‘Be Not Righteous Over Much’ – When Too Much Wisdom And Knowledge Drives You Mad

“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?” – Ecclesiastes 7:16

The following report was first published on December 24th, 2024, on winepressnews.com:

Over the last several months we’ve examined a number of things King Solomon learned and recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes, and in this particular study we will cover something that rarely if ever gets discussed: learning and knowing too much. The King James Bible has a lot to say about true wisdom and knowledge, how and where to get it, and how to apply it; but what seldom is discussed is when learning too much can be a bad thing and can ruin your life.

As discussed in my study, “The Sad Vanity Of This Life, Working And Eating To Never Be Fulfilled,” when Solomon ascended to the throne, God visited him in a dream and asked Solomon what he wanted, and Solomon prayed that the Lord would give him exceeding wisdom and discernment, which God then obliged his request and made him the wisest man to ever live (outside of Jesus Christ) (1 Kings 3:1-15). As talked about in that study, Solomon came to immense power and riches, and anything he wanted and desired Solomon would get. And even though he was warned by God to keep his commandments and his word, to not go after false gods, commit idolatry, and go after “strange wives” (2 Chronicles 7:17-22; Proverbs 31:1-9), Solomon eventually became corrupted in these things, and with his wisdom he lusted to learn anything and everything he could; giving himself over to hedonism and lasciviousness, and dabbled in a number of popular philosophies only to find that all things done “under the sun” are vanity, and there is not much real truth in what the world calls wisdom and knowledge.

One of the things Solomon reiterates in Ecclesiastes is that in his quest for exceeding knowledge it brings great vexation, travail, sorrow, weariness, and will drive you mad and ruin your life.

Ecclesiastes 1:12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. [13] And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. [14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. [15] That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. [16] I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. [17] And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. [18] For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

Ecclesiastes 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. [10] The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. [11] The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. [12] And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

For the purposes of this study I am not going to get too in-depth into all the nuances and dovetails of these passages, as the main focus here are the statements made about wisdom.

Now then, everyone, saved or lost, knows that generally speaking the more you learn, the more sorrow and grief comes attached with it; and with that comes exhaustion, which can actually cause you to forget what you were trying to study (we’ve all been there before). And because there is so much to learn and know, and since everyone is always learning, (and typically relearning over and over again because man is condemned to repeat the same mistakes (see the vanity study)), and because “that which is wanting cannot be numbered” like Solomon said, there is essentially an infinite supply of books that can be written because of it.

Interestingly enough, a prophecy given for the last days notes that “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). With the internet at everyone’s fingertips and everyone’s pockets (our modern equivalent of “making many books”), this verse is undeniably being fulfilled; and in the context of Solomon’s remarks nowadays, the sheer amount woe and misery that has been created has never really been seen before because of the internet and social media is on full display, and things that people would have never thought to have seen or know is seen at an instant, something that has never happened before in the history of man. It’s had its upsides in some respects, sure, but we can all agree the sickening amount vexation it has caused us all cannot be underscored. People all over, namely the children, are having mental breakdowns and internal crises because there is no filter and they have no way of processing all this information thrust upon them. This is quite the broad oversimplification of things but I think you get the point.

With this in mind, Solomon provides a really interesting lesson that I don’t think I have ever heard preached on – that’s not to say that it hasn’t been before, but I reckon if it is it is probably comparable to finding a diamond in the rough. I’ve meditated on this for the good part of this year because it really struck a chord with me, and made me realize for the first time, after having read it many times before and not truly getting the meaning, that what Solomon prescribes explains so many of the brethren’s problems in their walks with the Lord, and even secular people who dive deep down the rabbit hole of worldly wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? [17] Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? [18] It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

I find this passage so intriguing and you just simply don’t hear it preached on, and I suppose it makes sense when you peel back the layers that both the hedonist and egoist are rebuked, but are instead told to fear the Lord instead.

Verse 17 is fairly self-explanatory. It’s really simple: you reap what you sow. If you do wickedly, if you commit sin, if you fool around with mischief and vanity, if you play with fire you’ll get burned. There are plenty of verses that can be cited, but these few will suffice:

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. [8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. [9] And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Job 15:31 Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

Proverbs 26:27 Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

But the center of this message is Ecclesiastes 7:16. There is a threat of becoming too wise, and in the negative sense it can make you “over much righteous.” Now, we must carefully note that in light of New Testament salvation, grace, and forgiveness, Christ imputes his righteousness to the sinner who comes to him in faith and repentance, seeking forgiveness and truth, void of works (Romans 4; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21); so in this vein there is no such thing as being “over much righteous” when you have all of Christ’s wholly and completely. But that is not what verse 16 is describing: it is an add-on to what Solomon recounted about learning and gaining so much wisdom and knowledge it can drive you mad, and makes you conceited, haughty and arrogant, sensual, and self-righteous.

