We Simply Do Not Know (Ecclesiastes 7:23-8:17)
Jacob Irwin is no stranger to artificial intelligence, or AI. Like many of us, he is a regular ChatGPT user. Irwin would regularly find solutions to IT problems using the chatbot developed by OpenAI. But in March this year, Irwin began asking ChatGPT to evaluate his theory of faster-than-light travel. Irwin is not a scientist, but he thought his theory made sense. So, he asked ChatGPT for feedback. The bot encouraged Irwin to keep going, saying his theory was correct and that he could even bend time. It assured Irwin that he was mentally sound, despite his own suspicions of being unwell.
Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported how the chatbot continued to feed Irwin’s delusions, with dire consequences. Irwin grew more detached from reality. He refused to listen to his family because he was convinced he had made a scientific breakthrough. When his mother confronted him with her concerns, Irwin would vent to ChatGPT. The bot told him he was not spiralling, but “ascending”. It kept affirming Irwin, and said to him, “You’re not delusional... You are, however, in a state of extreme awareness.” Finally, Irwin snapped. He was diagnosed as having psychotic symptoms and hospitalised three times in two months. He also lost his job.
This is a dramatic example of the dangers of thinking we know more than we actually do. And, in Irwin’s case, the use of AI made things worse. Experts now warn of AI-induced psychosis, where over-affirming chatbots make people think they are more knowledgeable than they really are. This cautionary tale is timely for our times. The Information Age is over. We now live in the Knowledge Age. Not only do we have more and more information, we also have the ability to turn data into knowledge.
We are to fear God by being wise and knowing the limits of wisdom.
Amid this knowledge explosion, the title of this sermon may sound strange, perhaps not in keeping with the times: We simply do not know. Yet, as our passage shows, acknowledging the limits of what we can know is crucial for living well under the sun. This isn’t the first time in Ecclesiastes that the Preacher has highlighted the limitations of knowledge and wisdom. In 1:17, he said the quest for wisdom is ultimately vanity: “And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly, I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.” This is not to say that wisdom is useless. Indeed, wisdom is better than folly. But wisdom has limitations under the sun. The Preacher is not promoting folly or ignorance, but rather humility before God. Therefore, we are to fear God by being wise and knowing the limits of wisdom. This is the big idea, which equips us to live wisely and humbly in the world. The Preacher observes three truths about wisdom under the sun: (1) In a fallen world, wisdom is elusive; (2) In a broken world, wisdom is useful; (3) In a confusing world, wisdom is limited.
In a fallen world, wisdom is elusive (Ecc 7:23-29)
Our text picks up where we left off last week. If you recall, we considered the confounding reality of life. Under the sun, life is messy and hard to figure out. The Preacher acknowledges this in Ecclesiastes 7:23-24: “All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? “ In his quest for the meaning of life, the Preacher has tried to wisely evaluate all he has observed in the world. He wants to be wise, but he concludes that wisdom is elusive. Life is confusing and complex; it is unfathomable. There is so much we do not and cannot know. If you are perplexed about life, you’re not alone. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes can relate.
A reason why wisdom eludes us is because we live in a fallen world. In his quest to know wisdom and the wickedness of folly (Ecc 7:25), the Preacher has discovered this basic truth about us: we are sinful and we find foolishness tempting. Look at Ecclesiastes 7:26. Using a figure of speech, the Preacher personifies folly as a seductress. It is similar to how Proverbs 9 describes folly: “The woman Folly is…seductive…She sits at the door of her house…calling to those who pass by… To him who lacks sense she says, ‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.’” There are sexual undertones here, although the Preacher is not just talking about sexual sin. His point, rather, is that folly is especially tempting, just as how sexual sin is insidiously alluring. Folly is a temptress whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. We are easily ensnared if we are not watchful. Once caught, we are trapped. So, don’t trifle with temptation. Do not toy with sin. As the well-known saying goes: Be killing sin or sin will be killing you. Do not take sin lightly, thinking we can manage it. We will end up being controlled by sin. Take Jesus’ warning seriously: Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Folly is more bitter than death. There is a fate worse than death — facing the judgement and wrath of a holy God. In what areas of our lives are we tempted to foolishness? How might we be allowing sins like idolatry, rebellion, selfishness, anger, lust, hypocrisy, dishonesty, greed, or covetousness to fester in our hearts? Take to heart the Preacher’s admonition: He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. To turn away from sin, we must turn to God. Trust in Him to save us, for it is impossible to please Him without faith.
