Ecclesiastes 7:25 Commentary and Bible Study

In spite of the difficulty of this search Solomon had not given up. So precious was wisdom to him that he could not let go of it. Every phenomenon of the world was of interest to him, especially those that concerned the division between wisdom and folly, the path that leads to God, and the path that leads to death. How does sin work? What is its power and its strategy? How do men and women escape it? This is intensely important because it is man’s predicament to be caught up in a life and death struggle with sin. Solomon too was involved in that struggle and his own eternal destiny depended on the outcome. Following the discouragement of verses 23 and 24, his hunger for wisdom drove him forward again. Wisdom does not lie on the surface, but can only be found with much diligence, labour, reflection, and through prayer to God for help, searching out the truth by comparing one thing with another. The subject of sin is one that cannot be neglected, and yet the way to uncover its mystery is not to know it by experience but to remain as far from it as possible, while asking God for light. Solomon put his soul in eternal jeopardy by learning about sin first hand, but he was eventually delivered from it and came forth understanding its power over the human heart. In searching for the essence of wickedness he had arrived at pure folly and madness. When all the mist-like attraction of sin and all its power to justify and sell itself to our souls is dispersed, it leaves only folly and madness. Solomon wants men and women consider this and be convinced by it, lest they be taken in by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin’s ability to string us along with false promises that are never realised, its power to make us willing to sell our eternal good for a few passing trifles, shows us its skill as a negotiator with our souls. The way to overcome it is to believe God’s word, and to see the devil as a liar, to discern the hook and not just the bait. When sin is exposed for what it is, we can only shrink from it, for it is self-evident that madness and folly have no attraction for us. Folly cannot be profitable; it is self-destructive. Madness is a torment to the mind and robs us of our highest gift, the power of reason. It brings us down to the level of a beast and lower. It leads to self-harm and self-torment. It is one of the most painful experiences that a man can have, for it affects the heart from which there is no retreat.