We live in the most knowledgeable and technologically advanced society in the history of mankind. Most of us have more information on the hard drive of our computer than entire nations once possessed in their ancient libraries and access to an almost endless body of information through the internet. But what have we really gained from all this knowledge, invention and information?
We’ve made tremendous strides in the area of medicine, and yet, as I demonstrated a couple weeks ago, we have made only minimal progress in increasing the average life span, especially when measured against those people we read about in Genesis who lived much longer lives before the flood. We have learned about fat grams and fiber and exercise routines and yet we have the most obese nation in the world. We can travel all over the world in a matter of hours due to the invention of the jet plane. We have unsurpassed knowledge of history and of what is occurring all around the globe, but we still have terrorism and war on every continent. We have books and seminars and therapists to help us with our marriages and with raising our children and yet we have more broken families than ever before. We have more knowledgeable and experienced experts and consultants in the business world than we’ve ever had and yet the global economy is in shambles and more businesses are going out of business every day.
Even though Qoheleth probably couldn’t even imagine most of these advances, if he were here in our midst today, I don’t think he’d be very surprised about these obvious limitations on the value of man’s wisdom and knowledge. Let’s read what he had to say:
12 Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king? - Only what he has already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. 15 So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?" Then I said in my heart, "This also is vanity." 16 For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!
We’re still in the section that began all the way back in chapter 1 when Qoheleth asked this question:
What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:3 (NKJV)
We’ve seen Qoheleth’s journey to try and find the answer to that question. He began in chapter 1 with observing how man is completely incapable of changing the cycles that God has put into place in His creation, no matter how hard he tries.
Then he set out to find whether the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge provided any profit. But he discovered that wisdom and knowledge, apart from God, produce only grief and sorrow.
He next examined the pursuit of joy and pleasure to find out if that produced a profit or advantage. And once again, he concluded that there was no long-term advantage to those endeavors.
So once again Qoheleth returns to the concept of wisdom. When we read this passage, we get the idea that he has been so frustrated in his journey that he thinks maybe he has missed something along the way, so he comes back again to examine the value of wisdom. And he is certainly well qualified to do so. Once again, just as he did in chapter 1, the author points out the extent of his wisdom. If we were to paraphrase the end of verse 12, we might put it something like this:
If I, as the world’s wisest king, can’t figure this out, who else stands a chance?
It’s almost as if he’s saying, “I’ll give this one last look, but if I can’t figure it out, then certainly no one else is going to be able to do it.” But despite all his wisdom, Qoheleth comes to a conclusion that certainly appears on the surface to be quite contradictory. So we’re tempted to ask, “Is this the best the wisest man ever could come up with? It doesn’t make any sense.” But a more careful examination of his conclusion will reveal that Qoheleth does indeed make sense here and that there is much that we can learn from his examination.
In this passage, Qoheleth is really looking at two different sides of the same coin. On one side of the coin are the advantages that wisdom provides and on the other side of the coin are the limitations of wisdom. So let’s take a few minutes to examine each side of the coin.
1. Wisdom has its advantages
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness.
Qoheleth begins by observing that wisdom does indeed have advantages over folly. He then gives us a picture that describes that advantage. He compares wisdom and folly to light and darkness.
Most of us don’t have any problem understanding the advantages of light over darkness. I can still remember one day many years ago when I got up early to go to work. Since Mary was still asleep and I didn’t want to wake her up, I didn’t turn on the light in the bedroom while I was getting dressed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I arrived at work until I discovered that I was wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe. Since I had two identical pairs of shoes, except for the color, I needed the light to distinguish between them.
Every day, we have choices in life to make and wisdom provides us with the light to distinguish between those choices, which often do not appear to be all that different.
The book of Proverbs is filled with descriptions of the contrast between wisdom and folly. This particular proverb certainly has very close parallels with what Qoheleth has written here in Ecclesiastes:
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:18, 19 (NIV)
That passage gives us some idea why Qoheleth came to the conclusion that wisdom does have advantages in this life. Wisdom certainly gives us the ability to avoid things in this life which might otherwise cause us to stumble. And the book of Proverbs is filled with that kind of practical wisdom:
• Work hard so you won’t be hungry
• Give a gentle answer so you don’t stir up wrath
• Confess your sins so that you can experience mercy
• Stay away from a wayward woman or your marriage will be destroyed
And because wisdom does provide these advantages in our life here “under the sun”, we are exhorted to do whatever we need to do in order to obtain it:
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)
So Qoheleth’s conclusion that wisdom does have some advantages over folly is certainly borne out by the rest of Scripture. But he doesn’t stop there, because it is also true that…
2. Wisdom has its limitations
Even though wisdom does have its advantages, it clearly has its limitations. That’s why Qoheleth asks this question in verse 15:
And why was I then more wise?
