Grosey's Messages

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 Everybody Wants To Rule The World  Solomon on Leadership

              "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

People rise to the level of their own incompetence. Sometimes government can do amazing things. But mostly…

Ecclesiastes 8 teaches us how to exercise wisdom. These verses give us practical guidance for dealing with earthly government, whether good or evil, even in matters of life and death. And this passage is very appropriate for us as government make decisions for us about life and death matters like Covid, China and the Russia Ukraine crises. And as we discuss these things with family friends and work companions.

This is about things that are outside of our control.  Solomon asks a rhetorical question:  "Who is like the wise? And who knows the inter­pretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1).

What is the answer to these questions? "No one?"  There is no one wise; no, not one, he says in Eccl 7: I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.26  .. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things---28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found.29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Think how hard it can be to understand the difficult teachings of the Bible (particularly the book of Ecclesiastes). Or consider how hard it is to explain the mysterious providence of God, the way he makes things crooked or straight in the world.

After telling us how wisdom looks, Solomon deals with a more dangerous perplexity: he shows us what wisdom does in dealing with people in absolute authority: "I say: Keep the king's com­mand, because of God's oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, 'What are you doing?'" (Ecclesiastes 8:2–4).

There are hints throughout the passage that the king in question may or may not exercise his governance in a godly way. In fact, verse 9 indicates that earthly authority is often abused: "All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt." This passage is not simply about the use of power but also about its abuse. From what the Preacher had seen, whenever one person has power over another person, there is always a strong possibility that it will be used in a destructive way.

My examiner for my PhD Dr. Malcolm Yarnell of Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth Texas constructed something very interesting around the abuse of power:

Seven Theses regarding Power and Abuse:

1. All power is a gift of God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, things visible and things invisible, to his creatures: angels, humanity, and lower forms of life. Powers were granted to creatures with limits on their purpose—All for God's glory and to bless others—and use.

2. God will hold accountable all of his creatures through judgment on the Day of the Lord as his Kingdom manifests itself in righteousness. The judgment from the divine throne either a) justifies the Righteous who obeyed God or b) condemns the Wicked who abused gifts of power.

3. Abuses of the gifts of power occur either a) when power is used for a purpose other than for which it was given (i.e. for God's glory or the blessing of others), or b) when power is used in a way God defines as evil, even if the abuser believes he or she has a good purpose.

4. Authority is a gift of power from God through a proper community for a certain office to be fulfilled so the Lord might be glorified and the community might be preserved and/or edified. Authority is lost when it is used for one's glory or gain rather than for God and others.

5. Abusers of authority exhibit characteristics in Scripture and today: a) They work for their own glory rather than God's and their own gain rather than for others. b) They speak with deception and make gross claims. c) If unrepentant, they abuse those who point out their abuse.

6. Abusers of authority may be spiritually redeemed, if they turn to God in repentance from abuse and trust in the Son who received and conquered abuse by his Cross and Resurrection. The 3 realms—family, state, and church—must remove or limit chronic and gross abusers of office.

7. The one who wishes not to abuse power today, either by acting for the wrong purpose or in the wrong way, a) must have her or his heart transformed by grace, b) must recognize his or her continuing propensity to sinful behavior, and c) must be held accountable by the community.\

Well, in the midst of all this perplexity there is something that gives stability: godly wisdom makes a difference.

"What is the wise and godly way for us to live under authority?"

ECCLESIASTES 8:1           Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

1. GODLY WISDOM MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY PEOPLE LOOK

Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. ^{ECCLESIASTES 8:1}

Do you show hardness of face or the smile of grace?

People who live without God in the world often show the proud demeanor or stern expression that comes from a heart hardened by sin — "hardness of . . . face." But the wisdom of the gos­pel turns the frown of sin into the smile of grace. Thus the Preacher contrasts the face of a hardened sinner with "the wise man who is visibly gracious in his demeanor, and whose gentleness is obvious in his facial expression." In saying this, he is not just telling us to "put on a happy face." Instead, he is saying what the psalmist said, that people who look to the Lord "are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed" (Psalm 34:5; cf. Exodus 34:29–35; Proverbs 15:13).

