Ecclesiastes 8: What About the Wicked.
● Overview.
○ As Solomon continues to look at the value
of wisdom, he encounters the problem of evil in the world, something that no
thinking man can avoid. Unbelief does
not create the problem, but faith. If
there is no God, we can blame ourselves for what happens in the world. But if we believe in God, we must face the
question of why there is so much suffering in this world. Does God know about it and yet care? Or, does God know and care, but lack the
power to do anything about it.
○ When people ponder this question, they
end up becoming either agnostic (a person who does claim faith or a disbelief
in God) or atheist. But in doing so,
they create a new problem, “Where does all the good come from in this world?” It is difficult to believe that matter alone
produced the beautiful and enjoyable things in this world, even in the midst of
evil.
○ Other people see evil as an illusion and
we should not worry about it. Some say
God is in the process of evolution and he can’t do much about life’s
craziness. They assure us that God will
get stronger and things will improve as the process of evolution goes on.
○ Solomon does not deny the existence of
God, the reality of evil, nor does he limit the God’s power. Solomon solves the problem of evil by
affirming these factors and seeing them in their perspective. The major source of evil in this world is
“fallen man” and his many devices that have helped him create the problems of
one kind or another.
○ In this chapter, Solomon looks at 3 key
areas of life that led to the problems and evils of this world.
● Verses.
○ Verses
8:1-9 Authority
■ Millions of people have been oppressed in
one way or another by bad rulers through the centuries.
● Nimrod, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius,
the Caesars, Hitler, Saddam Hussein
● The Jews often suffered at the hands of
foreign oppressors.
● Even King Solomon placed a heavy yoke
upon his people. (I Kings 4:7-28, I
Kings 12:1)
■ The Kings in early days had the power of life
and death in their hands. Some Kings
would abuse this power for their own advantage. In most cases the King was not elected by
the people nor did they have to answer to them. Some leaders have ruled as dictators. Some leaders were tyrannical despots who
permitted nothing to stand in their way to fulfill their desires.
■ In Verse 1, Solomon writes that wisdom is
the ability to see life from God’s perspective and then to know the best course
of action to take. Most people would
agree that wisdom is a valuable asset, but how can we acquire it? Proverbs 9:10 teaches that the fear (respect
and honor) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom comes from knowing and trusting God;
it is not merely the way to find God.
Knowing God will lead to understanding and then to sharing this
knowledge with others.
■ Solomon describes an officer who serves
in the royal court. This man was asked
to do something for the King in obedience.
We see this officer also had wisdom.
(Ecclesiastes 8:1, Nehemiah 2:1, Proverbs 15:13)
● If this King demanded this man to do
something evil, what should he do? This
man's wisdom told him he had 4 different approaches to his problem.
■ (1)
Disobedience (verse 2)
● Solomon writes, “Keep the King’s
commands.” Why? The officer must be true to the King, since
he made his oath of allegiance to both the King and God. We must not also forget, that God is the
source of all authority in this world.
(Romans 13:1-7) To disobey the
King’s orders would mean breaking his promise to the ruler and God. This could result in serious consequences.
● The King’s word carried more power than
his officer’s word. The King’s word
would prevail, even if he had to eliminate his opposition. There were no laws written to find the King
wrong, nobody could question the King’s decision since “the King can do no
wrong.”
● The officer should avoid punishment by
obeying the King. His disobedience
could lead to death. (Esther 4:15-16,
Daniel 4:4-7, Daniel 4:19, Romans 13:3-4)
● Since no one knows the future, we are
uncertain to how the King will react to our decisions.
■ (2)
Desertion (verse 3a)
● In this verse, we can visualize the
officer giving up as he leaves the King’s presence in disgust. This could also upset the King and bring
punishment to the officer for offending the King.
○ How many people are willing to suffer a
loss in order to maintain integrity?
■ (3)
Defiance (verse 3b)
● Solomon writes, “Do not stand up for a
bad cause.” This can be interpreted to
say, “Don’t get involved in a plan to overthrow the King.”