For the first time in the book, we are brought face to face with death. And death is the great equalizer according to Qoheleth:
Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. So I said in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me…And how does a wise man die? As the fool!
Although wisdom does provide some advantage in our life “under the sun”, at best, that advantage merely postpones death, at which time all those advantages are wiped out. The same fate awaits both the wise and the foolish. You can’t tell the difference between a wise man and a fool by looking at who dies and who doesn’t.
This passage, as well as the rest of Scripture, makes quite clear the limitations of wisdom. Let’s look at just three of the most significant:
• Wisdom does not protect us against troubles
Although wisdom does function as light in our lives, helping us to avoid some stumbling blocks, it does not guarantee that we will be able to avoid troubles in our lives. Sometimes the only benefit to wisdom is that it at least allows us to see the holes that we’re falling into. The fact is that all the calamities of life befall both the wise man and the fool:
o Illness
o Death of a loved one
o Losing a job
o Financial problems
o Children who rebel
o Friends who betray
o And ultimately death itself!
So we need to avoid the trap that Job’s so-called “friends” fell into when they looked at the calamities in his life and concluded that they had occurred because he was engaging in folly rather than wisdom.
Because we live in a world full of sin, we should not expect that just by living a wise and godly life that somehow we’re going to be immune to the consequences of that sin. Jesus made that point very clearly in the Sermon on the Mount:
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:45 (NIV)
And just to make sure that there was no misunderstanding, He shared these words with His followers right before He went to the cross:
…In this world you will have trouble…
John 16:33 (NIV)
Unfortunately, the church has often been guilty of perpetuating the myth that if someone just commits his or her life to Jesus and lives a wise and godly life that all their problems are going to go away. But Qoheleth and the rest of Scripture certainly make it clear that is just not the case.
But this kind of teaching is certainly not new. God directed the prophet Jeremiah to deal very severely with the false prophets who were going around teaching that God’s people were going to be protected against calamity in their lives:
But I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, the prophets keep telling them, ’You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’" Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ’No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine. And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.
Jeremiah 14:13-16 (NIV)
This is a very sobering message, especially for Christ-followers here in the United States. For far too long, we’ve been led to believe that because somewhere around 80% of the people here claim to be Christians that therefore we’re blessed by God and that He will spare us from His judgment and that He’ll protect us against trouble. And even worse, we’ve been taught that if we just accept Jesus and have enough faith, that is a guarantee of health and material prosperity.
I know that I’ve spent a lot of time on this one point, and I’ll move much more quickly through the rest of the message, but this is so important for us to understand.
By nature, I’m not an alarmist or a doomsdayer, but when we look at everything going on in the world around us, it’s not hard to imagine that a time is coming very soon when the Christ followers here in this country are going to experience hardship like most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. And I’m really concerned about what is going to happen to those who are living under the false impression that somehow they can obtain enough wisdom to avoid the pain.
And whether what is on the horizon is merely the “birth pains” that Jesus described or something far worse, we need to be prepared to stand strong in our faith, recognizing that we can’t do anything to prevent the pain.
I’m not sharing this to frighten you, or discourage you. But because I love you, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my heart with you so that all of us together can be prepared for whatever we might face and be ready to help and encourage each other.
• Wisdom does not allow us to “figure out” God
Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, we see Qoheleth constantly attempting to figure God out. And over and over again the conclusion he comes to is that it is just not possible to do that. But that certainly shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. Many of you are probably familiar with this passage from Isaiah:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8, 9 (NIV)
We will never, in our human wisdom, be able to “figure out” God. But we can still be assured, as Qoheleth was, that God is still in control. He is sovereign and His purposes and plans will come to completion.
• Wisdom does not guarantee a legacy
For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.
It sounds like Qoheleth wasn’t a whole lot different that many of the political leaders of our day. He was quite concerned about creating a legacy that would insure that he would be known for many years to come. This pursuit of a legacy has become such a driving force in our culture that we find politicians spending much of their time, effort and resources to create some kind of lasting memorial to solidify their memory. Or even more absurd, we have people writing their “memoirs” before they even get elected to office.
But all those efforts are “hebel” – merely a vapor that will pass away quickly. When it comes to creating a legacy, wisdom is really of no advantage. In fact, it is often the case that we remember those who lived lives of folly much more readily than those who sought after wisdom.
So if wisdom has all these limitations, we come to the place where we have to ask the same question Qoheleth asked. “Why bother to be wise? Why not act the fool if we all end up in the grave anyway?” That’s certainly a legitimate question to ask.