Trust in Him to save us, for it is impossible to please Him without faith.
Fallen humanity is an enigma — capable of such beautiful acts of kindness and love, yet also capable of such base acts of cruelty and wickedness. Look at Ecclesiastes 7:27-28. The Preacher has tried to find the scheme of things. He has tried to understand the way of the world and the people who populate it, but such wisdom eludes him: My soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. The Preacher’s track record is dismal: He understands only one man among a thousand and not even one woman. The Preacher is not making a sexist comment. He is simply saying that the wisdom needed to understand both men and women is elusive. Thinkers across the ages agree — humanity is a tangle of contradictions. Author Theodore Zeldin, who wrote the book An Intimate History of Humanity, said, “Each person is an enigma. You’re a puzzle not only to yourself but also to everyone else, and the great mystery of our time is how we penetrate this puzzle.”
But one thing is certain, says the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 7:29: “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” God is our Creator. He made us in His image, to glorify Him by reflecting the beauty of His character. We are like billboards advertising God’s greatness and goodness. But sin has defaced the image. Instead of worshiping God and walking in His ways, we have rejected Him to live our lives our way. The Bible calls this proud, rebellious attitude sin. Our sin problem is very deep; it cuts to the core of our being. Not only are our actions sinful, but we are sinful on the inside. Our hearts are bent away from God. Our sin problem is deep and wide —we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. In a fallen world, wisdom is elusive because humanity has turned away from God’s ways. We cannot be truly wise without God, for He is the only source of true wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
In a broken world, wisdom is useful (Ecc 8:1-13)
If we are a mystery even to ourselves, then how will we find our way under the sun? This is a dangerous world, corrupted by sin and full of oppression. In a broken world, we sin and are sinned against. We need God’s wisdom to navigate life in the world. The Preacher’s questions in Ecclesiastes 8:1a point us Godward: Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The answer: God alone. He is the only wise God. Joseph said in Genesis 40:8, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who couldn’t understand the dreams and thoughts of his own mind, “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Dan 2:28a) Stop trying to live life our way. In a broken world, wisdom is useful and true wisdom comes from God. So, ask of him, says James in the New Testament. God delights in answering our prayers for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (Jas 1:5)
Trust in Him to save us, for it is impossible to please Him without faith.
Wisdom is a gift from God, who graciously provides for us. We receive wisdom from God by faith. And, ultimately, true wisdom can only be found in God’s Son, whom the Father has sent to reveal Himself to us. “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Jesus Christ. Do we seek wisdom? Look to Jesus for life and light. If we are in Christ, He becomes to us wisdom from God. Only in Jesus can we be truly wise.
In the second half of Ecclesiastes 8:1, the Preacher speaks of how wisdom can encourage us amid our toil under the sun: A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. Wisdom does not promise us a trouble-free life, but it can help us find joy even amid the toil. One challenging area of life has to do with how we relate to those in authority over us, especially when they have the power to do us harm. In a broken world, authority can be abused. Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. As we saw earlier in Ecclesiastes, oppression and corruption are commonplace, fuelled by a love of money and wealth.
In Ecclesiastes 8:2-5, the Preacher has wise counsel for how we are to relate to those in positions of power. We should be humble. Listen to Ecclesiastes 8:2: “Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him.” Submit to those in authority, because the sovereign God has placed them over us. In the historical context of Ecclesiastes, God’s oath might refer to God’s covenant promises to Israel’s King David, that his descendant will rule over the kingdom. The alternative translation (given in the margins of our Bibles) is because of your oath to God. This means we obey God by submitting to those in authority over us. As Romans 13 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God… The one who is in authority…is God’s servant for (our) good”. So, we humbly submit to authority because we trust God who put that authority in place.
We are to seek wisdom for every situation, that we might discern the right thing to do at the right time. Life in a broken world is complex. We need wisdom and help from God.
