The More You Know…

In my quiet time, I’m currently reading the book of Ecclesiates, which was written by Solomon. His desire in writing this book was to spare future generations from making the same mistakes he made and from seeking fulfillment from things of the world, rather than from God. In the very first chapter, the last verse says,

“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”

Whoa…what??  This is exactly why I LOVE studying the Word, because what makes sense in our finite minds, God’s truth just blows out of the water.

One would think that the more you know the easier your life would be and the more knowledge you obtain the more happiness it’s sure to bring. But as indicated in this verse…it’s just the opposite. The more wisdom (true wisdom, from God) you obtain, the more difficult things become.

Why, you ask…well because the more wisdom you obtain, the more of Christ you see and the more imperfections of this world and those in it are made evident. Now let me clarify, this does NOT mean nor is this verse a pass that the more you read your Bible the more you are entitled to judge, criticize or condemn others. It is just the very opposite! The more wisdom you obtain the harder it should become to dismiss the feelings of others because you understand God’s divine purpose for everyone He created. It should become more difficult to count someone out after they’ve sinned because you understand the abundant grace God has extended to you. It should become nearly impossible to judge others because you understand that the way you judge others will determine how you are judged and the only one true judge is the Lord.

More wisdom is a gift but just like it says in this scripture, it will generate more sorrow and grief. You become physically uncomfortable with sin, judgement and evil but we live in a world full of it all. How do we cope, how do we not fall into the trap of the world? The only way is to lean on the Lord, live differently from others and refuse to do, say or go where they choose to go. This is SO hard, for me anyway, who wants to be different?? No one likes to hear, “yeah, she’s nice but a little different,” just doesn’t sound like a compliment to me 🙂

I love what it says in the Life Application portion of my Bible in explaining this verse, “As you set out with Solomon to find the meaning of life, you must be ready to feel more, think more, question more, hurt more, and do more. Are you ready to pay the price for wisdom?”

True wisdom is worth more than the finest gold but there is a price you pay to obtain it, walk in it and apply it. Lord, help us to embrace the wisdom that is available to us and to use it to build up others and your Kingdom!