We all have our limits. This becomes apparent every Thanksgiving. We lay out that beautiful spread of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, candied yams, rolls, pies, etc. (Is your mouth watering yet?) When we first sit down, we think we can eat the whole table. We mound our plates with food, and before long we’re stuffed to the max. We loosen our belts and take a moment to try to clear more room. But eventually we reach the point where we can’t take another bite. We’ve reached our limit. Last week we talked about the necessity of wisdom. We all understand that God wants us to be wise. However, lest we become overconfident and start trusting our own ability, Solomon reminds us of our limitations. In Ecclesiastes 7:14-29, King Solomon exposes the danger of trusting in our own wisdom. Because although wisdom is good, it fails as the meaning of life. Today we’ll look at three limitations of wisdom that keep us from trusting in ourselves.

Solomon concluded in verse 14 that we need to trust God’s sovereignty over our lives. We should rejoice in the day of blessing and trust Him in the day of adversity because God is always in control. On this point, Solomon gives the first limitation of wisdom: wisdom cannot save you from death (Eccl. 7:15-18). As Solomon examines life under the sun, he reflects on the shortcomings of man’s wisdom. He brings up the puzzling fact that sometimes the righteous die young and the wicked live long. Why is this? Who knows the answer? Only God. Even the wisest man on earth doesn’t fully understand the ways of God. Solomon is trying to warn us about becoming self-righteous. As sinful people, we tend to rely on our own understanding and ability instead of God’s. Solomon shatters this thinking with the cold reality that death comes to all. It doesn’t matter how wise or foolish you are. There’s nothing you can do to escape death.

Then Solomon gives us a glimpse of hope in verse 18. He tells us that the person who fears God will come out from the self-righteous and foolish. Those who humbly repent of their sin and seek to obey God for His glory will be blessed by God. The one who fears God will value His wisdom, pursue His righteousness, and enjoy the life that He has given. 

Furthermore, we learn that wisdom cannot fix sin (Eccl. 7:19-24). Wisdom is valuable because it gives strength and protection. However, it can’t save you. Solomon says in verse 20, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” All of us are sinners. And that means our wisdom is corrupt and insufficient.

Solomon gives some examples to prove our own sinfulness. He tells us not to be offended when we hear people cursing us because ultimately, we’re no better than they are. All of us have gossiped, cursed, and slandered others. People say sinful things because people are sinful. That doesn’t make it right, but we shouldn’t be surprised when sinful people sin. No amount of man’s wisdom can fix sin. Even the wisest man in the world said that true understanding and complete wisdom are far off and impossible for man to obtain. Even Solomon realized that man is incapable of knowing everything and fixing all his problems.

Finally, we see that wisdom fails as the meaning of life because mankind is sinful (Eccl. 7:25-29). Again, Solomon tested wisdom and knowledge and again he was disappointed. The more he studied mankind the more Solomon realized how sinful and foolish we are. Solomon concludes that foolishness is worse than death. Why is that? Remember Ecclesiastes 3:17 – “I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.” The fool will receive his just punishment. Those that are deceived by folly will reap the reward of destruction. 

But we see another ray of hope at the end of verse 26. Solomon says the one who pleases God will escape the temptation of foolishness. The one who fears God, trusts His wisdom, and obeys His Word will escape the destruction of folly. But the sinner who is self-righteous and arrogant will be taken by it. Sadly, the unrighteous outnumber the righteous. God made man upright, but man chose sin and sought out his own schemes. Therefore, all of us are corrupted by sin and have no hope in ourselves. 

Solomon has repeatedly warned us that death comes to all. We can do nothing to escape it. God wants us to be wise, but He doesn’t want us to trust in our own wisdom. That’s why we need to fear God. We need His help. Thankfully, in His kindness and love, God sent His perfect Son to deal with our sin. Christ paid the penalty for sin on the cross and defeated death by His resurrection. Now our problem with sin can be fixed in Jesus Christ. Our good deeds and wisdom could never do it. So, God did it for us! We should seek God’s wisdom. But we must put our faith in God’s grace. We can’t save ourselves. Only God can save us.