However, the Preacher is not advocating unthinking obedience. Ecclesiastes 8:3 encourages us to be wise: “Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases.” For example, your boss at work may get angry at you for no good reason. Your boss may treat you unreasonably or unjustly. In such circumstances, we may want to walk out in a huff, perhaps even to call it quits. The Preacher counsels wisdom. Don’t act impulsively or be too quick to leave. In Ecclesiastes 10:4, the Preacher says, “If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.” Seek wisdom to be faithful. Be a peacemaker who is slow to anger. At the same time, take care not to compromise in matters of righteousness. Wisdom helps us be discerning. Do not support an evil cause. Some of us have rightly resigned from jobs that required us to do underhanded, dishonest, and unethical things. Situations may arise when we have to go. Staying might be untenable because the boss will get his way and it is pointless trying to oppose him. So, should we stay or should we go? The Preacher does not give us a simplistic, one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, we are to seek wisdom for every situation, that we might discern the right thing to do at the right time. Life in a broken world is complex. We need wisdom and help from God.
Be humble. Be wise. Also, be patient. Listen to Ecclesiastes 8:5: “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.” Whose command? If the king’s, then the Preacher is encouraging us to patiently submit to authority, as long as we are not required to sin. The wise will wait patiently for the right time to do the right thing. For example, although Joseph was unjustly sold into slavery, he patiently and faithfully served his Egyptian masters. Similarly, Daniel patiently served his Babylonian masters while in exile. So, what do we do if we are under bad authority? If possible, we can try to find an opportunity to leave. But should God not grant the opportunity, He gives grace to enable us to patiently stay and serve, as long as we are not required to sin.
The wise grow in patience by taking to heart the truth of Ecclesiastes 8:6: “There is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.” This recalls what the Preacher said earlier in Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Knowing that the sovereign God is in control, and that our times and seasons are in His hand encourages us to be patient, even in trouble and trials. We can accept our God-given lot, trusting that He is good and wise. He guides and governs our lives. We are not helpless victims of random luck or blind fate. God is the guarantee that our life and labour will not be in vain.
Living in a safe country like Singapore, we may not always realise that many of our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world live under governments which are hostile to the faith. We take for granted our freedom to gather. My Christian friends in other Asian countries have their church meetings broken up by the police. They are forced to move from place to place. Church members are harassed and the authorities turn a blind eye. Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 are of great encouragement to those persecuted by unjust authority. Even as believers bear the brunt of the brokenness of the world, we can take courage from the fact that God is the true sovereign, not earthly powers. We do not know what is to be, but God does. No man has…power over the day of death, but God has determined our days. He is sovereign over life and death. Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (1 Pet 4:19).
Look at Ecclesiastes 8:9. The Preacher has seen oppression under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. Amid all this brokenness, wisdom helps us to respond rightly to the world’s vanity. In Ecclesiastes 8:10, for example, the wicked seem to flourish. They are even religious, going regularly to the temple. They are popular. They appear to die well. When we see the wicked prosper, we might be tempted to follow in their footsteps. Because there is an apparent delay in judgement, some wrongly conclude that sin will not be punished (Ecc 8:11). Their hearts are fully set to do evil. Do not make this grave mistake, warns the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 8:12-13. Wisdom interprets what we observe in the world according to what we know to be true from God’s word. The wicked will not escape judgement. Just because judgement has not happened does not mean it will never happen. But it will be well with those who fear the Lord. So, the wise will trust in the Lord and listen to His word.
In a confusing world, wisdom is limited (Ecc 8:14-17)
Nonetheless, all the wrongs in the world will not be put right under the sun. In a confusing world. the righteous still suffer; the wicked still succeed (Ecc 8:14). Wisdom rightly expects justice. But there are limits to what wisdom can know. It cannot explain why the righteous perish, while the wicked persist. It cannot explain how God works out His purposes and why His justice seems to be slow in coming. In a confusing world, life is uncertain and overwhelming. To live under the sun is to live with unresolved tensions and promises not yet fulfilled. The Preacher does not resolve the tension between Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 and Ecclesiastes 8:14. He leaves it hanging. When and how will it be well with those who fear God? The Preacher does not tell us.