WHY SHOULD I BE A WISE GUY (OR GAL)?
Again, I could probably come up with many answers to that question, but let me focus on just three of them.
• Wisdom helps me respond appropriately to the circumstances of life
Although wisdom can’t change my circumstances, it certainly plays an important role in helping me respond appropriately to those circumstances, as James clearly points out.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:2-5 (NIV)
There’s certainly at least one whole sermon in this passage, but let me make a couple of brief observations.
First, James confirms that we will have troubles in this life. He doesn’t write “if you face trials”, but rather “whenever you face trials.”
But what I want to focus on is how he directs his readers to pray when they face those troubles. He doesn’t encourage them to pray for God to change the circumstances. He doesn’t direct them to ask God to remove them from their problems. Instead, he commands them to pray for wisdom, so that they might understand how God wants them to respond to the difficulties they are going through.
Unfortunately, we tend to take verse 5 out of context and use it as a general exhortation to pray for wisdom. But we can’t remove it from its context, which is the inevitable trials of life.
This passage ought to have a great impact on how we pray, not only for ourselves, but also for others. Too many times, our initial reaction when someone encounters a difficulty in life is to pray for God to change the circumstance or remove that person from those difficulties:
o When someone is sick, we pray for them to get well
o When someone loses their job, we pray for God to provide them with a new job
o When someone is having financial difficulties, we pray for God to provide financial resources.
Often times those prayers may very well be appropriate. But how many times do we pray for God to give us and the person experiencing the trials wisdom to respond appropriately to the circumstances? As we’ll see in a moment, sometimes God has something much more important in mind than just providing comfort and helping us to avoid pain.
• Living a wise life has implications for eternity
The Bible frequently equates living a wise life to living in accordance with the principles that are provided for us in the Scriptures. And although, as we have seen, there is certainly an advantage to living a wise life here on earth, there is an even greater profit for eternity:
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
When we live a wise, godly life, that has tremendous implications not just here and now, but for all eternity. The things we learn about God and His Word and the character that we develop in response will be used to serve God for eternity.
But as we are increasingly seeing in our culture, living that kind of life is not always easy. When we do that, we are often rejected, insulted and excluded. But Jesus encouraged His followers by pointing out that it will all be worth it one day:
Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
Luke 6:22-23 (NIV)
When we chose to live a wise life here on earth, even when it may be very hard to do so, Jesus has promised that we will receive a reward from Him one day that will far outweigh any of the difficulties that we might encounter in our life “under the sun.”
We’ve already looked at two very good reasons for living wisely, but as important as those are, the most important reason to live a wise life it that…
• Living a wise life helps us develop our relationship with God
Unfortunately, Qoheleth, on the other side of the cross, could not fully understand this aspect of wisdom. As a result, Ecclesiastes often seems to be more pessimistic than much of the Bible. But we need to remember that is because Qoheleth is making his observations and conclusions based only on what he sees “under the sun”. Today, however, we have the benefit of a relationship with God that is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus. And that gives us a whole new perspective on wisdom that Qoheleth couldn’t have possibly seen.
Although, we can never earn our salvation through our own good works, there are many important reasons that we should live wise lives in accordance with the principles that we find in the Bible. Among these are:
o God knows what is best for us and His commands were given for our ultimate joy and fulfillment
o We want to be obedient to God out of gratitude for what he has done for us.
But as important as those are, ultimately the very best reason for us to live a wise life is that is the best way for us to develop our relationship with God. Listen to these words of Jesus:
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
John 14:21 (NIV)
We demonstrate our love for Jesus by obeying His commands. And in return, Jesus promises that He will reveal Himself to us.
That shouldn’t be a big surprise to us. We see that the same process takes place in our human relationships as well.
When I first met Mary, I didn’t know her all that well. I only knew what she revealed to me about herself and she very wisely guarded that information until she got to know me better and know whether she could trust me with more information. And over time, as our relationship developed, I told her that I loved her. I still do that often today. But words are cheap, as they say, and what Mary had to do as she got to know me better was to evaluate whether my actions were consistent with my words. It was only once I had demonstrated my love through my actions that she chose to reveal some of her more intimate thoughts and parts of her life.
Our relationship with Jesus is much like that. We can say we love Him, but if we really do love Him then our actions will demonstrate that love as we obey His commandments. And once we demonstrate that love, then Jesus will reveal more and more of Himself to us and our relationship will constantly grow much deeper.
We will never find joy or fulfillment in the wisdom and knowledge of man. There is certainly abundant evidence of that all around us. But when we live according to God’s wisdom, we can find joy and fulfillment, not just here on earth, but also in the life to come.
