Text: Ecclesiastes 7:23-8:13
The further that we read in Ecclesiastes, the more we are impressed by Solomon’s pursuit of wisdom. At least 16 times in this book, he said that he sought it…he was relentless. He was wise enough to want a full measure and looked for it everywhere. He wanted to unwind every paradox, solve every riddle…and work his way all the way back from self-evident truths to the mind of God who put them there.
So it is no surprise that our text starts with the words “I will be wise”. He didn’t say “I hope one day to be wise”… but “I will be wise”. He was sure that it could be done and that he was the person to do it. When he began, he was confident and eager and it is only later that we find him admitting, that wisdom was still ‘far from him’. (3:11). Incomplete knowledge combined with ongoing revelation provided only a partial picture of temporal and spiritual reality.
As the apostle Paul explained, God’s plan to save the world: was at one time mystery…it was not yet revealed. To the church at Colossae he wrote this about the gospel of Jesus Christ:
…”that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col. 1:26-27)
Solomon was right to pursue wisdom and also right to admit certain limitations. It is reasonable to believe that God expects us to use our minds for our intellect is in good measure what makes us like God. God also wants us to know Him and to live responsibly in his world.
But the pursuit of wisdom for selfish reasons is not good. Trying to make a name for yourself or to show someone up, shows a lack of wisdom and respect of others. The person who is truly wise has better motives.
Now it seems that the harder Solomon worked at wisdom the farther away it got…and it’s fair to ask…why was that? Well, it could be, that the more you know, the more you know how little you really do know. Every answer raises more questions and the process just goes on and on. So as wisdom grows, it recognizes human limitation.
If you pursue wisdom, you may be left with two choices. At some point, you could just give up…for as Solomon puts it, you might as well chase the wind. Or you could do what Solomon did and try that much harder.
One one level, God can use men and women try harder – people who keep seeking God until they find him and people who keep knocking until God answers.
For, sure enough…in the fullness of time God answered. He sent his Son as a full revelation of Himself and for the purpose of saving the world. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that ‘cleanses us of all sin’. (1st John 1:7). God did not reveal this to Solomon, but we now know what that wise man did not.
Yet…Solomon did not give up. He knew that he had not yet arrived…and the scripture that we are looking at today is part of the result
Solomon knew something about wisdom. He knew that you don’t have to know everything in order to know something. And he knew that knowledge could be true without being exhaustive.
As he put his mind to work, he said:
“I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness” (Vs. 25)
Is this verse his method of investigation?
If it is, then the first step was to investigate the truth. You can’t evaluate the facts until you know what they are. He started by collecting information instead of assuming that he already knew what there was to know. The first question is always ‘what?” And once you know the “What” you can start chasing the “Why”
Things ought to be done in that order so that what passes for wisdom,can always supply an explanation. There is a big difference between a collection of facts and drawing proper conclusions….those warranted by the evidence.
Solomon wanted to formulate the big picture. He wanted to understand how things worked together as a system, which was a very tall order. He set out to formulate a worldview.
Now did you notice the subject matter of his investigation? It delved into two areas. One was practical – the other – moral. He set out to discover the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness, and he wrote it all down, to share his discoveries.
Verse 27 gives us another clue about his methodology. He says this “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another… to find an explanation…”
He is describing the process of inductive reasoning. He started with individual facts and added them together to form a unified picture. The facts had to ‘add up’ – they had to make sense. Once he had formed a general rule or principle, he tested it to see if it could be consistently applied. Sounds a lot like the ‘scientific method’, doesn’t it?
What we come to next are some of the conclusions that Solomon drew. They were based on his observations of things ‘under the sun’. Solomon is very much interested in human behavior. And the verses that follow delve into motives and conduct.
Having set out to discover the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness, Solomon says:
“And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found.
I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these. “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” vs.26-28
One commentator says… that this is one of the more difficult passages in all of scripture. Part of the difficulty turns on who the ‘woman’ is. And – is the author speaking literally or figuratively? There is nothing in the context to suggest that Solomon was speaking figuratively. So the question is “what does he mean?”
Let me suggest – first of all, that Solomon is not talking about all women. He describes the kind of woman who sets out to catch and destroy. The kind whose heart is ‘snares and nets’. That implies that there are also women who are not that way. But Solomon singles out this kind of woman and raises the alarm
He had discovered what we all know – that women can and do exert…considerable influence over men. And that some women use that influence for selfish ends.
Over in Proverbs 7:21-27, Solomon warns:
“With her many persuasions she entices him; With her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her As an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, Until an arrow pierces through his liver; As a bird hastens to the snare, So he does not know that it will cost him his life. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, And pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, And numerous are all her slain. Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.
This is not a new theme for Solomon- nor is it speculation
- Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines
- The scriptures tell us that they turned his heart away from God
- He became enslaved to idolatry and pagan worship.
- He even worshiped the goddess of fertility and a god to whom human sacrifice was made.
