Ecclesiastes 1:10-18
Ecclesiastes
1:10
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See,
this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
Then Solomon poses the question which gets right to the
heart of the matter and that is, “can anyone really present anything that is
new?” Sure we can say they didn’t
have computers 100 years ago or they did not drive cars in the 1800’s or they
didn’t have airplanes before 1903.
These are things which came about as God began to give the knowledge of the
gospel out to the world as we head pell-mell toward the last day.
Daniel had prophesied that knowledge will increase.
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
(Daniel 12:4) This is
primarily pointing to the fact that biblical knowledge will increase but along
with increased biblical knowledge will be the means to get that knowledge to the
entire world and as usual Satan is right there to help corrupt each method.
Has politics changed from ancient times to today?
Has material desires changed from ancient times to today?
Has crime changed from ancient times to today?
Has hatred changed from ancient times to today? I think you get the point
that knowledge has increased but wisdom along with that knowledge has lagged.
The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7) Wisdom is
despised or hated by the unbelievers which is the same today.
Knowledge with wisdom is a marriage but knowledge without wisdom is a
dangerous disconnect.
Ecclesiastes
1:11
There is
no remembrance of former things; neither shall
there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those
that shall come after.
Spanish Philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) made two
tremendous observations: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it,” and “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
We may have history books and archaeology which digs up the remains of
the past but as for remembrance of the actual events, we choose not to remember
them and make a justification for our actions.
War has been around for thousands of years whether wars of defense or
wars of offense and what was accomplished when you really get down to it?
We choose not to remember the past and the futilities that past
generations have faced and choose to bring them up to our day but future
generations will not remember any of the accomplishments or disasters we will
make. Intentional rejection of true
history and its consequences is passed on from generation to generation.
Many times history is studied but it is studied through the eyes of bias
or through an edited version leaving only the parts we know will make our case
for whatever we have in mind.
Ecclesiastes
1:12
I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Solomon after broaching the subject of wisdom and
knowledge now begins a new discourse concerning the particular things that
people seek on this earth which cannot fulfill but only increase lust for more
and more. Solomon is still the king
of Israel while he is writing this book.
Solomon would have been in a great position to write on these subjects
since he was probably the wealthiest man on earth at that time and had the
opportunity to know firsthand about the deceitfulness of riches and how they
really do not satisfy.
Ecclesiastes
1:13
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom
concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath
God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
When Solomon speaks about giving his heart, he is stating
that he has “applied or assigned” his heart with a determination to seek out all
things under Heaven. Notice Solomon
is stating that he is using wisdom to make an evaluation of all the things that
he would study. This means that he
is not just looking at things with a cursory view but wants to know the reason
behind the things that are done under Heaven, that is, on earth.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, they thought that the
tree of knowledge of good and evil would be all good but in this verse Solomon
is telling us that the searching out of things according to wisdom is literally
a full time occupation with much evil being revealed in the process.
This is what God has given to the human race as we see them continually
trying to figure out the things of earth and their conclusions are many times
erroneous such as evolution or climate change.
Both of these deny the creative and keeping power of God by rejecting the
fact that he exists.
Ecclesiastes
1:14
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun;
and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Growing up in the house of David and now as king who had
prayed and asked the LORD for wisdom to rule the people, not only does he have
the ability according to God’s wisdom to see many things through the eyes of a
saved man but he also assesses the fact that many things done on earth are of
vanity. If Ecclesiastes was written
in his later years, then he would have also been involved in idolatry by this
time and he includes false religions as nothing but vanity.
Within the meaning of “vanity” is “transitory or temporary” which means
that everything that is done on earth which has nothing to do with serving or
worshipping the LORD is nothing but a temporary state and will have its end on
the last day when the world is destroyed.
The vexation of spirit is a spirit of “discontentment, dissatisfaction,
or troubling.” In other words when
man sets out to do something they think is great, it is really the anticipation
that outweighs the actual results of whatever is in view.
The results are normally disappointing and that is the vexation of
spirit.
Ecclesiastes
1:15
That which is
crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is
wanting cannot be numbered.
This verse is saying that man does not have the ability
to change things which are set by God’s hands.
Did you ever see a crooked tree become straightened after some years?
The word “wanting” carries with it the meaning of “deficiencies, faults,
or defects.” The greatest defect carried
over from the fall in the Garden is the defect of sin which has caused all human
beings to be separated from God who willingly walked with Adam and Eve in the
Garden. The number of sinful
defects in one person cannot be numbered because any person can sin at any
moment with a number of different sins.
The creation also suffered from many defects as we see all around the
world. We see Tsunamis like the
devastating one that hit Japan in 2011, or the F5 tornadoes that leveled Joplin,
Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Moore, Oklahoma.
Included in that are hail storms, mud slides, lightning strikes, floods,
etc. The wanting cannot be numbered
because somewhere on the earth happening at any given time is some type of
disaster whether it be large or small.
Ecclesiastes
1:16
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to
great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been
before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and
knowledge.
Solomon then states that he has communed or spoke with
his heart. That is he began to
assess within himself the things that he is pondering or musing on.
He states that he has come to large estate, that is, he has come not only
to greatness in wisdom but he was also great in material things which God gave
him.
And I have also given thee that which
thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any
among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
(1 Kings 3:13) Solomon
was the only king who had the blessing of God upon him in the area of great
wisdom and massive riches which Solomon didn’t even ask for.
This means that he was given greater wisdom than his father David and
king Saul before him. True wisdom
and knowledge are a marriage because wisdom without knowledge has no outlet and
knowledge without wisdom leads to trouble as in the Garden of Eden.
Solomon had great experience in both of these.
Below describes the wisdom and knowledge of Solomon:
{30} And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the
children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
{31} For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman,
and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round
about. {32} And he spake three
thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
{33} And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even
unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of
fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
{34} And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all
kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
(1 Kings 4:30-34)
Ecclesiastes
1:17
And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness
and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
Then Solomon contrasts two areas of study or
investigation. He gave his heart to
know wisdom and with it knowledge in the good sense.
Then he investigated madness and folly.
“Madness” would be “foolhardiness” and “folly” would be “silliness or
foolishness.” By knowing the
madness and folly, he would have a better understanding and desire for wisdom
which leads to life instead of folly and madness which can have fatal
consequences. The madness and folly
he came to know is also vexation of spirit which would be the disappointment
that that folly and madness brings.
Then he gives the reason why below.
Ecclesiastes
1:18
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that
increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.