The opposite to a happy face is a whining face.

Chronic whiners and complainers are everywhere. I came across a list of actual complaints that were sent to a travel company.

(1) "On my holiday to Mumbai, India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food."

(2) "The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room."

(3) "No one told us there would be fish in the ocean. The children were scared."

(4) "We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they all spoke Spanish."

(5) "I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitoes."

(6) "We bought 'Ray-ban' sunglasses for $3 from a vendor outside the hotel and discovered they were fake."

You've heard of a Diner's Club Card. Did you know that you can now get a Whiner's Club Card? It says, "Tired of putting on a happy face? Well, so are we! Luckily, you've joined the Whiner's Club. You now have the exclusive right to gripe, groan and moan about your job, money healthy, friends, and sex life. Possibilities are endless! So wipe that silly grin off your face and get ready to drive the world crazy with your constant sniveling. You owe it to yourself to let the REAL YOU be heard."

This is more than a metaphor. True wisdom brings a joy to life that changes everything, including people's appearance.

I read of this phenomenon in an article from a journal for Christian military chaplains a few years ago. It quoted from a 2008 essay by a prominent athe­ist about a strange phenomenon he had observed in Africa. The journalist Matthew Parris wrote a piece for The Times entitled "Why Africa Needs God." Although Parris made it clear that he does not believe in God at all, he admitted that Christianity made a tangible difference in the lives of peo­ple he knew in his boyhood home of Malawi and in other countries across Africa. Not only did he admire the good work that Christians were doing to care for the poor and sick, but he also liked the way they looked. "The Christians were different," he wrote. "Their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world. . . . Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes."

The article went on to state that Biblical wisdom brings personal transformation. It makes a difference in our witness, showing people the joy of knowing Christ. It also makes a difference in our relationships. Instead of going around grumpy all the time (which is tempting for all of us), wise people have an inner joy that radiates out to other people. Have you ever seen this joy in the face of an older, wiser believer? And here is another perplexity: godly wisdom shines out of the face! We can have joy that lasts out over our pain. Is God making your face shine? As we pray for our spiritual progress, we should ask God for greater wisdom to bring growing joy to life in our witness for Jesus Christ. As his face shines upon us (see Numbers 6:25), our own faces will shine with the wisdom of his radiant grace (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

2. GODLY WISDOM MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE

8:2 I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him.³ Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases.

"What is the wise and godly way for us to live under authority?" Whatever your place in the pecking order, we are all faced with this issue whether as employees, and any other person who is called to submit to any authority that God has put in place. How do we honour God by honouring the king?

Our First Duty Is Obedience

Our first duty is obedience.  "keep the king's command" (Ecclesiastes 8:2). A wise servant will do what the king or the government tells him to do. The general principle here is submission to the governing authorities — something the Bible also teaches in other places. Jesus told his disciples to "render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" (Luke 20:25). Paul told every person to "be subject to the governing authorities" — what William Tyndale famously called "the powers that be" (Romans 13:1). Martin Luther called this the duty of "political obedience." Every Christian is called to be a law-abiding citizen and to respond to any godly request the government makes for help. This includes everything: even paying our full taxes.

There are several good reasons to obey the king. The most important is theological: "Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him" (Ecclesiastes 8:2). "because of the oath of God."  He is reminding members of the royal court that they have promised to obey the king, because this is where rebellion is most likely to occur.

But this goes further. Jesus has appointed the leaders of our own government: "There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed" (Romans 13:1–2). Our submission to authority on earth is one important part of our submission to Christ in Heaven.

Romans 13: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.² Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.³ For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,⁴ for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.⁵ Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.⁷ Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

However it is not entire obedience. Peter told the rulers of Jerusalem something after they told him to stop preaching the gospel: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). When it comes to a conflict between God and man, we must obey the higher authority.

I heard an interview about a former Supreme Court Judge Breyer; he had written a book about how to obey the government and live under law even when we think it is wrong.

Our Second Duty Is Discretion.

