We
read earlier how, as Paul began to serve God, he verged on despair as
the veil of self-righteous self-delusion was drawn away and he came
to see the evil of his own human nature ever more clearly. In the same
way, Solomon tells us next that although he had been determined
to be wise, and live a Godly life, he found that it was,
as the accounts of his life make clear and as he admits here, simply
beyond him.
The
phrase All this I tested apparently implies
that Solomon tried live his life with Godly wisdom, and adopt the attitudes
and approaches described above. Unfortunately, as he objectively monitored
his attitudes and actions, he found himself falling very short of perfection.
Just
what is wisdom, anyway? Even after a lifetime of study and the writing
of book of Proverbs, Solomon is forced to admit that he doesn’t
actually know! It is, he suspects, most profound, or like some kind
of treasure or vein of gold that is far off and deeply buried.
Incidentally,
perhaps it is significant that wisdom is one of the most widely used
words in the New Testament -- and James points out that there are actually
two kinds of wisdom. The location of the one is, Quote: “Earthly,”
and is “ un-spiritual, of the devil” (James 3:15). That
kind of wisdom, he says, is practised by people who are motivated by
“envy and selfish ambition”, and results in “disorder
and every evil practice” (verse 16).
The
second kind of wisdom, however, is found very far away,
as Solomon correctly deduced, because James says, it: “comes from
heaven” (verse 17). Those who practise this brand of wisdom, he
then explains, handle the affairs of live in a manner that is, Quote:
“Peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good
fruit, impartial and sincere.”.
Although this pure brand of wisdom originates so far away, God does
make it readily available to those who ask for it (James 1:5).