Though the passage in context is referring to unsaved Jews, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) it is still very much applicable to anyone who has not been redeemed, particularly that of a pompous, sacrilegious fool:

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. [2] For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. [3] For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

But this is not 100% what Ecclesiastes 7:16 is describing. What it is also warning of is over-consumption and letting that corrupt you. Learning new things is important, but there must be limitations on the volume of your learning and what you learn, whether that is through reading, seeing, hearing, or doing. Paul gives what I would consider a good New Testament companion to Ecclesiastes 7:16:

Romans 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

This is an important command that should be committed to memory and practiced because it will save you a lot of hassle and grief. First and foremost, practically speaking, moderation and temperance in all things will never fail you. Consider this adage:

Proverbs 25:16: Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. [27] It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

We covered this in my study, “Do You Loathe The Honeycomb?,” how that ‘honey’ and a ‘honeycomb’ in the scriptures are often typified with the word of God. As discussed, honey is quite tasty and is a great healing agent and natural remedy, but too much of it can make you nauseous and vomit. An application here is that there are people out there who understand the benefits honey has to offer, but they consume it incorrectly. Instead of using moderation, fakers and apostates will go headlong and foolishly scarf down way too much honey, and it causes them to get sick. Spiritually speaking, there are tons of people out there that realize they can study the scriptures, not for the purposes of edification, sanctification, purification, redemption, reprieve, instruction, and so forth; but to inflate one’s ego and justify their fleshly desires. In other words, studying the scriptures so you can be the authority and have people emulate and coddle up to you (a Nicolaitan, Revelation 2:6, 15), taking away the glory from God and placing it on yourself; to cherry-pick certain scriptures to avoid all those “bitter” passages and only discuss the “sweet” – to justify certain sins and preach doctrines that permit your sins. In doing so you’ll make yourself sick and vomit up the honey.

Similarly, in the context of what Paul said in Romans 16:19, you can consume too much of the wrong knowledge and that will make you sick. Just because there is knowledge to be had does not mean that you should learn it. As a matter of fact, you’d be much wiser not to learn a lot of things (more on that later). Doing what is evil and sinful comes naturally and will always peck at you, but to do good is something that comes about from discipline and study. If you have never been drunk before, you don’t need to experience it firsthand to learn why it’s sinful. The Bible’s statements on drunkenness, for example, are sufficient (Proverbs 23:29-35), and seeing and experiencing drunks firsthand is knowledge enough. You don’t need to commit folly to know a thing, which is what Solomon did knowing full-well that it was wrong to do that; but at least with that we have a written testimony that such revelry starts and ends with vanity. And if you have struggled with particular sins and vices, then you can warn others about them and display your “battle scars” as evidence.

I apply this rule often when it comes to dealing with the word of God and other professing Christians. I don’t have to know and neither do I waste too much time studying every little nuance about every and all heresies and bad doctrine there is out there. Some of that is okay to know – to be forewarned is to be forearmed – but I generally do not overly research too much of that stuff. My primary study in this context is the King James Bible. It’s similar to how federal agents do not learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the fakes. They study genuine notes until they master the look and feel of the actual thing. Then when they see the funny money they know it’s fake. That’s kind of how it generally should be for the Christian. If you know your Bible like you ought to, and granted this will take time and much study, then you will know when something is amiss and deceitful. Jesus spoke in a parable in John 10:4: “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. [5] And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

All in all, study the good and avoid the bad. If only Eve understood this and took it to heart… But that’s what Satan does: he tempts us to not obey the simple precepts the Lord has laid out for us. Genesis 3:5: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

The Bible tells us what kinds of knowledge and wisdom are good and what kind is bad, and how to spot it:

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. [14] But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. [15] This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. [16] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. [17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. [18] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Jesus said, “For every tree is known by his own fruit” (Luke 6:43-45); so a quick tell as to what kind of wisdom something is by the fruit it produces: what kind of people does it beget, and how the person dispersing said wisdom conducts themselves and speaks is usually a good tell as well. But there are only two types of wisdom: wisdom that produces purity and peace, and another that produces envy, strife, confusion, and fleshly lusts. And notice the dogmatism of the inspired word of God: there is no middle ground, there is no ambiguity; there is none of this modern milk-toast, humanist garbage that alleges, ‘My truth is my truth, and your truth is your truth, and so therefore we ought not to judge each other and say either is wrong, but to say we are both right and there are no absolutes and all is relative; and to say that there is a definitive source of truth or to know truth is radical and bigoted.’ NO! There are either truths or lies, and that’s all that there is; and the strong majority of things in this life are lies. “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

