Read Ecclesiastes 8:14–17
No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite
all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning.
Ecclesiastes 8:17
People who have to know everything are destined for disappointment.
Through many difficult days and sleepless nights, the Preacher applied
himself diligently to the mysteries of life. He came to the conclusion
that “no one can comprehend what goes on under the sun” (v. 17).
Perhaps we can solve a puzzle here and there, but none of us can
comprehend the totality of things.
Historian Will Durant surveyed human history in his multivolume Story of Civilization and came to the conclusion that “our
knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance.”
Of course, this fact must not be used as an excuse for stupidity. “The
secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed
belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the
words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). God doesn’t expect us to know the
unknowable, but He does expect us to learn all that we can and obey
what He teaches us.
A confession of ignorance is the first step toward knowledge.
“The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he
ought to know” (1 Cor. 8:2). The person who wants to learn God’s
truth must possess honesty and humility.
Something to Ponder
What are some of the mysteries of life that you frequently ponder?