Wisdom is a gift from God, but He is not obligated to tell us everything. For this reason, the world will continue to confuse us. All is still vanity, futile and absurd. The reason why the riddle remains is so that we might be rightly humbled. We need to know that we simply do not know. We ought to make much of God, and less of ourselves. Recall how the serpent tempted the woman in the Garden of Eden, saying, “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” And, the woman “saw… that the tree was to be desired to make one wise.” (Gen 3:5-6) To insist we can and must know everything is spiritual pride. Knowledge puffs up. Hubris feeds our delusions of grandeur. We want to become wise like God so that we can be independent of Him. Then, we can live our way, without having to rely on Him or be answerable to Him. This idolatry of self makes us the measure of all things. It makes life revolve around us.
Realising the limitations of wisdom under the sun helps us see that God is God and we are not (Ecc 8:16-17). The Preacher has lost sleep trying to know wisdom and to figure life out. Then, he realised that it is all the work of God, and that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Like Job, who had to learn not to go beyond the bounds of knowledge set by God, so we are to be content with the limits of wisdom. Job said to God, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know… I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:3, 6)” When we behold the glory of God, we realise that He is big and we are small. We see God’s greatness more clearly when we humbly confess that His ways are too vast for us to comprehend. In a confusing world, wisdom is limited. No amount of striving on our part can change that. What God has chosen not to reveal to us will remain a mystery. So, we are to be satisfied with not knowing.
Some of my sweetest childhood memories are of riding in my family’s car. My father enjoyed taking us out on drives. Of course, this was back in the day when traffic was lighter and driving less stressful. During some long drives, I would lie down on the backseat, stare up at the sky through the car windows, and then fall asleep. This felt entirely natural and comfortable, because I trusted my father, who was driving. I was assured that when I woke from sleep, we would all be safely home.
This is the kind of quiet confidence that the Preacher wants us to have in God. Listen to Ecclesiastes 8:15: “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.” We do not have all the answers, and we do not need to have all the answers. How reassuring to know that we are not the ones driving. We can get on with life, knowing we are in the loving hands of our Heavenly Father, who will bring us safely home. By trusting in God, we can stop worrying and start enjoying the good gifts that he gives us daily. Our preoccupation with life’s perplexities and problems can prevent us from being satisfied with life’s simple pleasures. So, the Preacher urges us to be thankful for food and drink, and to rejoice in our lot. As Psalm 127 reminds us, it is the LORD who builds the house. It is vain that we rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. How will this help us sleep better every night? The days of our lives are a gift from God. We can rest in him and have joy even amid toil under the sun. We are not in control. Does this make us anxious, or does it encourage us to turn to the One who knows all things?
God’s plan is to make all things new through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We have the privilege of being able to see further than the Preacher. The One who knows all things is also the One who will make all things right. This world is fallen, broken, and confusing. But God’s plan is to make all things new through His Son. Jesus Christ, who is fully God, became fully man and stepped into our mess. He suffered the greatest injustice of all. Although He was innocent, Jesus was arrested, tortured, humiliated and crucified. But this was not merely a miscarriage of human justice. In God’s wisdom, this seemingly incomprehensible act of cruelty carried out by wicked earthly authorities turned out to be the greatest-ever work of redemption. We have all been ensnared by Lady Folly. We deserve God’s judgement against us for our sins. But by God’s amazing grace, Jesus suffered for sinners like us, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God. Jesus rose from the dead to make all things new. By repenting and believing in Him, our sins are forgiven and we are made right with God. In Christ, we are a new creation. While we enjoy God’s daily gifts of food and drink now, we also look forward with hope to a far greater feast in the new heavens and new earth.
Our Lord Jesus is coming back. When He returns, we will feast with Him. Revelation 19 says of that great day, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his Bride has made herself ready… Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage super of the Lamb.” While we await that day, we will have to live with the tension of promises not yet fulfilled. We do not know when Jesus will come back. But we do know that when He returns, He will put right all the wrongs. Injustice and oppression will be no more. Sin and death will finally and fully be defeated. If we refuse Jesus as our Saviour now, He will confront us as our Judge. Which would we rather have? Jesus will make all things new. So, let us humbly, patiently, wisely wait for him, trusting God to make everything beautiful in its time. “He will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:4)”