Ecclesiastes 1:17-18. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Too Much Knowledge is Not Good
The more you learn in life, the more it can be a grief to you. Sometimes getting a college education is not a blessing. Solomon found out that all the wisdom he asked God for was both a blessing and a curse. He gave his heart to wisdom. The problem was that madness and folly went along with it. Sometimes it is better not to know so much.
Being Blissfully Ignorant
Knowing God’s law is a blessing. However, before you knew the law, you were not aware of your sin. As a child, you were blissfully ignorant, in a sense. There is no one more joyful than a child who just does not know. However, even though there may be grief and sorrow in knowledge, that does not give us an excuse to not know God’s commandments. We could do without all the worldly wisdom, which brings the most grief and sorrow.
Cynical in Your Old Age
As you grow older, you become wiser. A lot of that has to do with learning from mistakes or being taken advantage of. As a result, the older you get, the more cynical you can get. Sometimes not having a lot of guile, or being innocent, is a good thing. You might get taken advantage of more often, however, you won’t care because you look at things less critically.
Using Knowledge the Right Way
As Christians, we need to make sure we use the knowledge we get, from the world and the Bible, wisely. We must not let it affect us in a negative way, like it did Solomon. We need to know when to quit digging so deep and say we know enough. Sometimes, we need to not lean unto our own understanding, but just let God have His way. We don’t need to figure everything out in life. Solomon had to have an answer for everything; and, eventually, in a sense, it drove him mad. A life of faith trusts God even when there is not an answer.
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