How does more knowledge increase grief? Ecclesiastes 1:18

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
    the more knowledge, the more grief

Ecclesiastes 1:18

I was led to this scripture following thing(s) that had come to my knowledge during the course of the week.

I gained knowledge of the death of a woman who had done so much for her community and was also a christian. I had only known about her in death, the knowledge of her death was somewhat of a trigger for me. I started to ponder and dwell on the knowledge of the evils happening in the world.

I began to grieve and then began to slip into grave sadness. The knowledge of her death somehow made me shift my focus from the knowledge of God to the knowledge of everything not so great happening in the world.

But to be fair, there are great things happening in the world like new inventions, technology, extremely smart,talented and beautiful people. I have come across these people, I utilize these inventions- they make accomplishing tasks so easy.

I can sum my above illustrations to be the knowledge of good and evil, right?

I have gained knowledge of both worlds as I exist in this world through my experience, knowledge, dealings and so on. You and I have access to these knowledge because man had eaten the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden – Genesis 2:9- 17, Genesis 3:1-7. When God’s original plan was to shield us from these grave emotions, to just dwell in His presence(Eden) and just enjoy intimacy and grow in knowledge of Him.

In this light, the knowledge of the good and evil things in this world is what King solomon was lamenting about in Ecclesiastes 1:18. The knowledge of evil brings us sadness and similar emotions. The knowledge of great things around us only brings us short-lived joy and sometimes grief.

But there is the knowledge that brings unending joy, it is also referenced in Proverbs 2:10- it is the knowledge of the Lord; an increasing knowledge of God.

The knowledge of God is the knowledge that always and will forever bring us a well of unending joy here on earth and peace in eternity in heaven.

God is so magnificent in wonders, wisdom and ways that we cannot completely know Him no matter how long we live on earth. But there is so much beauty in knowing Him; so much light, His wisdom, peace, abundance enters into our lives as we give ourselves to knowing Him daily.

I believe Apostle Paul had great and deep understanding of this and what King Solomon was lamenting about in Ecclesiastes 1:18 and therefore as he prayed for the church in Ephesus, he prayed that they may increase in the knowledge of God.- Ephesians 1:17

I pray constantly for you, asking God to give you spiritual wisdom & insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called- His Holy People who are His rich and glorious inheritance. –

Ephesians 1:17-18

How Can our Knowledge of God Increase?

Believe & Accept Jesus

To gain the knowledge of God, we must first believe and accept Jesus Christ as our friend. When we do, He will help us in understanding and knowing God

Give Ourselves to the Study of God’s word

The word of God is life, its Him poured out in words for our comprehension and understanding. There is so much life that comes from studying the word of God that you’d have to find out by studying it yourself.

Engage the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is like a believer’s friend next door, He lives inside of us and He is there to teach us, expand our understanding of the word of God. What we need to do is to engage Him, ask Him questions every single time we do not get it: the word of God or life itself.

He pretty much helped me alot this week and I am thankful for Him.

Engage in Worship

When I could not pray out loud on Sunday night and Monday, worshipping pretty much helped me to pray out loud in melodies. It helped me to refocus my mind from the evil happening around me and to focus on God and how beautiful He is.

The Lord lives in the worship of His people, His presence comes down everytime we worship Him which makes it very likely for Him to reveal dimensions of Himself to us as we worship.

Fellowship with Believers

There is just something about sharing the word of God with God’s people (Godly friends) His word says that when two or more are gathered, He is there.

Therefore I believe that as we share His word, He is there revealing Himself to us in ways we may not be able to physically see. This was super helpful for me this week, as I fellowshipped with about four different groups of believers this week.

I highly recommend this to everyone, and for as many as are praying for Godly friends to share God’s word with, may He bring them your way in Jesus name.

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For the record and to the glory of God, I am overly filled with joy, I am back to my bubbly, Jesus loving self. I somewhat shared details in the video below.

I basically had to flood my heart with the knowledge of God through worship, studying His word, asking the Holy Spirit questions which He answered and and also fellowshipping with other believers.

The miracle of the knowledge of God is something my words or the words of any man may not be able to do justice to except we genuinely know God for ourselves.

I do pray just as Apostle Paul as, that we grow in the knowledge of God and that our hearts are constantly flooded with His love and light in Jesus name.