Proverbs and Ecclesiastes: Our Wisdom

Proverbs 2:6

6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

When one thinks about wisdom in the Bible, his mind almost automatically goes to the book of Proverbs. The author of most of this book, as well as Ecclesiastes, Solomon, is known as the wisest man who ever lived. And while this fact is true, there is only one reason why Solomon was able to be this great wise man: God gave him that wisdom.

If you know the story, Solomon had taken over the throne from his father, David. He was now preparing to lead the great nation of Israel. He was very nervous and overwhelmed with the great task that stood before him. But God appeared to him in a dream. God asked Solomon what the young king wanted. Whatever Solomon asked for, God would give it to him. Solomon came, by his own admission, as a little child. He wasn't ready to lead a country! So he asked God for a wise and understanding heart. Because he asked for this good thing, God promised him so much more, including that none would ever have arisen or would ever rise who would be wiser than Solomon.

God was the source of Solomon's wisdom. We credit Solomon with so many great sayings, such as:

"5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (PROV. 3:5-6)."

"13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (ECC. 12:13)."

Solomon was so wise, yet even he, with all of his intellect, with all of his wisdom, with his great understanding heart, was nothing without God. When we look at these two books, it is like apples and oranges- two completely different men, yet it's the same author. The words of Solomon in Proverbs come from the heart of a man who is wise in the things of God. Yet the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes come from the mind and the heart of a man who has been wise in the things of the world.

So what happened? Why did Solomon, who had gained his great wisdom from God, turn away from that wisdom- turn away from that God? Well, Solomon disobeyed his own words in Proverbs 3:5-6. He didn't trust in the Lord anymore. Rather, he relied on his own understanding. He married foreign women, some with countries that could have tried to wipe out Israel. And while marrying the daughter of the ruler of his largest neighbors to form an alliance may be smart or wise in man's eyes, in God's eyes, it was downright wrong! He had commanded the Israelites not to inner-marry with foreigners. He knew that these women would turn the hearts of Israel away from God. And that is exactly what they did to Solomon. He took his eyes and trust off of the one who gave him wisdom, and trusted in his own understanding.

This is why Solomon came to the end of his life and wrote, "2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." That word vanity there means emptiness or unfulfilling. Solomon used that word in 29 different verses. Several times he used it multiple times in the same verse! He had lived through the world's wisdom and came to the realization that life without God is empty, it's unfulfilling, it's pointless! In Ecclesiastes 2:26, Solomon writes, "For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God." You see God is the only one who gives good wisdom. And because God is wise in all matters, because God is all-knowing, we as Christians can know that he is wisdom. And when we trust in Him, we can know that he is our wisdom!