The Weight of Knowledge and Wisdom Ecclesiastes 1:12 – 18 ...

Introduction and Review
The Vanity of Life
The Weight of Knowledge and Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 1:12 – 18
Fairview Presbyterian Church
June 28, 2009
Granted, the story I am about to tell may be an Urban Legend. But, the
point of Urban Legends is that they tell us things we ought to know, but often
conveniently forget.
The story is told of the work and effort put in by environmentalists and local
townspeople rescuing two seals who had been harmed by an oil spill. Some
townspeople rallied around the seals and enthusiastically worked to clean them up
and get them ready to be reintroduced to the sea. The day arrived and all the
people who had a part in the rescue were there, along with the news media and a
good crowd of people and families to watch the event. The seals were released
and began happily swimming out to sea, when at that moment, a killer whale
appeared and proceeded to eat them. If Solomon had been present, he would
have smiled and said, ‘all is vanity.’ Seals are a favorite food of killer whales. In
David Attenborough’s video series The Trials of Life there is film footage of killer
whale’s chasing seals out of the water, up onto the beach.
The point of the story, of course, is that all the human effort that went into
the rescue, rehabilitation and recovery of these seal was of no lasting effect. The
human effort did not change the reality of nature, red in tooth and claw. For all the
love and care these seals received from humans, they were still part of nature’s
food chain. The killer whale cared not a whit for the emotions and effort of the
people watching from the shore. The rescue workers, the environmentalists, the
marine biologists, the zoo personnel together with all the watching well-wishers,
saw their time, skill, purpose and intention suddenly, unceremoniously, brought to
nothing. They treated the seals humanely – remember the root of the word humane
is human; they treated the seals as humans would (or should); that is human-ly –
only to see their effort thwarted. Each person involved participated in the hope and
expectation of gaining some measure of fulfillment and satisfaction out of their
contribution. Yet in the end they found themselves reminded that at present, the
lion does not yet lie down with the lamb.
This is a sobering realization. The doctor may save the patient, but
eventually he is going to die anyway. In the end, there is nothing the doctor can do
about it. Life marches on. We grow older. The Lord Jesus Christ performed the
remarkable miracle of raising Lazarus from the tomb after he had been dead for
four days. But in time Lazarus had to do it all over again and the second time he
stayed in his tomb.

These conundrums of life raise important issues. They put Solomon on his
quest. This is the question Solomon is seeking to answer in the book of
Ecclesiastes. Where is satisfaction and fulfillment found in life? In the opening
verses of chapter one Solomon concluded that contentment is not found in life in
human labor, or in nature, or in the search for that which is new and exciting. In the
remaining verses of chapter one Solomon explores whether or not fulfillment and
satisfaction can be found in wisdom and knowledge.
In Shakespeare’s play Henry V, Henry says of himself at one point, If it be a
sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul. King Henry wanted honor. King
Solomon wanted wisdom.
The Vanity of Knowledge
12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
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.”
Solomon was a wise and learned man. He was a polymath, knowledgeable
about law, theology, economics, astronomy, nature, sea travel, military, farming,
architecture, mechanics and more. He made the commitment to pursue knowledge
and understanding. He wanted to know, how far along the road of contentment will
wisdom take me?
Solomon could embark upon this project because he was at the top of the
world. He was king in Jerusalem. He was wealthy and successful. He could give
himself over wholly to the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge because he did not
need to worry about making ends meet and making a living. He had already
determined that human labor could not be a source of personal fulfillment, but what
about being a man of learning and understanding? Perhaps the secret would be
found in the life of the mind, in being able to understand and comprehend the world
about us. He had available to him significant resources enabling him to pursue this
quest. He had great wisdom as a gift from God and he applied himself to learn
more. A king’s court attracts the brightest and best. He could tap into the learning
and knowledge of others. The goal of learning is to surpass your teacher. Solomon
ran farther than all others who had come before him in Jerusalem.
Before we look at the results of Solomon’s inquiry regarding the power of
wisdom to bring contentment, I need to make a few preliminary observations.
Preliminary Observations
13 And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done
under heaven;
Wisdom is a good thing