Our Second Duty Is Discretion. Don't be hasty! What the Preacher gives us in Ecclesiastes 8 is practical wisdom for when we are under an earthly authority that is not entirely righteous and we might not be certain what to do. Verse 3 seems to assume a situation in which a public official disagrees with the command of his king. Here the Preacher gives a word of caution: "Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases" (Ecclesiastes 8:3). When he tells us not to be hasty, he is saying be careful with the decisions you make. Weigh them carefully. You may have the right to resist the local council's decisions; but it may not be wise.  If you find yourself at odds with government don't be hasty to walk away from any authority that God has put in place.  He also cautions us not to take our stand "in an evil cause" (Ecclesiastes 8:3). This would be good advice in any case, but given the context, the Preacher may have something specific in mind. When people are under the rule of ungodly authority, it is tempting to rebel in an unrighteous way. Instead the Preacher tells us to fight evil with godliness.

I have often admired the 16^th century Scottish Covenanters. They were Presbyterians and reformed when it was illegal to be that. They were us! When told they could not gather to hear the preached word, or gather for communion, one couple were accosted by troops while on their way to a conventicle meeting (like a house church, probably in a field under a tree). They were asked "where are you going?" they replied "my brother has died and I am going to hear His will read."  They disobeyed government when it came to the higher authority of God in a time when the gospel preaching churches were being directly persecuted.

Is that resistance a model in covid lockdowns? Probably not, because that was not about direct persecution of Christians. But maybe somebody may say, it was a subtle directed persecution of Christians ( a conspiracy)? You would have to decide that for yourself.

3. GODLY WISDOM MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE WAY PEOPLE LEAVE

4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

As messengers of death is the king's wrath, But a wise man will appease it. (Proverbs 16:14)

By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, And a gentle tongue breaks a bone. (Proverbs 25:15)

Leave it all: Getting out of our own inward depression and bitterness.  Our third duty is to guard our hearts from bitterness.  When suffering oppression at home or at work or in soci­ety, do not let the desire for revenge turn your heart to ungodliness. The most important reason to obey the king's command is theological. But the Preacher also gives us a good practical reason to do our royal duty, namely, that it will keep us from harm. Remember that the word of the king is law, that the earthly authority of government is absolute: "The word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, 'What are you doing?'" (Ecclesiastes 8:4). Therefore, if we are unwise in the way that we challenge the king's authority — or worse, if our resistance is evil — then we may fall under his judgment.

According to Derek Kidner, therefore, there are times when "wisdom has to fold its wings and take the form of discretion, content to keep its possessor out of trouble." Yet the Preacher offers us this encouragement: "Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way" (Ecclesiastes 8:5).

Leave it to the Lord to work this stuff out.  If you think you can control it all,  you don't need God. And the Lord will take you into deeper troubles until you learn that you need to leave it to the Lord to sort it out.

"My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise" (Proverbs 24:21)

After telling us that a wise person "will know the proper time and the just way," the Preacher assures us that "there is a time and a way for everything" (Ecclesiastes 8:5–6). In other words, the wise person knows the right thing to do and the right time to do it. Yet the Preacher goes on to say that "man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?" (Ecclesiastes 8:6–7). 

There is "a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). If the Preacher is still thinking about kings and govern­ments, he is saying that there is a time to obey the king and a time to leave his presence, or even to start a righteous rebellion, but you better know you are doing what God wants at the time. Because the ramifications will cost people's lives! Just like in Iran this week. We can apply the same principle to other situations that involve authority. There is a time to submit and a time to stand against oppression. The problem is that it is hard to know what time it is, which often makes it hard to know the wise thing to do. The troubles and frustrations of life are many, as the Preacher never fails to remind us. We do not know what the future will bring. Nor can anyone tell us exactly what will happen in days to come.  Which nations will rise and fall? Will the economy be good or bad? Will the church thrive or only survive?

But there is something we can do! We can do what we are responsible to do.  And our first responsibility is to live godly in this present life. Leave the bitterness causing stuff. Let it go!  The Lord knows what He is doing. If you think you are bigger than the Lord, then go ahead! Prove it! I promise you it will not end well!

And often that is what the Lord is teaching us!

Ecclesiastes 8:⁵ Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.⁶ For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him.⁷ For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?⁸ No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it.⁹ All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.