Bible Study - Wisdom (3) - The Problem with Wisdom - Ecclesiastes 2:12-17; 7:23-29 - March 17, 2019

Bible Study – Wisdom (3) – The Problem with Wisdom – March 17, 2019


This is lesson two (2) in our series entitled “Finding Meaning: Wisdom from Ecclesiastes.”


Our focus scripture is Ecclesiastes 2:12-17; 7:23-29.


Wisdom is grounded in trust in GOD.


What is wisdom? Wisdom is knowledge applied to GOD’S plan.


Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. It is the application of knowledge that is important. Then there is Spiritual knowledge which comes from obediently serving GOD as led by the indwelling Holy Spirit and Biblical knowledge which comes from reading and studying the Bible.

We must seek truth and develop Spiritual maturity based upon truth. Let’s explore!


The Hebrew word for “wisdom” carries the idea of knowledge in combination with skill, shrewdness and prudence. Madness carries the idea of “acting like a madman or like a fool.” These are some of life’s choices. Folly carries the idea of “acting or doing foolishly” or “stupidity.”


What is King Solomon trying to solve? He is trying to solve the “meaning of life” and he is exploring every conceivable path. Up to this point all has been empty. Now he was going to put wisdom to the test. We need to keep in mind that GOD granted him wisdom as recorded in 1 Kings 3: 9-14:

9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”


[This has a familiar ring to it. Consider the Garden of Eden – Genesis 3:15-17:


15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”]

So, what is the difference. Eve and Adam sinned by disobeying GOD, whereas King Solomon asked GOD to give him a discerning heart, which would be in the depths of his being or the “eyes of his heart.”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,

12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

How does GOD teach us? We explore and that was exactly what GOD was leading Solomon to do and he was discovering the things life has to offer are meaningless and empty. So, he turned to consider wisdom, which leads us to verse 12 ----

Let’s read Ecclesiastes 2:12-17:

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?

King Solomon had concluded that everything else he had tried had not produced any new revelation so he changed his focus. He decided to weigh or contrast wisdom against madness and folly, which we learn later that he considered these choices some people made.

He thought about his successor. He had the means and the opportunity to do it all and he had worked diligently to explore the issues life offered to mankind to find meaning to life. He concluded that all the life under the sun was empty and meaningless.

Since GOD had given him the gift of wisdom, could his successor learn anything new? The answer is a resounding NO!

13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

At least wisdom got a vote of confidence from Solomon. He compared wisdom to folly and reasoned that wisdom was better. Wisdom was like light compared to the darkness of folly and other choices people make. Those who seek wisdom and put what they discover into action, may still suffer surprises along life’s journey but the wise have considered that possibility. The wise have a contingency plan should they encounter a surprise. However, the madman or foolish have not considered the possibility of a surprise along life’s journey and have no contingency. The wise still may have surprises in life but they have a plan of action.

King Solomon, came to a profound realization. There is a fate that will overtake both the wise and the foolish. What do you think that fate is regardless of whether a person is wise or unwise? Let’s read on ----

15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”

16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!

King Solomon realized whether a person is wise or a fool, both will die. Death is the great equalizer. Why is this a vital conclusion? Who has been left out of the thing’s life has to offer a person? Both the wise and the foolish must consider eternity. Both will go into eternity whether they want to or not because death comes to every person. Does this mean life is meaningless? Or should mankind consider and even more baffling matter. Where do we go when we die? Is there life after death? Will there be eternal judgment? Certainly, life upon earth was nothing but toil.

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.

19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

The word “grievous” in verse 17 also carries the idea of “bad” or “evil.” Had the work he had done robbed him of the time he could have spent building the right relationship with GOD and being a Godly example to his people?

When we discover truth, we want to share it with others. Sometimes we discover the truth of JESUS late in life and wish we had discovered HIM sooner. It is important that we not look back but to look forward to the time we have remaining upon earth and obediently serve our LORD as HE gives us opportunity. Remember Ephesians 1:4-5:

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—

HE knew when you would accept HIM and HE has a plan for the rest of your life.

Let’s read Ecclesiastes 7:23-25:

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”— but this was beyond me.

