Wisdom and Humility: Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. Ecclesiastes 8:17
The Book of Ecclesiastes begins by referring to its author as the son of David and King of Jerusalem; in other words, the book begins by attributing its authorship to King Solomon, famous for his wisdom. This sapiential book of the Bible is a collection of thoughts on human nature with its discernments, the brevity of life and its vanity, and a set of maxims on the importance of seeking wellness and happiness.
The book begins with a pessimistic tone about the significance of human life, and that, in the end, everyone, whether wise or foolish, ends their lives in the same way. And the pessimism is so profound that the author of the book questions himself about what meaning wisdom then has. And the question in front of this thought is, why is this book in the Bible? And the answer has a very deep spiritual meaning related to the story of the Bible.
In ancient times, wisdom was considered the answer to all spiritual mysteries and the supreme knowledge; so much so that kings, as happened when the pharaoh had a dream as recounted in the Book of Genesis, the first thing he did was to call the wise men for its interpretation. And the same thing happened when the great King Nebuchadnezzar, centuries later, also had a dream that greatly distressed him. The book, then, as happened with Job in his book, seeks to put wisdom in its proper place within biblical thought; everything is subject to divine providence, even supreme science, so whoever wants to be wise must practice humility and not be carried away by the pride of assuming that he is better than others. And this is the spiritual idea that underlies the entire Book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon.
And so, among his thoughts in his book, the wise man left a spiritual reflection: "Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim" Ecclesiastes 8:17. A thought implicit in all the sapiential books. And this spiritual thought opens the door to something more that will later become an answer in Christianity, the poverty of spirit. A spiritual poverty taught in the New Testament that leads to admitting with humility that man cannot answer everything by his own intelligence and wisdom, and that ultimately the final answer lies in faith and security in God.
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