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King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, according to God Himself (1 Kings 3:10-13), said these words,

"In much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" Ecclesiastes 1:18.

Why do you suppose the wisest man would say such things? King Solomon's other writings provide some insight as to why he made these statements.

In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon wrote about all of the riches he had, the buildings he created, the vineyards, pools and many pleasures he surrounded himself with. Solomon was not only the wisest man who ever lived, but God endowed him with the greatest riches of any king in his day; because when God asked Solomon what He could give him, instead of asking for wealth, Solomon asked God for the wisdom to rule His people Israel. Therefore, God was pleased and He gave him both wisdom and riches.

After assessing all of his wealth and accomplishments, Solomon made this declaration,

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labor that I had labored to do and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun" Ecclesiastes 2:11.

Why did King Solomon say these things? Don't most people believe that to accomplish great feats and gather great wealth is the ultimate thing, the greatest prize in life? Solomon knew better and God had given him the wisdom and knowledge to know ultimate truth.

The ultimate truth, happiness and peace in life is found in the New Testament writings. Jesus, the giver of life and peace, said this,

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts and where thieves do not break through nor steal" Matthew 6:19-20.

He also said,

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" John 14:1-3,26-27.


I have been through some "tight" situations during my lifetime, but in every fearful and turbulent event, I have always been able to "lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help" (Psalm 121:1). "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" Psalm 46:1.


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The apostle Paul wrote,

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need" Hebrews 4:16.

From the Old Testament to the New, the path to peace is always through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Solomon's day, the Savior was an expectation to come, but in our generation, we know that the Son of God has already come.

Finally, we may be able to understand Solomon's summation that wisdom is grievous and knowledge brings sorrow, as we contemplate the Words of Jesus,

"Enter in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are which go in thereat; because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads unto life and few there be who find it" Matthew 7:13-14.

The grief and sorrow is knowing that eternity lasts a very long time, but only few people will enter the unspeakable joy of heaven, while the vast majority will receive everlasting punishment for rejecting the sacrifice of God's Son, His precious blood spilled for you and me.

Jesus spoke to a rich young man one day, who asked Him, "What good thing can I do to gain eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven." Then Jesus gave him the opportunity to come with Him, saying, "come and follow Me." The rich young man went away sorrowful, "for he had great possessions  (Matthew 19:21-22)."

Wow! An opportunity to walk with God in the flesh, but he clutched onto his fleeting riches instead. Do you suppose that young man took all of his wealth to the grave with him? How long, compared to ETERNITY, do you suppose he was able to enjoy his massive wealth? Hummm, compared to eternity...I would say less than a second! To sum it up, he gave up eternal riches in heaven for the enjoyment of this world's wealth for less than a second!

Are you tired, weary and possibly feeling without hope? Money can't buy real peace.

Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, so we can "come boldly before the throne of grace, repent in the name of Jesus, and receive forgiveness of all of our sins!" Now that brings true peace.

If you aren't saved, I can't even begin to describe the peace and confidence salvation through our Lord brings to the downtrodden in any situation. If you haven't received eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website. Your eternal destiny depends on it. God bless you and may you have eternal peace, which only the Lord can provide.