Thurs.’s Devo - Wisdom

Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22; 2 Corinthians 6:1-33; Psalm 46:1-11; Proverbs 22:15 Tradition says that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes near the end of his death. Solomon also wrote Proverbs twenty years earlier. When Solomon wrote Proverbs he was following the Lord but when he wrote Ecclesiastes he had married many foreign women and chose to worship their idols. He had lost his way with the Lord. Proverbs is the book of God’s wisdom and Ecclesiastes is the book of man’s wisdom. Solomon had been give the gift of wisdom when he began his reign but the heart determines what that wisdom looks like. In Proverbs, Solomon spoke of wisdom being the fear of the Lord and he was in awe of God and his wonderful power. In Ecclesiastes Solomon is bored with life and very cynical. His spiritual state directed his heart. He sees life as meaningless and man not receiving any reward for the work of his hands. Solomon sees history repeating itself and that we never really learn from our mistakes and there is nothing new to look forward to. How that contradicts Isaiah 43:19 that says, “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Solomon says that what is crooked cannot be made straight and what is lacking cannot be numbered. But, Isaiah 40:4-5 says, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Solomon claimed that wisdom brought grief and knowledge increases sorrow. Solomon ran after pleasure as a way to get out of his depression but couldn’t find it. Then he considered his life and decided that wisdom excelled folly and light excelled darkness. It was more wise to walk in the light than in darkness. Solomon is old and looks back at all he has achieved and is not satisfied with his life. We see Solomon going through the process of coming back to his roots. He realizes that everything has a season and that God has put eternity in everyone’s hearts. We can’t see the end from the begining like God can so we have to learn to trust God and to rejoice in Him no matter what. Solomon finds himself overwhelmed with the wickedness in the world and the only peace he finds is in knowing that God will judge the righteous and the wicked. Solomon concludes that man should rejoice in his own works. Solomon sits in the seat of luxury and wealth and is unsatisfied where Paul sits in the seat of persecution, and abuse and he is totally satisfied with his life. Paul knows from experience that God always comes to the rescue of the righteous. He doesn’t mind all the hardships he has gone through because he had a passion of spreading the gospel that was more important than his comfort. Paul’s life was well-spent and at the end of his life he could be thankful. Lord, may we live our lives for the reward awaiting us in heaven. May we see how better living for You is than having riches here on earth.