Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 - I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.” And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

These verses were written by the wisest man on earth, King Solomon. He was granted this wisdom at his own request to help him rule God’s chosen people. The book of Ecclesiastes was written towards the end of his life after he began realizing the folly of his actions.

How did King Solomon think that having 1,000 women (wives and concubines combined) was a wise endeavor? Yes, he achieved peace for his kingdom through those alliances. But, it drew him further away from God and into idolatry by trying to please his pagan wives.

King Solomon was able to discern more than any other person in the world, but his kingdom fell apart as soon as his son took power. That wisdom didn’t leave him a legacy. The next generation knew him as a king who drained them of money through taxes. His wisdom did not give him the title of ‘man after God’s own heart’ like his father.

And what did King Solomon learn from his years of having this wisdom? In the end, all was vanity. The more knowledge he obtained, the more sorrow he had. It didn’t bring him joy.

What we need to remember is that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. If all we know is Christ, we are even greater than Solomon.

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