PART 2)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Solomon was a man who asked for and received wisdom from God, the greatest gift one can receive outside of salvation. He took that gift of wisdom and not only used it for the reason he asked for, to lead his people wisely and fairly, but also shared it with is through books of wisdom in the Bible, giving us three of the five considered in this category (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon also referred to as the Song of Songs).

As we consider the wisdom of Solomon, we perhaps yearn to have it as well. We desire to pursue and receive the same sense of intellect, discernment, and judgment that Solomon possessed, the very wisdom of God Himself.

But as we look at this second section of verses from Ecclesiastes, the receipt of wisdom from God does not necessarily bring one to a place where everything is perfectly joyful and peaceful. Look at these words from Solomon as he speaks about the wisdom he possessed:

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

These words can be shocking to the reader if not understood in the right context. Shouldn’t the wisdom of God take us to a place of happiness, a place of contentment as we reach higher planes of understanding than people of the world could ever hope for?

I think we see that Solomon is far from that state of mind. For in his words, we find concern and sorrow and grief.

Huh? How can that be? How could one who was granted the very wisdom of God grieve from it?

The answer comes not in the man with the wisdom but in the world he sees through the lens of that wisdom.

You see, when Solomon looked at the world through the lens of God, he saw the world in a much different light, a world that was depraved and lost. He saw how people toiled for things of the world, things that possessed no eternal value. He saw the meaningless nature of efforts directed toward the wrong purposes, for chasing after things for one’s self was akin to chasing after the wind. And most of all, I think Solomon felt helpless in light of all the lost souls he viewed, knowing he alone could not straighten those who were crooked for the people lacking God in their life could not be counted.

Indeed, the more vision Solomon gained through God’s wisdom and knowledge, the more he became aware of mankind’s depraved state, a realization that led him to sorrow and grief.

As I read this passage, I found myself completely relating to Solomon. For I look at the world we live in today and it is troubling how many people denounce the Lord and the salvation He offers in exchange for the ways of the world. They have no problem exchanging treasure in heaven for treasures on earth. They do not hesitate to go after their own desires with any suggestions they lay them aside and pursue the desires of God seen as pure foolishness.

Those who are in and of the Lord, those who speak with His wisdom, are painted in the world today as crazy and fanatical. That doesn’t hurt my feelings because I stand firm on my conviction and trust in Jesus but I have to admit that it does sadden me, that so many people are lost and astray, so many people are without hope as they choose the meaningless life over the meaningful, the temporary false satisfactions the world brings over the eternity and true blessings that Christ offers.

The message today from the word of the Lord is clear.

The more connected we are to God’s wisdom, the more we will see how wicked, degenerate, and misplaced people are in the world today. And the more melancholy and heartache we will feel for them, knowing that without Jesus, they have no future beyond the meaningless, worldly lives they live.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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