The first observation is this: that wisdom is a good thing. We will look at it in
greater detail in a few moments, but for now, as you know from the scripture
reading, Solomon concludes that fulfillment and satisfaction in life will not be found
solely in wisdom alone. Having concluded thus, it is important not to then jump to
an erroneous conclusion that therefore wisdom, knowledge, and education is of no
value. Solomon is not the Hebrew version of Tom Sawyer, always looking for an
excuse to get out of the expectations and requirements of his schooling. Wisdom
and knowledge are great vehicles of blessing in our lives. Knowledge and wisdom
give to us power, insight, personal benefit, entertainment, understanding, sympathy
and more. These are good things. Solomon is not opposing them per se. He is not
rejecting wisdom, knowledge, understanding and learning. He is saying only that,
they are not, finally, a source for contentment in life.
This leads to the second observation that wisdom has its proper place in life.
Wisdom has its place
Grasping wisdom and knowledge is a way in which the discoveries and
advances of previous generations are passed on to us in life. We do not need to
reinvent with each generation the Pythagorean Theorem, or how to mix concrete,
or how to prevent Yellow Fever because these discoveries, and so much more,
have been articulated, retained and passed on to us. We can take things further.
We can expand the horizon or push the outer limits of the envelope. And, we do
not have to make the same mistakes again. We can avoid pitfalls of the past.
Thankfully, wisdom and knowledge are transferable from one generation to
the next. A major task of parenting is to train our children to take their place in
honorable adulthood. Doing so involves more than training them in marketable
skills or teaching them how to balance their checkbook. Parents are tasked with
the job of instructing children in spiritual truth, giving to them wisdom and
understanding; encouraging and guiding them in living a life of honesty and virtue.
A parent’s job is to take the wisdom God has entrusted to them and seek to pass it
on to their children.
With these two observations in mind, that wisdom is a good thing and that
wisdom has its place in life, the third observation flows from them: that it is folly to
ask more of wisdom than it can give.
It is Folly (Vanity) to ask more of Wisdom than it can give
One of my favorite stories is about the pastor who quit being a pastor in
order to become an undertaker. Some time after the career change was complete;
a former parishioner of the pastor-now-turned-mortician came to visit. He asked
him, why did you change? The pastor-now-turned-mortician sighed and replied.
You have to understand, being a pastor was so frustrating. People would come to
me for counseling and advice and I would pour out my heart for them. I would pray
for them, guide them, advise them only to find that all my efforts did not work. Six

months later their lives would be falling apart again. Being a mortician is much
better. Now, when I straighten them out, they stay straight.
Knowledge and wisdom provide good in life, but not ultimate good. Wisdom
and education are not panaceas. They will not solve all problems. Solomon was
one of the wisest men to ever live, yet he nonetheless ended his life in shame and
failure. His wisdom alone was not enough. There are many in our world,
particularly educators, politicians, and journalists, who expect too much of
education and knowledge. They mistakenly presume that every problem in society
and culture can be corrected and solved through an educational program of some
sort. Wisdom is valuable, but it has its limits. It is foolish to expect more of it than it
can deliver.
The fourth observation is this: gaining wisdom takes work.
Gaining Wisdom Takes Work
this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may
be exercised.
Gaining wisdom does not come naturally. We have to work at it. We have to
do as the book of James instructs us, to pray and ask God to give us wisdom.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they ate from the tree of knowledge. Part of
their desire was to gain knowledge as God knew it. In the punishment given them
by God, Adam was told that the ground would yield its fruit only by the sweat of his
brow. Growing food would be accomplished only with hard work and difficulty. It
would not come easily. The same is true for the pursuit of wisdom. The tree of
knowledge only yields its fruit to those who work at it and pursue it diligently.
Solomon describes the effort as toilsome and wearying: it is both physically and
mentally tiring.
So, with these four observations as background, let us look closely at
Solomon’s discoveries.
Solomon’s Insight: He Reminds Us What Wisdom Cannot Do
Solomon’s argument is by induction. Essentially he is saying, ‘I’ve tried it all
and it doesn’t work.’ If contentment and satisfaction could be obtained through
wisdom, he would have found it. But he did not. He came to some conclusions as
to why wisdom cannot finally bring fulfillment to life.
sin.
First, he determined that wisdom cannot solve humanity’s greatest problem:
Wisdom Cannot Solve Humanity’s Greatest Problem – Sin
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,

