BIBLE CONTRADICTION: PROVERBS 4:7 vs. ECCLESIASTES 1:18

I ran across this gem on the internet with the eye-catching title “Does God Want Us Smart or Stupid?”

Let me first quote these two verses (in the New English Bible):

    “The first thing is to acquire wisdom; gain understanding though it cost you all you have.” (Prov. 4:7)

    “For in much wisdom is much vexation, and the more a man knows, the more he has to suffer.”

(Eccles. 1:18)

I see at least three problems with such a one-to-one comparison under the above title question.

    1. The author of the contradiction is confusing two different categories here: “Smart vs. stupid” has a great deal to do with one's innate intelligence, which is to a large extent beyond one's control. “Wise vs. foolish” has more to do with how one applies one's intelligence and knowledge.

    2. He is also confusing categories of God's desire (in the title question), God's command or advice (in Proverbs), and the attendant consequences which may result here on earth (in Ecclesiastes).

To explain this with a New Testament example that is surprisingly close thematically, consider the statement in II Peter 3:9 that God desires that all should be saved eternally; that is what God wants for us. However, Jesus promised his followers persecution on earth (Mark 10:29-30). That is the attendant consequence of following God's will.

    3. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the formulator of this contradiction has totally ignored the respective contexts of the two isolated verses.

In the book of Proverbs, one must first accept that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (1:7; 9:10; 15:33) as well as the fact that there are limitations to human wisdom (16:1-2,9; 21:30). In addition, as H.C. Washington puts it, “Wisdom (generally equated with righteousness) brings success; folly (or wickedness) leads to destruction.”

In stark contrast, wisdom in Ecclesiastes is defined as comprehension of “all that is done under the heavens, all the deeds that are done under the sun.” (1:13-14). Those are both descriptions of earthly things, not heavenly ones. When the author of the book pursues these, he reaches the inevitable conclusion that it all amounts to “a chasing after the wind” which only leads to frustration and sorrow. And part of that frustration is due to the fact, pointed out above in Proverbs, that man's wisdom will always be limited.

Here are some additional comments from the literature expressing the difference between the two different meanings of the word “wisdom” as expressed in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, beginning with those on Proverbs 4:7.

    “This 'getting' is a costly business and requires not academic ability but a willingness to make an effort to learn and do what is right.” (C.G. Martin)

    “What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but a decision.” (Kidner)

    “Wisdom involves a right attitude and approach to all areas of life. In spiritual life, it includes a commitment to follow the teachings of the holy and righteous God who expects his people to reflect his qualities and a moral commitment to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong.” (Woodcock)

By contrast, here is what scholars have to say regarding Ecclesiastes 1:18:

    Fleming states that “wisdom is an “intellectual inquiry which the author finds inadequate for an understanding of life's meaning.”

    Hendry calls it “the philosophical approach” and says, “Man cannot rest content with a meaningless existence. There is within him an irresistible urge to find rhyme or reason in it...Yet it only adds to man's torment; for the jig-saw puzzle of life cannot be completed; some of the parts are missing.”

    Whybray says this verse “is a warning to those who think that the human mind is capable of finding an answer to all questions.”

    Longman points out, “This verse does not summarize Qohelet's attitude before his search, the point from which he presses on, but rather negatively on the process and the conclusions of his search for meaning...It is most likely that the suffering Qohelet envisions as the result of an increase in knowledge is mental anguish.”

    Finally, Jacques Ellul summarizes the difference between “wisdom” in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs when he says that “in Qohelet we are not dealing with the wisdom of God. Rather than delightful Wisdom who played before the Lord at the creation of the world (see Prov. 8), we have mere human wisdom: our creation, expression, and criteria, our way of living and thinking.”