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Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun | The Question of Wisdom

January 26, 2025
Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

¹²So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. ¹³Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. ¹⁴The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. ¹⁵Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. ¹⁶For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! ¹⁷So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities; and in all our dangers and necessities, stretch forth your right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Psalm 90

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Return, O Lord! How long?

Have pity on your servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands upon us.

Summary and Connection

We’re continuing our sermon series called Ecclesiastes: The Enigma of Life Under the Sun. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author Qoheleth (which is often translated as “Preacher” or “Teacher”) explains how everything under the sun is hevel — “vanity” or “meaningless.” In the first half of chapter 2, Qoheleth mentions all the different forms of pleasure he tried, and he concludes that “all was vanity and a striving after the wind” (2:11). In today’s passage, he turns to wisdom and tries to find the meaning of life in it. However, the author arrives at the same conclusion, and the exact phrase is repeated in verse 17. This week, let’s explore the enigma of wisdom.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

• The Teacher turns his attention from pleasure to wisdom. What is the definition of wisdom? How is it different from knowledge?
  

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

• Paul writes in Colossians that in Jesus “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:3). Throughout the Bible, Jesus is described as the personification of God’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-30). In what ways does Jesus model the wisdom of God?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

• Although the author writes that wisdom is better than folly, he remains pessimistic knowing that the same fate awaits both the wise and the fools: death. What are the areas in our life that will be irrelevant after death? What are the areas that will remain relevant even after death? 

4. Looking at Our World

• How does the world view education and wisdom? How do people idolize it or take advantage of it?

Sending

• View Study Guide Notes

  Question 1: Both falling under the classification of wisdom literature, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs have similar themes and prose. In today’s passage, the author includes indirect references to the book of Proverbs (verses 13 and 14), and some commentators have suggested that Qoheleth seeks to critique the traditional wisdom of Proverbs. For example, his pessimistic conclusion regarding both the wise and the fool seems to challenge Proverbs 10:7, ”The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” However, in the end, the Teacher  agrees with Proverbs, as he concludes the book with “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), which is the thesis of the book of Proverbs.

  The book of Proverbs, along with other Scriptures, repeatedly defines wisdom as the fear of God (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; Psalms 111:10). The dictionary defines knowledge as knowing information and facts, and defines wisdom as the discernment and use of knowledge. Although knowledge is valuable (verses 13-14), it must be accompanied by wisdom for it to be good. The Bible encourages us to pray for wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Like Solomon, we must seek wisdom from God in order to increase our love for God and our neighbors.

  Question 2: In his book “Gentle and Lowly,” Dane Ortlund writes from Matthew 11:28-30 that “in the one place in the Bible where the Son of God pulls back the veil and lets us peer way down into the core of who he is… his surprising claim is that he is ‘gentle and lowly in heart.’” Although he is the incarnated God and possesses all the divine attributes, Jesus has a humble and gentle spirit. Similarly, James writes that the wisdom from above is “pure, peaceable, and gentle,” and wisdom that contains bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, or pride isn’t from above but rather is “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic” (James 3:13-17). Jesus taught that leadership in the Kingdom of Heaven is radically different from that of the rulers of the earth (Luke 22:25-27). In the same way, heavenly wisdom isn’t about displaying how much one knows; rather, it is centered on humility and gentleness, just as Jesus modeled.

  Question 3: In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul exhorted Timothy to pursue godliness, as it also held promise in eternal life. In previous discussions, we saw that “the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17), and “the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Although this world is temporary, there are things that we can invest in that have eternal return. In the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus tells a story of a rich man who stored up great wealth for himself. But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Jesus then warns, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21). The Bible repeatedly teaches us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33).

  God’s will, God’s Word, and godliness have an eternal return, but so does loving others, as we will see our brothers and sisters eternally in heaven. Although knowledge will eventually cease, love never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8). The Teacher in Ecclesiastes is indirectly guiding us away from idolizing pleasures and wisdom of this world and toward loving God and our neighbors.

  Question 4: In his book “To Know As We Are Known,” Parker Palmer writes about an interview from a Carnegie Commission survey. The interviewed college student was pessimistic about the future of the United States, saying it will be “definitely a worse place to live,” but was optimistic of his own future. When asked why, he responded, “Because I have a high grade point average, and I’m going to get a good job, make a lot of money, and live in a nice house.” Although this book was published in 1983, this sentiment is still shared by many today. People often use wisdom/knowledge for their personal gain and success, but heavenly wisdom is for loving others.

  In his letters, Thomas Jefferson often wrote that “knowledge is power,” a quote commonly attributed to Francis Bacon. The Bible, too, teaches on the value of wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-15; 8:10-11, 18-19), but it also issues warnings about being wise in one’s own eyes (Proverbs 3:7; Isaiah 5:21), about the wisdom of this world (Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 3:18-20), and about the pride that comes from such false wisdom (Romans 12:16). While the world may seek power and individual gain from knowledge, the Bible teaches that wisdom is for loving our neighbors and edifying them — “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). Wisdom (or truth) and love need to go hand in hand. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” As Christians, we must model the edifying effect of wisdom and its interdependence with love; Paul taught to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), encouraging us to see that our “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9).