Early in the previous century a newspaper in London sponsored a series of
articles in which they invited various people to address the question: ‘What is
wrong with the world?’ People put forward a variety of thoughtful explanations and
commentary on the source of the woes and trouble of our world. The articles
generated a great deal of debate and discussion. The Christian journalist G. K.
Chesterton gave the most astute and accurate answer to the question. He wrote,
Dear Sir, you ask, ‘what is wrong with the world?’ I am. Yours most sincerely, G. K.
Chesterton.
Chesterton understood that the problem of the world is not finally the
division between the nations, but the division of the human heart. The line of good
and evil runs through the heart. You cannot educate away sin. You cannot tutor a
man into righteousness. This is the limit of learning. You can make smarter
sinners, but they are still sinners. Wisdom and education do not change our human
nature or temperament. As Solomon says, what is crooked cannot be made
straight by the power of wisdom. This truth is portrayed in literature through the
character type of the brilliant villain, a Dr. Moriarity or Hannibal Lector, men who
have great insight and understanding, but use their wisdom for criminal ends. We
do not need fiction to illustrate the truth of Solomon’s discovery. The tyrants of the
20 th century were educated tyrants. Prior to World War II the people of Germany
were among the most educated and sophisticated population on earth. Many who
serve the cause of terrorism today are highly trained and educated, often as
doctors. Wisdom is incapable of dealing with human sinfulness.
This is the first limitation on wisdom Solomon articulates. The second is that
wisdom cannot make a perfect world.
Wisdom Cannot Make a Perfect World
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
In the modern world, successful nations achieve their success in part by
dividing their world into three spheres: 1) business and trade, 2) government and
politics, and 3) religion and morality. The three spheres are distinct and separated,
but they also meet and overlap in the middle. There is dialog and exchange taking
place between them. Religious faith provides moral guidance to business and
political legislation. Politics looks out for the common good and acts a mediator in
societal debate. Business provides a means to harness people’s natural initiative,
enabling people to turn labor into profit and create wealth.
Much that is positive and good has been accomplished in the modern world.
There has been much improvement in the spread of liberty, health care, longevity,
material wealth, and economic opportunity, the near eradication of slavery, the
increase in literacy, and more. There is much to be done, but much has been done.
Probably every person in this sanctuary today has lived and will live a longer,
healthier, and more prosperous life than kings and queens did in the middle ages.
The world has come a long way.

That said, Solomon would add that while progress is real, progress in this
life will never be complete or final. What is lacking cannot be numbered is the way
he puts it. We cannot perfect the world through our efforts. We will not usher in the
kingdom of God as the fruit of our accomplishments. Wisdom is not the pathway to
a utopia. Corruption will always set in. Decay will always threaten to return. It is
always there, crouching at the door. Perfectibility is not a possibility for the human
mind remains vulnerable to corruption, crooked and perverse. I once read the
report of a woman whose husband was a professor at a well known university.
Someone asked her what her husband did. She replied that he spent his days
thinking of learned reasons to help people justify doing what they know they should
not do.
The first limitation Solomon discovers is that wisdom cannot deal with
human sin. The second is that wisdom cannot make a perfect world. The third is
that in the end, ironically, wisdom itself cannot be finally grasped.
In the end, Wisdom cannot be finally Grasped
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is
vanity and grasping for the wind.
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. For in much wisdom is
much grief,
The proverb is true: the more you learn, the more you know how little you
know. You begin to embark upon a study of field of knowledge and discover quickly
that there is a lot more there than you first thought or anticipated. I think C. S.
Lewis capture this phenomenon well when he wrote of some things being bigger
on the inside than they are on the outside. From the outside they appear
graspable, manageable, and capable of being mastered. But from the inside, we
find that we have entered into a new and endless world. The more we know, the
more we see how vast things are.
The truth of this is seen in the way in which different fields of knowledge
tend to develop their own vocabulary. Doctors, dentists, computer programmers,
theologians, chefs, sailors, butchers, lawyers all have their distinct language and
way of talking. I once listened to the CEO of a mobile phone company describing
what was new in his business and when he was done I had no idea what he had
said. Here was a world entirely foreign to me. He was speaking English, but I could
not grasp what he meant.
Solomon discovered this limitation of wisdom. It can never grasp all there is
to know. I can put some effort and time into learning the new products and services
Qualcomm is offering and in a short time I could grasp a sufficient amount of
information to understand what the CEO meant. But there is still the world of all the
technology that lies beneath it, that would be beyond me. I have spent my adult life
learning the vocabulary and understanding of a single sphere of knowledge:

theology. But it is only one of hundreds of spheres, each with its own language,
framework, discoveries, and accomplishments.
Solomon found the limitation of wisdom to deal with human sinfulness. He
found that it could not accomplish human perfectibility. He realized that even in the
greatest effort complete wisdom is well beyond our grasp. Finally, Solomon
discerned that wisdom cannot erase the reality of past mistakes and
misunderstanding.
Wisdom Cannot Erase the Reality of Past Mistakes and
Misunderstanding
18 For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge
increases sorrow.
One of the sad ironies of the pursuit of wisdom is that as we gain it, we often
discover past mistakes and misunderstandings. There is a certain creative self
destruction involved in gaining wisdom. The more we learn, the more we discover
past mistakes. The more we know the more we see our errors. I think back upon
some of the sermons I have preached in previous churches and I want to go back
and apologize: if I only knew then what I know now…
Solomon understood that wisdom can bring grief. An increase in knowledge
can increase our sorrow. We all know the experience of looking back upon our life
realizing that actions and decisions that we took with confidence at the time have
since proven foolish and false in the passing of time. Most of the time there is
nothing that can be done when such realizations occur. As the poet Emily
Dickenson puts it
My Triumph lasted till the Drums
Had left the Dead alone
And then I dropped my Victory
And chastened stole along
To where the finished Faces
Conclusion turned on me
And then I hated Glory
And wished myself were They.
What is to be is best descried
When it has also been --
Could Prospect taste of Retrospect
The tyrannies of Men
Were Tenderer -- diviner
The Transitive toward.
A Bayonet's contrition
Is nothing to the Dead.

In this poem the victor regrets the cost of victory. Wisdom has brought a change in
perspective. When we consider the sweep of human history and consider the
prevalence of injustice, sorrow and tragedy we understand why the Greek
philosopher Heraclitus would look upon all the world with weeping eyes.
Gaining wisdom as one matures in life brings with it new discoveries. We
discover our past mistakes and errors. We discover that some people, who have
wisdom, choose not to use it. We see others jump up and down and call it
progress. Still others are content in their folly and foolishness. Many people persist
in patterns of life that are foolish or self destructive. We wonder to ourselves, why
do they not see it?
Close
These are Solomon’s four insights regarding wisdom. He sees the good of
wisdom, but also discovers its limitations. Wisdom brings value to life but its sphere
is limited. Wisdom cannot deal with the reality of human sinfulness. Wisdom will
not lead to utopia. It cannot usher in the Kingdom of God. In addition, Solomon
learned that wisdom is, in a final sense, beyond us. The wisdom of God’s world is
too great, and whatever wisdom we gain in life is always, ultimately, a small
fraction of what there is to know. Finally, Solomon realized that growing in wisdom
meant the reevaluation of the past. We discover the ways in which we have been
wrong or foolish. Wisdom in this way brings with it grief and sorrow.
Solomon lived during the Old Testament era. His words to us are part of
sacred scripture, inspired and God-breathed. But they are not the last word. The
dilemmas Solomon identified regarding the place of wisdom in human life are
ultimately resolved through the work and ministry of Jesus Christ. Solomon saw
that wisdom and knowledge could not deal with the reality of human sinfulness.
Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. His sacrifice is the perfect remedy, the payment
for sin, making possible the reality of new life. Solomon recognized that wisdom
could never perfect the world. Jesus Christ is building his kingdom. One day he will
bring to fulfillment his new, perfect world. Solomon saw the limitations of wisdom,
that all sufficient knowledge and understanding could not be grasped. At the same
time, in Jesus Christ we see the ultimate wisdom of God. Jesus Christ is the sum
and substance. He grasps it all. Finally, Solomon realized that wisdom could not
erase past mistakes. Things done cannot be undone. Jesus Christ has the ability to
redeem our sins and failings. God, through Christ, draws straight lines with crooked
sticks. Through Jesus Christ even our past failings can find meaning and
redemption. And that is a comforting thought.
Say 'Amen' Somebody