Obtaining Wisdom

King Solomon had greater wisdom and knowledge than any one on this earth to this very date. His account from the book of Ecclesiastes (1:12-18) states:

Wisdom Is Meaningless

I, the Teacher, was a king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Now, I don't think that God is condemning wisdom; in fact, the entire book of Proverbs (which precedes Ecclesiastes) teaches us how to obtain it. No, I think He is questioning our pursuit of it over Him, and whether or not we are using it to glorify Him. King Solomon spent most of his life chasing after material things and obtaining wisdom. Why would a king who had everything be so unsatisfied? Why did God grant him more wisdom and knowledge than anyone in all of Jerusalem? My guess is so that we would have the book of Ecclesiastes to teach us a lesson in wisdom.
I high lighted a few words that I believe are key in this lesson. First of all, King Solomon had it all. More than anyone on earth. He was the Donald Trump of his era. And yet, with all of his great possessions, life was meaningless to him. He described it as a burden and blamed God for putting him in that position. The king searches is own heart and in doing so, he finds God. God reveals that everything in life is meaningless without Him, and that life regulated by Him and His word are wonderful indeed. But why would great knowledge cause so much sorrow and grief? Well, I tried to put myself in King Solomon's shoes (or sandals), and what I came up with was this. I know everything. I know all that is good. All that is bad. I know what sins man does, and why he chooses to do so. I know that God is there and that so many choose to deny Him. Even I deny Him at times. I know why there is life and why there is death. Everything! I know everything under the sun.
Wow....that would be a burden. How much hurt that must of caused Solomon, to know so much, but there was nothing he could do as a man to correct the wrong. Even as a king, he could do absolutely nothing to correct the hearts of men. That would cause a lot of sorrow and grief. And then I started thinking about my own life and how I walk as a Christian or a follower of Jesus. As I applied the concept of my knowledge and what God wants from me, I realized that I'm not much different than Solomon (besides the fact that I am not, nor do I want to be, the smartest man on earth). I am a white American male which is sadly still a majority in this country. I have a big house, two cars, six televisions, a beautiful wife and three awesome kids. I've got it all by my standards. At the same time, I call myself a Christian. I think that I have a pretty good relationship with Christ. I love Him and I pursue Him everyday. But, as I roam the streets of my hometown (Cincinnati, Ohio), I see so much chaos. Homeless people, single mothers, racism, hatred, people choosing alternate lifestyles that defy God, pornography, alcoholism, drugs, greed, law breakers and even my own sins. Sometimes it's too much. Sometimes I let my guard down. Sometimes I let it get to me and with all of my knowledge, there is nothing that I can do to change the hearts of men. All I can do is have faith in my Jesus and know that He is in control. Maybe that's enough. Maybe one person will see that light in me and they will make a choice to make some changes in their life. Maybe that one person will seek God and find Him. Maybe that brings great joy to God to have one more lost child return to Him.

My prayer is this: "Father, thank You for all of the wisdom that You have given me. Thank You for loving me right where I am at. I know that I am going to let You down, but You never give up on me. Thank You for allowing me to plant seeds in the hearts of men. Thank You for nurturing those seeds and raising up more wise princes and princesses. I pray for the lost. I pray that they seek You Father, and that they find You O' Lord. I lift up this city to You and ask that You send Your Holy Spirit to be here with us. Guide those who ask for it. Protect those that don't know how to. I love You God. Thank You for loving me first. In Your Beautiful Name Christ, Amen".