Solomon's Pride & Insecurity in Pursuit of Philosophy (Studying Ecclesiastes 1:12-18) - Part 2

Thinking Scripturally While Reacting Culturally

Last time we looked at verses 12-15 of this section, and we commented that this section of Scripture surely seems to be hinting at Solomon’s pride that fed into his idolizing of philosophical pursuits.

Our next verse will seem to “seal the deal” on this postulation.

Solomon Reassures his Pride in Trying to Defend his Obsession with Philosophy — Verse 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’” (verse 16).

“I communed with my heart …” According to dictionary.com, commune means “to converse or talk together, usually with profound intensity, intimacy, etc.; interchange thoughts or feelings.”

Essentially, Solomon conversed within himself profound thoughts about his own greatness and wisdom, more than all who were before him in Jerusalem. How can we not read this and see PRIDE all over it?

It seems that Solomon overlooked one crucial factor when it came to his wisdom — what James describes as the “MEEKNESS of wisdom” (James 3:13, emphasis mine).

Wisdom is incredibly important. Solomon himself wrote by inspiration about it repeatedly. And yet, there is a hidden danger in the improper pursuit of wisdom for its own sake …

And that is that if one pursues wisdom for its own sake, he shifts his reasoning away from pursuit of truth because of a proper fear of God and toward pursuing it for its own glory. Thus, what should be a good pursuit becomes jaded and tainted by pride.

This seems to be a key problem of Solomon’s. He pursued the right thing (wisdom), but for the wrong reason (pride), and he got lost in his own vanity.

Consequences of Solomon’s Pursuing Wisdom for the Wrong Reason — Verses 17-18

“And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind” (verse 17).

Is there madness and folly in true Biblical wisdom sought for the right reason? Of course not!

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her” (Prov. 3:13-18).

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Prov. 2:6).

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).

The problem lies wherein one shifts his focus away from wisdom from the Lord and toward his own earthly-focused wisdom (see James 3:15).

It is my understanding that Solomon did just that as he allowed his wisdom to become all about HIM rather than maintaining his focus on God.

And did he find happiness in this mindset? Quite the opposite! He set his heart to know wisdom and he found “madness and folly!” He then realized that this was just “grasping for the wind.”

“For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (verse 18).

A byproduct of wisdom is knowing things about how the world works — being able to look around at this sin-filled world and see much sadness in its fallen state. Thus, Solomon says that the more he learned, the more grief and sorrow he felt.

As we continue to study Ecclesiastes, Solomon will mention some downright depressing thoughts about things like injustice, the inevitable loss of wealth, and his (and our) impending death.

While going through this study, it may appear that Solomon is the ultimate pessimist, but we must remember that he is giving us a glimpse of his thought processes BEFORE he finally came to his senses and reached “the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecc. 12:13).

Is your focus in life on “fearing God and keeping His commandments,” or will you (like Solomon) waste precious years pursuing things like pleasure, pride, power, and other pursuits?

The choice is yours!

We are finished with chapter 1! Next time, we will begin chapter 2!

With love always,

Chase

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Work Cited:

""Definition of Commune"." Dictionary.com, 1 Jul. 2023, www.dictionary.com/browse/communing. Accessed 1 Jul. 2023.