We need to keep in mind that GOD granted Solomon wisdom. Wisdom comes in two packages: (1) Wisdom from GOD (2) Wisdom from the world. King Solomon used wisdom to test the things he explored. He was intentional in using wisdom “I am determined to be wise.” Why? It was because he had a choice and wisdom was the best choice. But even with this thought in mind, his determination to gain full comprehension of the meaning of life was beyond him. It did not work. He had attempted to use “practical wisdom” instead of “absolute wisdom.” He learned that absolute wisdom was far beyond his or any humans reach. Practical wisdom was insufficient to grasp completely or fully understand. Why? Considering the things of earth and the part of the universe he could see was one thing but when he considered the vastness of the heavens and the depths of the oceans it was more than his finite mind could comprehend. Some things a person must trust to GOD.

24 Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it?

King Solomon came to the realization that there are some things that are so far beyond human ability that they must be revealed by GOD, according to HIS time. Man can search, seek and attempt but only GOD can reveal in HIS time. The birth of JESUS came at just the right time. All the seeking and exploring mankind could do would not reveal the exact time for the coming of JESUS. Even when JESUS lived upon earth, no human knew what HIS death upon the cross would mean. And just as vital and critical to mankind and for all who place their faith in the passion of JESUS is HIS resurrection by GOD. The resurrection of JESUS is proof that JESUS lived a sinless life upon earth and in doing so was the only sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The first Adam failed but the second Adam, JESUS, was victorious over sin and doing so restored eternal life to all who place their faith in HIM. Do you recall 1 Corinthians 2:6-7:

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

25 So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

So, King Solomon had reached an end-point. He decided upon a new approach to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things or an explanation of things. He had discovered the “stupidity of wickedness” and the “madness of folly.” He had discovered that stupidity, folly and madness are choices people make or fail to escape from them once they realize they can choose wisdom.

What is the saying, insanity is to keep doing what doesn’t work in hopes it will turn our different? Often, we see bad choices repeated in families and institutions such as government.

Often, many of us need to change directions in our lives. When we realize we need to change our thinking that is the moment to do it. Do not delay because time is wasting.

Pursuing wisdom is always better than pursuing stupidity, folly or madness.

Let’s read Ecclesiastes 7:26-29:

26 I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.

King Solomon with 700 wives and 300 concubines certainly should have known females. Life upon earth can be worse then death when a person is entangled with the wrong person. But there is hope for the person who trusts in GOD for there will be away of escape but those who do not have the right relationship with GOD will always be ensnared.

Why? Is it because their flesh causes them to hang-on? What else?

27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—

King Solomon was a builder which required many calculations. In other words, when you add it all up you learn that it doesn’t because there is another factor and that is motives. There are good motives and hidden motives and you are ensnared before you can figure it our unless you are a person of GOD. GOD can give you as heads up if your desire is to obediently serve HIM.

28 while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.

In all of Solomon’s dealing with people he had found one in a thousand who measured up to being trustworthy and dependable. But not one upright woman among them all. WOW! Deceit, guile, bad motives, Solomon must have encountered among women. What had all of this resulted in?

29 This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

He found one thing, “God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

King Solomon goes back to the Garden od Eden. GOD created Adam and Eve, the foundation for mankind, “upright.” If GOD did this what went wrong? “They have gone in search of many schemes.” Eve desired to be wise and ate the forbidden fruit and offered a bite to Adam and he ate it as well. At that instant, they lost their innocence. They realized they were naked because they sinned. They also, lost eternal life because of their sin. Not only did they lose their eternal life but all of their offspring until the end of time also lost their eternal life.

But what was lost due to sin, GOD has restored for all who place their faith in JESUS as their Savior and LORD. Why did GOD do this? John 3:16-18 captures HIS reason in a most excellent way:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

GOD and JESUS did this just for you to be restored to HIS original intent for mankind. If you have not asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins believing that HE gave HIS sinless life by the shedding of HIS blood, do so right now. When you do, thank HIM for saving your soul. Welcome to GOD’S Family through the miracle of rebirth for eternity. Now, live obediently for HIM as HE leads and directs your life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Blessings!!!