Does that statement come as a relief to you or does it cause you anxiety? For me, it takes the pressure off. I don't have to play the role of God. And I am sure thankful for that.
Over the next few days, we are going to look at a few different ways that humankind tries to "figure it all out." Solomon shows us three different avenues that humans take for trying to figure out the purpose of life, to find our meaning in this world, and to find peace: intellectualism, hedonism (pleasure), and materialism.
Today, let's talk about intellect. By taking one thing and making it the ultimate thing, we have made an idol out of it. So, what if we put all our eggs in the basket of knowledge and intellect?
With intellectualism, we think that by studying enough, we will figure out the meaning of life -- if we can just read enough about what the other philosophers, theologians, and historians say, we will discover our meaning, learn the answers to all of our questions, and find peace.
So Solomon gave that a shot.
He says,
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.
Now, remember, because he is the king, he has access to anything and everything. He's got tons of money and tons of connections. He doesn't have to ask for books by different philosophers of his day -- he can just summon the philosophers themselves to show up and talk with him over a cup of coffee! He doesn't have to check his bank account to see if he can afford yet another set of books to study -- he could buy the whole library if he wanted! He could forget about having to go out and make a living, and his 40-hour work week could consist of reading and studying, traveling to different places to learn from other cultures, and doing anything else that might enhance his understanding and grow his knowledge. And he did this for years!
Wouldn't that be nice?
And what was his conclusion after all of that?
What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
That was his conclusion. He's saying that being a human is no easy thing! We strive and we study and yet:
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
what is lacking cannot be counted.
He still thinks everything is meaningless. The things that are crooked in this world cannot be straightened out by man, and we can't even figure out what is lacking so that we could solve the problems. We think we might know, but it's all just smoke, and even our best explanations will vaporize within a short amount of time. Man is grabbing at something that is beyond his reach! The world is fundamentally flawed and none of us can fix it.
Now, Solomon knows how hard it's going to be to convince us that our "knowledge and wisdom" are pointless, so he says it one more time:
I said to myself, “I know more and I’m wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I’ve stockpiled wisdom and knowledge.” What I’ve finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind.
18 Much learning earns you much trouble.The more you know, the more you hurt. (The Message)
Don't you wish he would give us some more specific examples of what he means? I do! I do know that all throughout Scripture, God shows us a way to live and a reason to live that is very different than what the world around me tells me. Perhaps you can think of examples from your own life. But what I can conclude is that Solomon has gotten all the wisdom and knowledge the world has to offer us. He's also been around the people who we would revere as the wisest and most knowledgeable in their fields of study. And still, he sees that we all continue to miss what it's really all about. We are all still unsettled, even with all the wisdom this world has to offer us here "under the sun." Something is still missing. Even with all this knowledge, we don't become perfect people.
Based on what Christ says, and because we have the Bible, we know that the problem is sin. And even with all our knowledge (philosophy, religion, psychology, sociology, history, logic, and rhetoric -- the best ideas man has invented), we cannot change the hearts of people. Only God can do that. Apart from God, even a highly educated man will die an educated failure.
We will not find the solution or our purpose and meaning in and of ourselves. Do you believe that?
We must fall before The One who even gives us even the ability to gain knowledge, so that He can show us what Truth, Knowledge, and Wisdom really are. The knowledge of this world is just smoke and mirrors, but God's truth is something upon which we can place our entire lives.
Have you thanked Him and asked Him to show you that today? I'd say now would be a great time...
Molly Monroe
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