Useful Bible Studies > Ecclesiastes Commentary > chapter 7

What is wisdom?

Ecclesiastes 7:23-24

The author of Ecclesiastes proved all that he wrote by means of careful thought and study. That is what people call wisdom.

But his study of wisdom proved to him that, in fact, he had hardly begun to understand wisdom. Perfect wisdom is a much greater and more wonderful thing than our minds are capable to understand. There seems no limit to the number and variety of things in this world. But this world is just one small part of all that God has created.

A person cannot even understand his own thoughts and actions properly. The wisest people soon learn that they are not really wise. They have studied enough to make some sensible decisions and to give some good advice. But their decisions are not always wise and their advice is not always right.

Job tried hard to understand where wisdom comes from. He said that it does not come from this world, like gold (Job 28:1-19). Something that is so perfect can only come from God himself (Job 28:23). It is a good and perfect gift that God desires to give to us (James 1:17; James 3:17).

God wants to teach people much more than they can ever learn by careful thought and study. He wants people to be content in their relationship with him in a way that their minds cannot even understand (Philippians 4:7). God’s wisdom begins when we respect God (Proverbs 9:10). It continues through our lives as we trust God (Proverbs 3:5-6). It is much better than what people call wisdom (Proverbs 3:7, Isaiah 55:9; 1 Corinthians 1:25). Our minds cannot understand God’s wisdom but God teaches it to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:7-10).

Next part: Why people constantly do foolish things (Ecclesiastes 7:25-26)

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© 2019, Keith Simons.