06/02/2026
Sunday’s Sermon in 500 Words (More or Less)
May 31, 2026
The Limits of Your Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 7:19-29 (Sermon #15)
Humans stand at the pinnacle of God’s creation. In some ways, we are not all that impressive. A dung beetle can move 1000x its own weight. If a man could do that, we could pull a loaded Boeing 737 as easy as a wagon. If we had vision like an eagle, we could read a newspaper from over one mile away. Birds can fly around the world with no GPS. Some shrimp have sixteen color receptors in their eyes; we have three. Where we shine is our intelligence. We can’t fly so we build planes. We write songs and poetry. We create machines and medicine. We think abstract thoughts and ponder our lives. We have wisdom, which is different from intelligence. Wisdom is not about knowing more but knowing rightly. Our wisdom does not fail because the world is too complex but because our hearts are too corrupt.
In Ecclesiastes 7:19, we learn wisdom is the right goal everyone should seek. It is more valuable than gold, silver, or jewels (Prob 3:13-15). Solomon said it also gives power to live life well. If Solomon says wisdom is to be chased, why do we have a difficult time acquiring it?
First, in vv20-22, we learn we cannot find true wisdom because sin has corrupted all of us and every part of us. Solomon proves it just be examining how we use our tongue. We get angry when people talk badly about us, but we do the exact same thing to others. We are so corrupt we do not even realize we are corrupt. Wisdom must take into account our own sinfulness. We are not good people who do bad things. We are sinners through and through. Even the instruments we use to find wisdom - our heart, will, mind - are bent.
Second, in vv23-24, we learn we cannot find true wisdom because sin has made it inaccessible. Solomon, like Job 28:12-14, says wisdom is far from him and to deep to find. No one has searched as intently for it than Solomon, but we often insist that we have found it. We set ourselves as the paragon of wisdom and think we could solve all problems if people would but ask. We were never meant to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Finding true wisdom is like trying to swim to Hawaii or jump to the peak of Mount Everest.
Third, in vv25-26, we learn we cannot find true wisdom because sin corrupts even our search for wisdom. We get caught in snares and traps during our search, just as Solomon did (see 1 Kings 11:1-4). Solomon personifies wisdom as women: Lady Wisdom (Provervs 1:20-23) and Madame Folly (Proverbs 9:13-18). He knew the real and metaphorical intimately. The only way to escape such traps is to love Jesus more than the bait in the traps.
Finally, in vv27-29, we learn we can only find true wisdom when we search for a person. Solomon says he found wisdom in one man our of a thousand and in no women. This is not misogynistic. He is referring to his harem, which was filled only with Madame Folly. Our wisdom is nothing but schemes. We are not the problem-solver; we are the problem. What hope do we have? Solomon gives us a design to return to – God made us straight. We cannot make straight what God has made crooked but we are good at bending what God made straight. Only God can take our bentness and straighten it. It is not reachable without outside help.
Solomon found one who was wise; God sent one who is wisdom personified. Paul tells us Jesus and the cross are folly to the perishing but Jesus is power and wisdom to those being saved (1 Cor 1:18-25). Wisdom is not an abstract idea or self-help program; wisdom is a person named Jesus. He is not far from anyone.