Notice also that true wisdom produces peace, but that peace is derived first by RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is imperative to note because anyone who is to be recognized as a true “peacemaker” is established by purity, righteousness, and giving God the glory and thanks in all things. Satan loves to confuse the order and instead coerce people through his carnal setups that peace comes first and then from that results in purity and so-called righteousness. Doing this then establishes “peace” by any means necessary; i.e. ‘We have to maintain peace by going to war,’ says the corrupt puppet politician. “Peace” is obtained by eliminating competition; survival of the fittest; dog eat dog. It’s what drives social-Marxists who sit around the coffee klatch whining and crying about all the injustices of the world, and how we need to strive for “world peace” and “progress” by tearing down existing boundaries and killing religion to obtain their perverse world view of “purity,” even though these folk can’t even find peace in their community let alone their own household, but apparently they have it all figured out! Proverbs 17:24: “Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.”

I can think of no greater example of “earthly, sensual, devilish” wisdom masquerading as peace, purity and good fruits for all, than John Lennon’s song “Imagine,” often referred to as the “Atheist Anthem.” Read the lyrics to see what the “filthy dreamers” (Jude 8) believe is achieving “peace:”

[Verse 1]
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
I

[Verse 2]
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You

[Chorus]
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

[Verse 3]
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You

[Chorus]
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

And yet look at the fruit this warped philosophy has created. Only a wicked fool would think that the world today is better off and is getting better. But do you see the difference between true godly and peaceable wisdom from above versus the “earthly, sensual, devilish” wisdom? The fruits produced by each are not hard to distinguish.

So now, having established this, we are warned of other kinds of wisdom and knowledge that we are to avoid.

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

If I were to create a personal list ranking which verses I think are most important, this one would rank in the top three easily. This verse MUST be committed to memory and practice: it will serve you tremendously. The word ‘philosophy’ literally means a “love of knowledge” or a “pursuit of wisdom;” but as we have just discussed, there is plenty of wisdom that needs to be avoided. I am not going to get too in depth in this study about this verse, as I could easily write an entire sermon on this verse itself, but taken at face value you need to embed this verse in your brain.

The King James Bible makes it very clear that all philosophy is to be avoided and is connected with “vain deceit.” All philosophy is wrong, and by the standard laid-out in James, causes envy and strife, and confusion, and hypocrisy. You see, because philosophy and philosophers never claim to have the whole truth and do not believe in absolute truth, everything is “relative” to the situation and by the eye of the beholder. When Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilate, notice what was said: John 18:37: “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. [38] Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.”

Jesus also said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Book, the King James Bible, is the authority and guiding light in all things, and nothing else beside it, before or after it; I don’t correct it, it corrects me. True wisdom and knowledge – the kind defined in the book of James – comes from God above, Jesus Christ the Lord, and is recorded and perfectly preserved and inspired for us today. Colossians 2:2: “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; [3] In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [4] And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.”

Everything is to be judged through the lens of scripture. Sure, there are plenty of things in life that are not outright instructed in scripture, I get that, but whatever it is it must be judged by the word of God to keep you on the right path. God’s word will NEVER steer you in the wrong direction. As Solomon noted in Proverbs: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand” (Proverbs 19:21); “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). Your opinion on the matter is irrelevant to the Lord’s, and whether you choose to adhere to them does not change God’s standard on the matter. HIS counsel is the only one that is right and will be accomplished whether people like it or not.

And from this leads us to another pair of very important verses that should also be committed to memory:

Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. [2] A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

This describes in a nutshell Solomon’s dark desires that he wrote of in Ecclesiastes and how it destroyed him, and reveals the heart of the matter why all others seek their own way and not the counsel of the Lord. “Desire” in and of itself is fine, but its usage here based on the context refers to the strife and envy described in James 3:13-18; and so therefore man, in order to bypass the counsel of the Lord and the law of God written on his heart and conscience (Romans 2:1-16), isolates himself and shrouds himself in worldly wisdom and the rudiments (“principles”) of the world to justify himself and his sinful heart; and such people stuck in their righteousness – “be not over much righteous” – have no real desire for truth found ONLY in Jesus Christ and his written word; and thus reveals what is really in that person’s heart. And that is what Solomon found when he “intermeddleth with all wisdom,” that all ends in vanity.

