Daily Devotions
Ecclesiastes
"I saw all the work of God"
Text: Ecclesiastes 8:17
APPLICATION OF THE HEART TO KNOW WISDOM
Solomon shares how he pursued wisdom. It is now found easily. It must be sought for with all the heart! And even then, full and complete knowledge of God is impossible!
“When I applied my heart to know wisdom
and to see the business that is done on earth,
even though one sees no sleep day or night,
then I saw all the work of God,
that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun.
For though a man labours to discover it, yet he will not find it;
moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it,
he will not be able to find it.”
Ecclesiastes 8:16-17
1. “When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth”
a) The application of the heart to know wisdom.
i) Wisdom is associated with the mind.
ii) It is also associated with the heart.
iii) One must be totally dedicated in the search for wisdom.
b) Wisdom has many aspects:
i) One aspect has to do with “business that is done on earth”.
ii) This is not a reference to commercial transactions.
iii) It is a reference to “the business of life itself”.
2. “Even though one sees no sleep day or night”
a) This describes how Solomon pursued wisdom.
b) There were days when he lost sleep as he grappled to understand life.
c) The following day saw him doggedly pursuing knowledge and wisdom.
d) He was one who did not stop pursuing till he reached his goal.
e) This was a description of how he worked.
f) Wisdom was worth giving up sleep for. The pursuit of wisdom was a life-long passion.
3. “Then I saw all the work of God,
that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun”
a) Solomon also turned his attention to “all the work of God”.
b) The conclusion was not unexpected:
It is impossible to find out all the work (of God) under the sun.
c) The reasons are obvious:
i) The array is too vast to be counted.
ii) The depth is impossible to fathom.
iii) The complexity is too intricate.
iv) The dimensions are bewilderingly difficult to establish.
v) Divine knowledge cannot be understood unless it is revealed.
4. “For though a man labours to discover it, yet he will not find it”
a) A person may labour very hard.
b) He may be prepared to lose sleep.
c) He may devote a life-time seeking to understand the work of God.
d) “Yet, he will not find it!”
i) This is a sobering reality.
ii) It is also a humbling truth.
5. “Though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it”
a) Even if the individual is “a wise man”
i) He may be a scholar.
ii) He may be acclaimed as a wise person.
iii) He may make valiant attempts.
b) Yet, “he will not be able to find it”.
Spiritual knowledge and wisdom have to be revealed by God!