Ecclesiastes 8

We have been considering the ancient words of a man we call the Preacher of Ecclesiastes. His message is distressing to some, but for others the words recorded in this book are strangely satisfying. We find them to be very helpful, dismantling ungodly pride and man-centered optimism. The book does not just tear down; it also builds up. There is a way of wisdom presented here by the Preacher that is both honest and attractive. It is a way of thinking and living that can make a man's face shine, taking away the hardness that comes when we become pompous, taking ourselves too seriously.

The words of the Preacher would be meaningful regardless of the identity of the man who wrote them, but they carry even more weight when we realize that they were not written by an underachiever in order to justify his own lack of accomplishment. The Preacher was a man who was in charge of a nation. When he writes about the king's command, he is not ignorant of what it is to be a successful ruler.

Power structures in any society exist according to the sovereign plan of God. Fools ignore or unduly criticize the powers that be, forgetting that God gives us civil rulers. There is a limit to what civil authorities can achieve. Kings will not be able to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. It will not be through the power of their swords, but through the glory of the cross that God will do His most amazing work. Yet for now we live in nations, and each of those has some established system of governance. We cannot opt out of our subordinate position under various governing authorities by claiming that we are God's children who need not listen to anyone else. It is part of Christian duty to honor kings who may not honor God at all. To rebel unnecessarily is a foolish and disrespectful way to die an early death. There will perhaps be a better time and a place to express some concern, even about very serious matters, but there is no sense in taking a dangerous stand when patience and realism would be a better way to honor God. Life, even this mortal life, is a precious gift. We should not throw it away. We do not know what the future holds. Deliverance may come to us much sooner than we expect from a very surprising direction.

How does God work with wicked kings? If we try to understand the justice of God as one nation is exalted and another is destroyed, we will find that it is very much beyond us. That is not only true of God's providence over countries, it is also the case as we attempt to understand the mysteries of his ways in the lives of individuals. We know that it is truly best for us to live in the fear of Almighty God, but there is no doubt that it often appears that wickedness has won the day. Even when people know a great man to be wicked, he may be treated with uncommon honor at his burial. But what happens to him beyond his memorial service? That is a question to which we cannot see the answer.

It can be an infuriating exercise to judge people and to judge God in His dealings with people. We consider what we know about the wickedness and righteousness of an important leader, and then we compare that partial knowledge with what we know about God's dealings with this person, his life and his death, and the blessings and curses that came to him. When we look it as fully as we know how, we can't help but feel that there are times when the wicked have fared far better than the righteous.

Why do we plague ourselves with these thoughts? To dwell on such matters is not commendable. There is a better way of living in a world of futility that the Preacher sums up in one word : “Joy!” Take the gifts that honestly come to you and enjoy them. God has given these to help you through each day. There is something else that He will not give to you. He will not grant you full knowledge and understanding of His ways. If a wise man claims know all the mysteries of life, he is a liar.

Even the greatest Old Testament prophets longed to understand the purpose and plan of God, and found that there were aspects of it that were beyond them. The prophet Daniel was told plainly about the coming resurrection of the dead, and he admitted immediately that there were aspects of it all, at least in the way that God chose to reveal it to him in that day, which he simply could not understand. Did the prophets understand that a Jewish Messiah would make the way for the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that he would be a blessing to the world? If they could understand the big picture of the heavenly blessings that God was bringing to the world through Christ, they still could not have possibly understood the marvel of God's specific working among particular people that seem to us to be wicked or righteous.

Yet God can reveal these facts to an Amos or a Jeremiah so that they are able to deliver an authoritative message about the life and death of enemies and allies. Not only that, when Jesus was going to the cross, the Son of God, the Key to all our blessings, went there as one who knew what man could not really know. John writes these words as part of his account of these critical events: “Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him...” When we meet Jesus on the way to cross, we meet a man who knew and who understood. Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Here is a Man who is wiser than Solomon. Part of trusting in Him as the God/Man who redeemed us is our own admission that we cannot fathom all the wisdom of God, but we can enjoy the simple life that He has granted for us to live.