The Sad Vanity Of This Life, Working And Eating To Never Be Fulfilled

Ecclesiastes 2:12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. [13] Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. [14] The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. [15] Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. [16] For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. [17] Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Now, backtracking a little bit here, Colossians 2:8 also warns against the “traditions of men” and the “rudiments of the world;” and these too can lead to forms of being “over much righteous.” When too much wisdom enters it wounds the conscience, and when understanding the crux of the matter as revealed in Proverbs 18:1-2, this is where religious piety, sanctimony, sacrilege, superstition, hyper-asceticism, and Pharisaical bungling and legalism show up; where all these ridiculous standards are imagined up that the Bible does not command. The Pharisees, for example, created all sorts of non-biblical standards that they added to the law and loitered over the people to keep them – for which caused Jesus to constantly square-off with the Pharisees (and the Sadducees, scribes, and the lawyers) for their hypocrisy and their constant attempts to trick Jesus and make him out to be a sinner, and there are plenty of references to this (Matthew 15:1-20, 23:1-39; John 7:14-24).

Having written Colossians 2:8, Paul then addresses the other end of the spectrum that I just listed and the motivations behind it:

[20] Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, [21] (Touch not; taste not; handle not; [22] Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? [23] Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Verse 23 in that passage describes something called “will worship,” “gnosis,” in other words, where you have people that create all these unbiblical standards and traditions that appear to show wisdom and humility and temperance, but it’s really just overreach and superstition, and egotists who think they are smarter than they are, and think they are so righteous – “be not over much righteous” – they create their own standards for which they think they are earning God’s favor, or to whatever deity or self-serving idol they worship. This is another example of how wisdom can destroy, as described in Ecclesiastes 7:16.

Herein lies where I have seen time and time again so many brethren get screwed-up in their walk with the Lord. They try too hard to serve the Lord and be in subjection to his word, and that’s because they’ve learned too much and they can’t reconcile and moderate it, and so then they start to overcorrect and complicate their walk and distort the fellowship of their brothers and sisters in Christ and their personal walks with the Lord.

People, and ESPECIALLY saved, born again believers can be so uptight, high-minded, and persnickety over anything and everything. Believers have a tendency to overcompensate and zealously try so hard to be the ‘ideal Christian,’ and therefore you can make yourself go nuts and lose all true, righteous joy and mirth in the process, and end up worse than you ever were. I’ve learned that along the way. I’m guilty of letting the filth of this world get to me far too often than I should. At the same time, I am still learning to “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity” (Psalm 37:1). I’ll be the first to admit I am terrible at that at times. But there are many times the Lord still keeps me encouraged, I’ve had to learn to just control what I can control. After all, Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 11:9-10: “[9] Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. [10] Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.”

It has gotten so insanely out of control nowadays, but hardly anyone is genuine anymore: everything is artificial and contrived, and done in vainglory for others to see and emulate. I see this even more so with professing Christians. Friend, just obey the Book and stop making things harder than they need to be. Do you have the Spirit in you? Do you have God’s word (KJB) to direct you, right? Okay then, just take it for what it is and believe it, and live it. Reader, there is a HUGE difference between moderation and temperance (Philippians 4:4; 2 Peter 1:1-11) and being menpleasing, lukewarm Laodiceans (Ephesians 6:5-9; Revelation 3:14-22).

And a lot of this can be expressed in a great verse that all believers need to take heed to:

Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.

On the one hand this is similar to the warnings given in Colossians 2:16-23, as there are many who will be so divisive over the most trivial of things such as this. But spiritually speaking, in the scriptures there are doctrines that are considered “milk” and “meat.” Milk is the first thing a baby consumes and grows by, and even when you get older you still return to milk because (under normal circumstances) it is easy to digest, is full of nutrients, is fairly accessible, it helps wash down the rest of your food, and can be added to a lot of recipes (metaphorically speaking) (1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:1-3). “Meat” doctrine is something that comes with time and much study. Babies and toddlers are not fed meat for a reason because they can’t digest it as well and have a difficult time chewing it, and even when they are young they usually need help at first by cutting it with the help of daddy’s steak knife. Meatier doctrines come with time, experience and study. (Hebrews 5:12-14).

However, you can’t eat only meat lest you choke: you must always down it with some “milk.” What Hebrews 13:9 is warning against is occupying much of your time with all these little nuances and small things in the scriptures or in life, and prioritizing that over the simple. I have seen SOOO many professing brethren absolutely ruin their lives and their “ministries” because they became so occupied with these little petty dogmas and ideas that it drove them up the wall and made them go nuts! It’s a shame really, and those types of people are very hard to recover from because then their pride prevents them from climbing down from their tower; and I have had to break fellowship and publicly rebuke a few of these types of people before because they started royally messing-up people’s minds (1 Timothy 1:15-11; Titus 3:9-11).

