Grief and Sorrow of Seeking Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." 17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The preacher Solomon gives us an example of the grief and sorrow of seeking out knowledge and wisdom according to our own ability.  He aimed his life in the direction of acquiring the wisdom behind all that is done under heaven by mankind as his overwhelming task, a burden too difficult to bear by any mere mortal such as himself.  Even though he was a king appointed by God and given more understanding than any other man (1 Kings 3:12, Matthew 12:42), it still left him short of taking it all in because only God Himself is omniscient as the only wise God (Romans 16:27, 1 Timothy 1:17, Jude 1:25).  We have been given the same task to exercise in discerning and learning knowledge of Him, His creation, and ourselves for understanding leading to wisdom, yet we also find that to be an empty task like running to catch the wind as it blows past.  We see the fallen world around us, bent and lacking righteousness, and feel it is hopeless at times until we realize who alone can make these crooked ways straight again (Isaiah 40:4-5, 45:2, 7) and fulfill all righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Solomon looked into his own heart and reflected on the wisdom he had learned over the years, counting all the knowledge he had gained in exercising what God had bestowed on him.  He knew that he had become very wise and understood the great folly of men as well, yet determined that this alone was empty and ultimately unfulfilling to his heart and soul.  He only saw the utter depravity of fallen mankind and the more he knew, the more his grief and sorrow over it increased.  Such it is for us if we see the sinful fallen nature of mankind in all its crooked ways bent from God’s righteous design at creation.  Apart from the only hope of the One to put us into His righteousness, our way of utter depravity cannot be made straight, and apart from the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12-13) to give true understanding and wisdom we cannot grasp what is unseen.  His Spirit of righteousness given by grace through Christ’s work and resulting understanding is the only way for truth and life.  His Spirit blows by and grasps us in that sealing of our rebirth which John heard explained (John 3:6-8).  Yes, there is much sorrow and deep grief of the one seeking answers to this broken world until and unless Christ changes the man and mind to see (Psalm 119:18) wonderful things of the kingdom (Luke 17:21) of God within us!  Our joy and understanding are fulfilled in Christ and in His righteousness alone who teaches us all knowledge and wisdom (Romans 11:33, Ephesians 1:17, Colossians 1:9, 2:3).  Our own human efforts only make us sad and hopeless as we see the consequences of sin worked out in the incomprehensible world we live in, but our opened eyes see where wisdom of God’s providence and sovereign grace in it all.  There is hope in understanding this fallen world we live in.