Solomon was tangled up with real women…who ensnared his heart . He faced a clear choice between them and God, and he chose badly…he turned away from God.
So when Solomon said that he had been looking for a wise and righteous person…he really had been looking. He had to look long and hard because such people are scarce. A good man was one in a thousand. A good woman – more rare than that….with Solomon still looking
Let me suggest – that some things just don’t change. Wealth has a way of bringing out the worst in people. How hard it must have been for a billionaire king…to find a woman with no ulterior motive. It seems that the women that he knew were all out to get something
And then we have the reason for it all…vs. 29. It’s not God’s fault that people are the way that they are. God made us upright…he made us good and righteous. He made us straight, but we have made ourselves crooked. We all are pretty good at coming up with new ways to sin. This is what Solomon had observed.
It is important to understand, that Solomon was not comparing the wisdom of men and women. He is not saying that one is better than the other . But he is commenting on numbers.
In his lifetime, Solomon had associated with more wise men than women. But the number of men were so pitifully small that it made little difference….hardly a compliment to men. .
Coming to chapter 8, Solomon turns to the value of wisdom in solving the problems of life. He really says that it is wisdom that makes you or breaks you. It changes how you look at the world and it changes how you live in the world.
When you have wisdom, the world makes sense. It becomes a different place for you look at it with understanding. Confusion gives way to clarity and insecurity to confidence
Wisdom changes you as a person. You are not the same with it as you were without it. And Solomon says…that it shows in your face and demeanor. It transforms your life for the better.
So, for example, the person who is wise knows his place
- He lives within the law…obeys the king – keeps the peace.
- This is not only wise because it works but the morally right thing as well.
- The person who is wise, is faithful to God and loyal to the king.
But why be loyal?
Solomon reminds his subjects that they have all sworn loyalty to him. They are bound by an oath taken in the name of Yahweh. And, then he says…by the way…the power of the king is real. He enforces the law…he keeps the peace and provides security. So, disobedience is a crime and insurrection is treason.
He adds some advice from the complaint dept.: encouraging people to use the right channels. Be patient with the process…even when you want justice now. It is wise to allow enough time for a fair outcome, because you don’t know how things will turn out.
Think about how things turned out for Joseph. He was sold into slavery but remained true to God. He was promoted by Potipher but falsely accused by the man’s wife. He was wrongfully imprisoned – then put in charge of the prison. Ignored and neglected – but he didn’t give up and he didn’t give in to sin. And having waited upon the Lord, God took him from the jail-house and put him in the king’s palace in a single day. This is the principle that Solomon is talking about in verses 2-7.
The point is – that there a lot of things that you and I don’t control.
- We can’t summon the wind
- The army doesn’t hand out discharges in times of war
- And we don’t get to control when we die. The day comes when it does…
Feeling powerless is not the same thing as being powerless. And sin – sin is not the way to take control. The bravest sin, is still foolish rebellion. You and I were not created to be God..but to be obedient to God.
Now its rare to see someone in charge – admit to their mistakes. But in verse 9, Solomon says – it happens
Kings and governors all make bad decisions – now and then. They are fallible, for fallible people become fallible rulers – so government is not perfect. Decisions made in good faith – may still turn out badly. Innocent people get hurt. Justice is sometimes miscarried…and power misused
It happened to Solomon. God tore most of the kingdom away from him at his death. It was because he had listened to his wives instead of God. Rehoboam lost the kingdom, in part due to his own poor judgment. No government is perfect. But even poor government is better than none at all.
Coming to verses 10-13, Solomon takes aim at another case of futility.
It comes in the form of wicked people who look like regular church-folks. They go to the temple… sacrifice to God. They donate money, appearing pious and good…but it’s a facade. Those who know that they are faking it are bound to be “turned off”. And even when they die, and all of their friends show up and say nice things about them…it is still futility.
Bad examples are sometimes more attractive than good ones and especially when ungodly living – seems to pay off. Punishment delayed is justice denied…and people see it. Laws that are not enforced are worse than no law at all.
The Psalmist put it this way…”Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning. (Ps. 73:13-14)
But then he thought about it a little bit more and concluded:
“When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight. Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! (Vs. 16-19)
The truth is that God does not immediately punish sin. He watches, he waits and then he waits some more. God is patient, not wanting anyone to die in sin. But in the end, He is vindicated. Even if a man sins a hundred times and lives a long life…God is not mocked. What a man sows, that he will also reap. An extension of life does not mean that God approves.
God does care about how you and I live. Sometimes the good die young…but God still cares. And in the end, it will be well with the one who fears God.
Conclusion
As Solomon puts it…life is like a lengthening shadow. We don’t know how far it will stretch before everything fades to black. But we do know that our day on earth is short and that the sun will set on our lives. The question is – will it set on a good and godly life or upon a life of darkness…on its way to eternal darkness?
Our passage urges us to choose the way of wisdom and godliness.
Barrie ON