Daily Devotions
Ecclesiastes
"I applied my heart to know"
Text: Ecclesiastes 7:25
THE QUEST FOR WISDOM
Solomon explained how he sought wisdom. It is naive to think that prayer alone would result in obtaining wisdom. A combination is to be noted. There is the Lord’s part in giving enlightenment. There is our part which must be done.
“I applied my heart to know,
To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things,
To know the wickedness of folly,
Even of foolishness and madness.”
Ecclesiastes 7:25
1. “I applied my heart to know”
a) The heart must be involved.
i) There must be more than “idle interest”.
ii) There must be “passion” in seeking after wisdom.
iii) A laid-back approach would never do.
b) Application of the heart
i) The application of the heart is explained in another book that Solomon wrote (Proverbs 2:1-4).
ii) There must be an inclination of the ear.
iii) There must be the application of the heart (which is stated in this text).
iv) There must be a crying out for discernment.
v) There must also be a lifting up of the voice for understanding.
vi) There must be sustained seeking and searching as if one is looking
for hidden treasure.
2. “To search and seek out wisdom”
a) This statement is similar to Proverbs 2:1-4.
b) Solomon was consistent in his statements.
c) These statements reflect the way he applied his heart to seek after wisdom.
3. The depth of his search
a) The reason of things:
i) Solomon desired to have knowledge “of things”.
ii) He also wanted to know the “reason” beneath these things.
iii) Why were things done?
iv) How may we better comprehend things?
b) “To know the wickedness of folly”
i) Folly is to be disdained.
ii) Solomon noted that beneath folly was “wickedness”.
iii) Folly and wickedness were somehow connected.
iv) He wanted to know how they are linked.
c) “Even of foolishness and madness”
i) Foolishness is tied to wickedness.
ii) It seems to be tied to “madness” too.
iii) This “madness” is not to be understood in the medical sense of the word.
iv) This “madness” is an attempt to understand why people kept pursuing
“folly” even though it seems obvious that “folly” has deadly consequences.
v) Why would people pursue wickedness?
This to Solomon seems to be “madness”.
4. What does it take to find this kind of wisdom?
a) A mind that is capable of deep and profound thinking.
b) A heart that is passionate in seeking such depth of knowledge.
c) A soul that is humble enough to recognize that God alone can give the necessary enlightenment.
d) Earnestness in praying to the Lord for grace to understand these deep things.