Wisdom, Knowledge and Joy--What More Could We Want?

Wisdom, Knowledge and Joy—What More Could We Want?” 

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26
 

     As much as the world tries to paint for us a world that is happy where no one has any real problems that can’t be overcome with the right car, the right self-help program, the right medication for all that ails you, the reality is that there are many more people who are unhappy, fearful and frustrated than there are people who know real joy.  The unhappiness is most often the result of unfulfilled expectations.  You have this ideal world in your mind of the way things ought to be but when you look at the real world you only see frustration because things aren’t the way you want them to be and there doesn’t seem to be any prospect for them to get any better and certainly not any closer to your unrealistic expectations.  That frustration could come from your job, your family, or the fear of an uncertain future.  The real cause of this unhappiness is misplaced priorities.  You are looking in the wrong place for real fulfillment and real happiness and as a result, you never find what you are looking for. 

     The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the son of David, recognized this same kind of frustration and unhappiness in his own life and in the people of his time.  When your priorities and expectations for success and happiness are only concerned with earthly things, you are going to be disappointed.  I have to think that life in the days of Solomon, around 931 BC, was certainly not as fast paced and complicated as it is for us today.  However, there was still a frustration in the minds of people when they thought about the purpose of life.  This frustration is captured in the book of Ecclesiastes when Solomon describes most of life’s pursuits as vanity.  It is a useless show of earthly accomplishments that in the end don’t mean much at all.  It’s all vanity.  To give you an idea of what he meant, he talks about working all your life only to pass on what you accomplished to someone else.  What good is that?  What benefit is that you?  You worry about what you will accumulate to the point that you can’t even sleep at night.  All is vanity.  Such a person is only concerned with the things of this world and getting more of them.

     But even today in our busy world, the pursuit of earthly things consumes us.  The dreams of having more and more earthly things keep the lottery and now the casinos in business.  The drive for increasing profits cause businesses to find new locations with cheaper labor regardless of what it means for loyal workers.  Advertising tries to convince us that we need things so that companies can profit from our vanity.  Solomon would say, “Vanity of vanities.  All is vanity.” 

     But it’s not just out there in the world.  If you are honest with yourself, you know that it is in you as well.  Your sinful nature strives after the things of this world.  The words from the Declaration of Independence, “the pursuit of happiness” have been taken to the extreme and you hear the statement made by many people, “I don’t care what they do as long as it makes them happy.”  That kind of thinking has become the excuse for ignoring the clear word and will of God in the way that many people live their lives.  If you are only concerned with the things of this world, then that kind of thinking might seem reasonable.  If you only live for the here and now, who cares what the consequences will be of your sinful, selfish attitudes and actions!

     Again, Solomon would say, “All is vanity and striving after wind.”  For those of you who are around my age, you probably remember a song that was popular in the sixties by British singer-song writer Donovan called “Catch the Wind.”  In his frustration over a love that was beyond his reach, he wrote, “Ah, but I may as well try and catch the wind.”  Perhaps he was drawing his inspiration from Solomon in these passages from Ecclesiastes.  Trying to find fulfillment, true happiness and peace from earthly things is like trying to catch the wind.  You can’t do it.  It only leads to more frustration.  You keep trying but it always seems out of reach.

     But that’s not all that Solomon has to say about this.  Remember that this is Solomon, the King, the son of King David, who is writing this.  This is the same Solomon who was given the choice by God to have anything that he wanted and he chose wisdom so that he could rule his people well.  That wisdom was then shared with God’s people in the books of Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes that we have before us today.  That wisdom, as we have heard so far, teaches that striving after earthly things is vanity and a striving after wind.  On the other hand, in his wisdom, Solomon also teaches us that there are great blessings when we live to please God and do His will.  In the closing verse of this section we hear about those blessings.  “For the one who pleases Him, God has given wisdom, knowledge and joy.”  Those are wonderful gifts.  Certainly Solomon could appreciate the blessing of wisdom that God had given to him so that he could be a good king and provide peace and security to his people.  Wisdom could be described as the ability to understand and apply Godly principles to the situations that are faced throughout life but especially in critical situations.  Wisdom is able to consider all the consequences and chose the best course of action. 

     Knowledge is being in touch with the will of God.  God, who is all knowing, imparts knowledge to His people through His Word.  When you hear and study His Word, that knowledge is given to you to show you God’s will.  That knowledge also helps you to make good decisions in your life that are pleasing to God.  Combine that with the wisdom that comes from God and you not only know what God’s will is, you also are able to apply that knowledge in practical situations. 

     The third gift that Solomon mentioned is joy.  This is not to be confused with the fleeting joy that comes from earthly happiness.  This is a joy that comes from the Lord that finds it fullness in heaven.  It is a joy that can only be known when you are at peace with God.  For Solomon and the faithful people of Israel, that joy was found in the promise of the Messiah   They awaited the coming of the One who would bring peace with God. 

     To us who live in the New Testament era when the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior has been made known in Jesus Christ, this all takes on a more clear meaning.  God’s love for sinful mankind was demonstrated when Jesus was sent from heaven to earth to become one of us.  He kept the Law perfectly when we could not.  Not even Solomon in all his wisdom and splendor and success as a king could keep God’s Law perfectly.  But Jesus took the place of sinful mankind, He took your place under the Law, and then went to the cross as the punishment for your sins.  Just as Solomon’s idolatry with the gods of his many wives caused the downfall of the kingdom of Israel, so your sins of idolatry that lead to all kinds of other sins against God’s commands would have caused your downfall if it had not been for the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  Not only did Jesus suffer and die for you, He rose again to show that the Father was pleased with His sacrifice and because He lives, you shall live also.  The Holy Spirit was then sent to give you the faith to believe and trust in Jesus alone for your eternal salvation.

      You have been reconciled to God and as a result you are given the gifts that Solomon mentions as those things that God gives to the one who pleases Him.  You are given wisdom, knowledge and joy.  Think of what that means for you now.  You have wisdom from God.  With that wisdom you can see through the deceit of the devil and his tricks.  You can see through the enticements to worldly pursuits that are laid before you all the time.  You can see how they try to pull you away from God.  By the power of the Holy Spirit you can also see how you can defend yourself against the temptations of earthly pleasures using the power that the Holy Spirit gives in the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments. 

     The Lord also gives us the knowledge of His will in His Word.  With the wisdom that He also gives, you can see how important it is to make good use of the Word through regular hearing and study of the Word throughout your life so that  you do don’t become complacent and finally ignore that knowledge altogether. 

     Finally He gives the gift of joy.  This joy comes from knowing the height and depth and breadth of God’s love.  That joy is made known in Jesus and is finally made complete for us in heaven.  That joy and the anticipation of its eternal fullness will be evident in the way you live your life and give witness to God’s great love.

     Wisdom, knowledge and joy!  What more could we want?  Amen.

 

Rev. Gerald Matzke
Zion Lutheran Church
Painesville, Ohio
August 4, 2013