APR 12

Ecclesiastes 1:16-18
Memorise Ecclesiastes 1:18
“In much wisdom is much grief…”

Not content with simple observation, more than to just seek and search out, Solomon now gave himself over to know experientially what life under the sun was. And so he deliberately considered this matter within his own heart, and harnessed his great wealth, power and intellect to embark on the next step of his experimentation. His curiosity expanded to desire to fully understand human nature, including the madness and folly of it. He probably desired to understand why man acts in the way they do, in the foolish, crazy and wicked acts that they commit. This was a conscious decision that he made, whereby he was not satisfied with just observing, but he wanted to experience it all for himself. There was probably an element of pride in this endeavour, for he described himself as one having ‘great estate’, and having ‘more wisdom than all they that have been before me’. He had everything a man could ask for, but he wanted more. He had this insatiable curiosity about life, and so he gave himself over to seek after not just wisdom and knowledge, but also the madness and folly of man. This was Solomon’s problem. Despite all that he had, he was not satisfied, and kept thinking that there was something out there to be known, felt and experienced that would be able to give him the greatest fulfilment and enjoyment in life.

But at the end of it all, his conclusion was that it is all vexation of spirit. The more that he studied man, the more vexed he became as he observed their life under the sun, apart from God. This is especially so when one studies sinful man, in his madness and folly. Man’s lawless nature and his propensity to sin is definitely not something for us to envy, but rather an increased knowledge of it should bring much grief and sorrow to a righteous man’s heart. This was the first of the many vanities that he observed in his life that provoked him to conclude that there is nothing better than to seek after God and His commandments.

May we too understand and be convicted to realise that the pride and pleasures of the world are nothing more than glamourised sin. The Christian would do well to stay far from any involvement with these things, for it can only bring much grief, and much knowledge of it only increases sorrow.

Thought: Am I tempted to try to experience the sinful pleasures of life?
Prayer: Lord, may You help me to flee every temptation and the influences of peer pressure that come my way.