○ The officer could rush from the King’s
presence and find others to oppose the King’s plan. They could plot together against the King,
something King Solomon did not approve of.
● Is there a place for civil disobedience
in the life of a law-abiding Christian?
Does a Christian have the right to resist authority when they feel the
law is not just?
○ Thomas Jefferson: “Resistance to tyranny
is obedience to God.” Is this statement
right?
○ When it comes to the matter of conscience
and the law, believers can turn to what the word of God says (Acts 5:29). Christian prisoners and martyrs through
history testify to the courage of their conscience and the importance for
standing up for what is right. This
does not mean that resist the law for any minor incident that may disturb us. We do have the obligation to obey our conscience
instead. How we express our
disagreement with the authorities requires wisdom and grace.
■ (4)
Discernment (verse 5b-6)
● The wise servant understands that time
and judgment must be considered in everything we do. Since it takes discernment to know the right
procedure for the right time. The
impulsive person who reacts quickly is probably making the problem worse. Wisdom helps us to understand people and the
situation to figure out what the right thing to do and at the right time.
○ Joseph did not impulsively reveal himself
to his brothers because he wanted to be sure their hearts were right to Jacob
and their God. Once he heard them
confess their sin, Joseph knew the time was right to identify himself. (Genesis 43 through Genesis 45)
○ Nehemiah was burdened to rebuild the
walls of Jerusalem. He was also not
sure the King would release him for this task.
He prayed waited, and watched; knowing God would one day open the way
for him. When the opportune time came,
Nehemiah was ready to approach the King and had his request granted. (Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 2:1-6)
○ Daniel was a prisoner of war being held
hostage in Babylon, a pagan city.
Daniel refused to eat the unclean food that was given to him. Daniel realized he did not want to make a scene,
so he showed gentleness and wisdom by suggesting to the guard to allow him and
his 3 friends to experiment with a different diet. Not only did Daniel and his friends get
promoted by the King, they remained ceremonially clean. (Daniel 1:8-14, Daniel 1:18-20)
○ The Apostles showed spiritual discernment
when they were arrested and persecuted.
They showed respect to those in authority even though the religious
leaders were prejudiced and acted illegally.
The Apostles were willing to suffer for the truth.
○ Verses
8:10-14 Inequity
■ In spite of good laws and fine people who
seek to enforce them, there is a prevalent injustice in this world, probably
more than we care to admit.
● A Spanish proverb says: “Laws are like
spider webs, they catch the fly and let the hawks go free.”
● F. Lee Bailey wrote: “In America, and
acquittal doesn’t mean you are innocent; it means you beat the rap.”
● Robert Frost defined a jury as: “12
chosen people to decide who has the better lawyer.”
■ Verse 10 probably refers to how we quickly
forget the evil done by some people after they have died. Returning from the cemetery, we praise them
in the very city where they did their evil deeds.
● In this verse, Solomon describes a
funeral of a deceased man who frequently visited the Temple. This man received praise from the
people. This same man had not lived a
godly life outside of the temple. He
was given a magnificent funeral and an eloquent eulogy, while the truly godly
people were ignored and forgotten.
● Solomon reflects upon this man and comes
to the conclusion that the man continued to sin because he thought he got away
with it. God’s is long suffering
towards sinners and he always does not judge sin immediately. God’s mercy must not be used as an excuse
for man’s rebellion. (2 Peter 3:1-12)
■ In verse 11, if God doesn’t punish us
immediately, we must not assume that he doesn’t care or that sin has no
consequences even though it is easy to sin when we don’t feel the consequences
right away. When a young child does
something wrong and the wrong is discovered, it will be much easier for the
child to repeat the act. But God does
know every wrong we commit, and one day we will have to answer for all that we
have done. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)
■ Solomon concludes that the wicked will be
eventually judged and the righteous will be rewarded. (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13) It is better to fear the Lord and live a
godly life. The evil man may live
longer than the godly man; he may appear to get away with sin after sin. But the day of judgement will come, a day
which the wicked man cannot escape.
