My dad once told me that there was no point in knowing something if I couldn’t apply it. I found that to be very true. After all, knowing something without an application is useless information. But given that we’re in an era of information, I am sure there are plenty of things that we know without an actual practical application. This takes up space that can be used for other things in our minds.
16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 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.
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,
Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 ESV
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
I want to share with you two big problems of wisdom that the writer of Ecclesiastes shares with his readers and how we can turn those problems into points of application that redeems wisdom in our daily lives.
Problem #1 – Wisdom for the sake of comparison to others is a wasted effort. If we are trying to gain wisdom or degrees, which is just a proxy for wisdom, to posture ourselves as better than others, then the application of that wisdom is lost. We should not be seeking wisdom to outdo others because there will always be somebody who is more wise than you. Don’t amass wisdom for comparison sake.
Problem #2 – Wisdom for the sake of learning is a wasted effort. What’s the point of wisdom it cannot be used. It’s great to learn, but if that learning is not focused on application somewhere, it’s just useless information. The writer makes that clear in verse 17 — it’s “striving after wind.”
The reason why for both problem one and problem two are the same: wisdom in itself is not a means to an end, but the beginning of the rabbit hole.
Knowing these two problems with wisdom, how do we redeem wisdom and put into action a plan that addresses both problems with wisdom as identified in this passage?
Solution # 1 – Use your wisdom to help others around you. Instead of comparing how your learning is more valuable and greater than the person next to you, use your wisdom to advance and accelerate people who don’t have as much learning or needs a boost from your own experience and wisdom. When we stop comparing and start collaborating the compound effects of yours plus others collective wisdom will lead to more positive outcomes and benefits than your own achievements of wisdom on their own.
Solution #2 – Find a way to apply at least one thing you are learning every single day. Not only will this practice help you retain your wisdom long term, it will also make your wisdom pay dividends more frequently and tangibly. If you use this technique when you are studying the Word of God especially, you will find that God is working in a lot more areas, more frequently, and more tangibly than you originally thought. This is something I’ve learned recently, that when I meditate on God’s word and find an application of that word that day, I gain much more from my meditation, but also it grows my faith in witnessing God’s spirit in my life.
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