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"Wisdom excels folly"

Text: Ecclesiastes 2:13

RECAPITULATION

Solomon returned to his original focus of his research.

“Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly;
For what can the man do who succeeds the king?—
Only what he has already done.
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly
As light excels darkness.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head,
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That the same event happens to them all.”
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14

1. Wisdom, madness and folly

a) He wanted to study these three things (Ecclesiastes 1:17).

b) He had given much consideration (Ecclesiastes 2:12).

2. Attaining the status of a king

a) This would be a great thing to achieve.

b) What happens after one succeeds to the throne?

c) He has to attend to all the matters pertaining to the duties of a king.

d) This had been done before.

e) All kings would have to do what would be expected of them as rulers.

f) There was nothing significantly new or outstanding even if a person becomes a king.

3. Wisdom and folly compared

a) Wisdom excels folly.

b) As light excels darkness.

c) This is an obvious conclusion.

4. The virtues of wisdom

a) The wise man’s eyes are in his head.

i) This is not a mere physical description.

ii) It means that wisdom enables a person to see things more clearly.

b) The fool

i) He walks in darkness.

ii) He does not have the eyes of the wise man.

5. A sobering conclusion

a) This study was well done.

b) It is better to be wise.

c) But there was something that continued to trouble Solomon.

d) All would share the same fate:

i) The successful

ii) The wise

iii) The foolish

All would face the problem of death!