Wisdom is what points the way to the Lord. (Proverbs 9:10)
■ No matter how long or full the wicked
man’s life may seem to be, it is only prolonged like a shadow and has no
substance. It is a fact that the shadow
gets longer as the sun is setting.
Solomon is possibly suggesting that the long life of a wicked man is but
a prelude to eternal darkness. (Jude
13)
■ How can the wise person respond to the
inequities and injustices of this world?
We can encourage and support the passing of good laws. We can vote for people who are capable of
enforcing these laws. There is no
guarantee that this will solve the problem completely, but we have a promise
that until Jesus Christ sets up his righteous kingdom at his coming, there will
be injustices in this world. It is one
of the “vanities” of life and we are to accept it without becoming pessimistic
or cynical.
○ Verses
8:15-17 Mystery
■ In verse 15, Solomon recalls the remedy
for life’s unsolved mysteries. He
recommends joy and contentment as encouragement for us along life’s
journey. We must accept each day with its
daily measure of work, food, and pleasure.
Let us learn to enjoy what God has given us to refresh and strengthen us
to continue his work.
■ In verses 16 and 17, Solomon teaches,
even if a wise person had access to all the world’s wisdom, the wisest man
would know very little. No one can
fully comprehend God and all that he has done, and there are always more
questions than answers. But the unknown
should not cast a shadow over our joy, faith, or work because we know that
someone greater is in control and that we can put our faith and trust in
him. Don’t let what you don’t know
about the future destroy the joy God wants to give you today.
■ Disappointment is destined for those who
seem to know everything or those who have to know it all. Solomon spent many sleepless nights and
difficult days as he pondered the mysteries of life. He comes to the conclusion that “man cannot
find out the work that is under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 8:17, 3:11, 7:14, 7:24, 7:27-28) We may be able to solve a puzzle here and
there, but person can comprehend the totality of things or explain all that God
is doing.
■ God does not expect us to know the
unknowable, but he does expect us to learn all that we can and obey what he
teaches us. In fact, the more we obey,
the more he teaches us. (John 7:17)
■ A confession of ignorance is the first
step to true knowledge. (I Corinthians
8:2) The person who wants to learn
God’s truth must possess honesty and humility.
■ French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in
his famous “Pensees”: “If there were no obscurity, man would not feel his
corruption; if there was no light, man could not hope for a cure. Thus it is not only right but useful for us
that God should be partly concealed and partly revealed, since it is equally
dangerous for man to know God without knowing his own wretchedness as to know
his wretchedness without knowing God”
■ This is the 4th time that Solomon tells
us to enjoy life and delight in the fruits of its labor. (Ecclesiastes 8:15, 2:24, 3:12-15,
5:18-20) This does not refer to us to
be foolish in our “Eat, drink, and be merry” way of thinking, something
practiced by unbelievers. Rather, it is
a positive faith outlook of God’s children who accept life as a special gift from
God and knowing that he gives “all things richly to enjoy”. (I Timothy 6:17) Instead of complaining about what we don’t
have, we give thanks for what we do have and enjoy it.
● Conclusion.
○ This chapter ends Solomon’s
re-examination of the “vanities of wisdom”.
Solomon concludes that wisdom is important to the person who wants to
get the most out of life, instead of rejecting wisdom. While wisdom can’t explain every mystery or
problem, it can help us with discernment in our decisions. (Ecclesiastes 8:6)
○ Some may ask, “Why didn’t God stop World
War II?” The true answer to that
question is “Because God did not start it.”
○ We all have misery in our lives, do we
add to them?
○ One day all the wickedness of the world
will be judges, even the wicked Kings shall not escape it. Nobody can prevent the day of their death
just as we are unable to control the wind.
On this same thought, no one is exempt from obeying God’s laws. (Galatians 67, Numbers 32:23)
We
have the options of disobeying, running away, defying orders, and even fighting
back. Before we act, we need to
exercise wisdom and to seek discern the right time and procedure. In this current culture, it is not easy
being a consistent Christian. We can
ask for the wisdom of God and
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