This is why it is very important – in my recommendation through personal experience and bearing witness to this – to not overconsume too much preaching from one man, whoever it is; and things such as commentaries can be a danger, too. There’s a reason why I preach and write sermons the way that I do: I don’t want people to believe everything I say word-for-word, and that’s all they end up knowing. Spelling out everything that a verse says and all its many nuances I, quite frankly, believe is not wise. It is FAR too easy for people, saved and lost, to pick up a commentary series and learn everything there is in it, then go out and purloin that work to either fit in with a tribal click or religious cult, or start emulating your favorite preacher or persona; not the least of which is the fact that this is how so many false teachers, hirelings, and charlatans are created (Acts 20:29-31). You need to be your own man or your own woman in the Lord; and while it is absolutely imperative and incumbent upon you to learn from others, (that’s all throughout the scriptures), you still also need to have the Holy Ghost teach you first and foremost on a personal, intimate level, and let him be your guide. 1 John 2:27: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

Now, there is a very simple solution to all that we have covered thus far, and it is once again a passage I urge readers to commit to memory as well, for it will help you reconcile all this wisdom and how to commit yourself to it:

1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. [19] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. [20] And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

This puts a nice bowtie on the things that we have looked at. If you want TRUE wisdom in this life, it does not come from higher academia and worldly wisdom and philosophy. Even now in modern times, if you really want to know what’s going on then you are going to have to practically flush everything you learned down the toilet, because it is probably a lie. What the world calls wise is what God calls foolishness, and vice-versa. Only when you submit yourselves to the righteousness of God and his Holy Spirit will you understand anything; otherwise you will spend your days in vanity; “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

I will, however, note something that I have reported before and that is the death of credentialism. Society increasingly no longer places in high regard higher learning, notoriety, licenses and fancy titles, as people have become aware that a lot of these types are just peddling and repeating establishment nonsense built purely on lies; and is amplified when these types then start to flaunt their credentials as a mechanism to assert dominance and authority. Arrogant little stooges such as Anthony Fauci are a perfect example, where “the science” can be made-up on a whim and must be accepted as truth because he said it; and if you criticize that then, according to him, you aren’t actually criticizing science because he represents “the science;” and eventually when the heat got too hot for that pipsqueak dork he then declared “I am the science!”

Generally speaking, more and more people now place less value in these traditional setups and higher academia, as we are now in a society that collectively accepts what is called “post-modernism,” a relativistic philosophy that opposes traditional norms and structure, and emphasizes skepticism, at its basic core. While some of this is okay, in terms of questioning the nonsense people accepted and reestablished as “truth” in what is called “modernism” for over the past century, which was a departure from the word of God, common sense and “traditional values,” and glorification of higher learning and secularism – a vacuum has been created because of the internet and people awakening to the college scam, and liars, puppets, charlatans in the establishment and the ‘bigs’ – there has now become this glorification of willful ignorance and embracing of stupidity and anti-intellectualism, especially now that everything has become very tribal and cultic. Now more scams and fraudsters have arisen on the pretense they are anti-establishment and self-proclaimed experts, with all this hidden knowledge, expertise, and experience that “education” and the establishment won’t tell you. Because of that, the scammery and deception, and genuine mis- and disinformation is everywhere.

This is what happens when a society kicks out God’s word and turns to themselves for wisdom and knowledge, making philosophy their guiding principle where truth is no longer absolute, but everything is relative, and good and evil are only so based on the eye of the beholder and the context of the act.

Judges 21:25 – “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” – This is where we are now, and with no KING James Bible as the guiding principle, it’s no surprise that society has broken down – everyone is confused and lied to.

To conclude this message, let’s consider one last point Solomon made in the passage we opened this study with:

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? [17] Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? [18] It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

It’s a balancing act. Moderation is the answer. Don’t go too heavy on too much wisdom (in the general sense), as it is vain and foolishness in the sight of God, and strays from the counsel of God; but don’t give yourself over to the flesh, but as we are commanded, Romans 13:13: “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. [14] But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” But the key to this balancing act and the way to reconcile both of these things is the fear of the Lord. In that and that alone is where true and godly wisdom is found.

Job 28:20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? [21] Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. [22] Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. [23] God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. [24] For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; [25] To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. [26] When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: [27] Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.

[28] And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

So, hopefully this was a help to you and gave you some things to think about and ponder, and how you can apply this to your life. Thanks for reading and I hope this was a blessing. See you in the next one!

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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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