Eccl. 2:12.  So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what man can imitate the King who has previously made him?  Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. The wise man has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I perceived that one fate comes to all of them.

Another experience proves that everything is vanity, namely, the efforts and plans of men. “Whatever happened to me,” he says, “I saw that it also happened to others. My counsels and even my wisdom were vain and useless; they did not have the success that I wanted. I observed the same thing in others as well. I observed the wisdom and the madness of others and compared them with each other. I saw that some men behave very wisely and attempt many things prudently. I also saw mad fools acting without any plan. Yet their folly and madness was somehow lucky and successful, while the plans of the wise men were utterly useless and the wise men themselves were so unfortunate that the madness merited the proverb ‘Fortune helps the bold.’ ” ….  In short, a thing is not decided by the wisdom of the wise nor by the temerity of the foolish, so that the counsels of the wise are made foolish and we do not glory in ourselves. Thus in war victory does not come immediately, even though the army may be highly trained and everything may be very wisely thought out, as some years ago certain victory was expected by the French over the emperor, but the opposite came out.

Therefore he says: You see that the foolish succeed as well as the wise, so that there is no difference apparent between the wise man and the madman as far as success is concerned, in fact, so that it seems that there is no God who would allow things to be carried on so madly. But Solomon answers: “No, wisdom is far more excellent than folly,” even though it is true that human wisdom does not accomplish things but God Himself accomplishes them. God is able by His wisdom to accomplish whatever He wishes, but man does not accomplish it. For God has not only wisdom but also the power to accomplish it, so that what He has decreed succeeds; man is not able to do this. In short, the counsel of God is not deceived, but the counsels of men, even of wise men, are deceived. Therefore he correctly says:

Eccl. 2:13. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. Wisdom is indeed a good thing; nevertheless, it lacks power and cannot accomplish things or decide events. (Luther’s Works, v.15 p.38-39)

Eccl. 2:10. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. That is, “I extended myself even further and wanted to enjoy all these good things that I had prepared, but it was not allowed. I wanted this to be my portion in life, but God does not permit me to decide these pleasures by my own counsel; He continually put various obstacles in my way. When I wanted to enjoy my pleasures and my gardens, the business of the realm called me away; there were judicial decisions to be handed down, conflicts to be adjudicated and settled, etc. Thus I could not decide my happiness by my own counsel.” …. Is this not the height of vanity, that a king who has such wealth and such an abundance of everything is not able by his own counsel to enjoy even one of this infinite number of things? And if he does enjoy one, he must enjoy it in snatches. So utterly are we unable to control or govern or comprehend things by our own counsel. Therefore let everyone freely enjoy the things that are present, as God has given them. Let him permit them to be granted or withdrawn, to come or to go, according to the Lord’s will. When things are going well, let him think that they can go badly, and vice versa, so that he does not, like the wicked, wallow and drown in pleasures. And there was nothing to be gained under the sun. On the basis of his own plans he has nothing but trouble and misery. The things themselves are good, to be sure, but our efforts are vain. We prescribe rules or methods of use for them, even though they do not permit themselves to be regulated by us. (Luther’s Works, v.15 p.37-38)

This is also how it happens in domestic matters, in marriage and in the rearing of children. You think about marrying a wife, one who is well-mannered, chaste, pleasant, a good mother. But it can happen that you get a wife whose manner is completely different, one who is very bad, or who, even though she may be truly good, still leaves much to be desired for you. You think about how to rear your sons to be decent and useful to the state. But behold, contrary to your expectation they become criminals or scoundrels of some other kind, useless burdens on the earth. Is that a reason to desert my home and my domestic responsibilities, because I see that nothing succeeds for all my diligence and that nothing responds to my labors? No. What, then? One must rule his household, found a family, educate his children, and rule his wife, but in such a way that it happens without your measure and rule, that you do not trust in your own wisdom. If your son is suited for learning the liberal arts, let him learn them; if he is suited for a craft, let him learn that. The important thing is that you do not exceed your own limits, but commit the entire outcome and success to God. (Luther’s Works, v.15 p.35)