Part 2 of 3
We are studying Ecclesiastes 7:14-29. In the first part, from verses 14-22, Solomon wrote about the search for balance. We learned that the right response to the sad situation of the righteous perishing and the wicked prospering is not to take the middle road between righteousness and wickedness. Rather, the right response is to fear the Lord for the fear of the Lord brings wisdom and strength. Only by fearing God will we be kept in the straight and narrow way and from all dangerous extremes.
In this second section, from verses 23-29, Solomon writes about the search for wisdom.
The Search for Wisdom (vv. 23-29)
In 23 and 24, he speaks about embarking on a search for something that is hard to find. “All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?” Here, he recognizes the limitations of his own wisdom and his own ability to search for wisdom. Simply stated, wisdom was beyond his human reach. It was too far off and too deep even for someone as intelligent and with as much resources as him.
Then in verse 25, he states more clearly what was it that he was searching for, “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:”
It is clear that he is very determined and diligent in his pursuit. And what is he searching for? Three things: wisdom, the reason or the sum of things, and the evil of foolishness. His pursuit to find these things, however, resulted in failure. He never achieves the object of his search. He was not able to find them.
Now we need to remember that his searching is not based on studying the Word of God but on his own human ability and wisdom. Remember how he says in verse 23, “I will be wise, but it was far from me…” But while he failed to find what he started out looking for, he did find other things along the way. One commentator wrote, “(the preacher) searched and kept finding strange things.” Specifically, he found three things as he went about his search. Let’s briefly consider them.
The first is in verse 26, “And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.”
Solomon finds a certain kind of woman to be more bitter than death. In other words, it would be better to die than to be with her. It is a great blessing to be able to escape from her but a real curse and misery to be captured by her. What kind of woman is she? Well obviously, she is a wicked, unprincipled and immoral woman. She may be attractive outwardly and have certain physical qualities that draw men to her but she is void of godliness and spiritual qualities.
Joseph in Egypt was tempted by one such woman, even Potiphar’s wife, but the fear of God led him to flee from her and thus escape her snare. Sadly though, in the book of Judges, we read of Samson who met another such woman by the name of Delilah and he gave in to his lust and fell into her trap, and was ruined because of her.
The second thing he comes across in his search is found in verses 27-28, “Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.”
What was the preacher looking for among men and women? He doesn’t say explicitly but it seems clear from the context that he was looking for good qualities or virtues, particularly the qualities of righteousness and wisdom.
He tells us that of all the thousands of people he knew, he could hardly find a man who was wise and righteous, and he could not find a single woman with those qualities. One man among a thousand or 0.1% of men, and 0% of women. Wisdom and righteousness are simply not qualities that are readily found in people in general.
And lest you think that Solomon is speaking more favourably about men than women, he goes on to tell us the third thing that he has found in verse 29, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”
Here is a verse in the Bible that teaches both the doctrine of man’s original righteousness and the doctrine of man’s total depravity. God made man upright or virtuous, but they have corrupted themselves. In Adam, all of us possessed original righteousness. But because of his fall into sin, all of us are now corrupted to the core, and we manifest our corrupt nature in many different ways. The word “only” in verse 29 heightens the importance of this third discovery. Why could he not find a woman and only a single man out of a thousand who was wise and upright? The answer is found in this verse – that though God made the human race upright, they have all gone astray.
Now it is true that verse 29 of our text is based on Solomon’s observation of people. One could argue that Solomon had not investigated every single person that ever lived, past, present, future so how could he know that there isn’t one who is upright. His sample size, you might say, is too small.
Well, the truthfulness of Solomon’s statement does not rest merely on his limited observation. It is based ultimately on God’s assessment of man. And remember that God is all-seeing and all-knowing. Nothing escapes His eye.
Psalm 14:2-3 says, “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” And again in Genesis 6:5, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” So the doctrine of man’s total depravity is not based on experience although it is true that experience confirms it. Instead, the doctrine of total depravity is based on God’s infallible revelation.
In our last study, we saw that no one is perfect in this world. Here, we see that everyone has gone astray from God and corrupted himself or herself. Everyone has sought out many evil and wicked devices. Isaiah 53:6 says everyone has turned to his own way. And everything in this world has been turned upside down as a result.
Instead of receiving the truth of God, men believe the lies of the devil. Instead of righteous thoughts, words and deeds based on God’s law, men transgress every single one of God’s commandments. Instead of worshipping and serving the true God, men invent all kinds of false religions and false gods, and bow down themselves to them and serve them. God hath made men upright, but they have sought out many inventions.
And so in this second section of our text, we read about Solomon’s diligent search for wisdom and the sum of things. He was not able to accomplish his objective because these things are beyond human reach.
But in the process of searching, he made three important observations. First, he noted that the snare of a wicked and immoral woman is worse than death. Second, he observed that the qualities of wisdom and righteousness are very rare if not non-existent. Third, and most importantly, he said that while God had made man upright, men have corrupted themselves and turned to many evil things.
In the next article, we will consider three lessons we can learn from Solomon’s search for balance and wisdom.