Ecclesiastes 8 APPLYING WISDOM We do not live in a godly world, and so we are under pressure to accept the practices of ungodly people as if they were normal. Unfortunately, those practices of depravity in some cases have been passed as laws which are supposed to govern our actions as well as our beliefs by corrupt governments. The few that walk in wisdom are far above the mass of humanity in general. So, what is a believer in Christ to do who knows the unchanging standards of God’s law supersede the changing laws of men? When we see things from God’s perspective, we need wisdom that comes from God. Wisdom lights up intelligence and takes away rudeness and pride. Wisdom tells us to watch and wait when the authority under which we live is different than the divine authority to which we owe our allegiance. Wisdom doesn’t give itself to conspiracy because it is always conscious of the fear of God. He is the Creator and Sustainer. He is the Light and Love who permits what seems to us to be bad, to continue on to fulfill a higher purpose.
Mere human wisdom may make it plain as to what is right and wrong to us, but we need divine wisdom to know what is the prudent way to act towards human authority when it contradicts divine authority. Inappropriate response can result in damage to many other people beside ourselves. Real wisdom requires a focused deliberate effort to find and practice the way of life that fulfills our mandate, and yet keeps the servant of God “unspotted by the world.”
There is a danger of acting on human wisdom and neglecting divine wisdom. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated. It is full of mercy and good fruits. It is without partiality and without hypocrisy. So that does not give us the option of retaliation, but rather indicates there is a way open to solve a problem that is superior to human wisdom. Human wisdom may think it knows what to do based on common sense and our reaction to a challenge.
Abuse of power by those who “have no fear of God before their eyes,” is a fact of life in today’s world. We have to live with that. We may wonder why God isn’t doing something about all of this and what we are to do until He steps in and changes things. The Preacher says in essence: fear God, live a normal moral life of faith and testimony. Leave the governing to God’s sovereign choice and to His wisdom and control. Trusting God leads to understanding and the confidence of faith in Him.
Real wisdom is not too common when it comes to dealing with hard situations in life. Usually though, you can see a calmness and brightness on the face of one who is wise, rather than the dark clouds of perplexity on a worried face. Don’t jump too quickly when dealing with human authority. Bide your time and wait for God to open a door. Then the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say. Obey the king’s command as long as it is not contradictory to God’s command. “Fear God, honor the king,” is a principle when it comes to dealing with the government. A bad cause could be anything that demeans, resists and opposes the leadership. We are to obey civil authority because of our loyalty to the Lord. There is a proper time and procedure to follow when dealing with civil authority. We usually don’t know when that time is, so in that matter we need to wait on the Lord and he will direct our path. Only God knows the future and He coordinates the present and future by His sovereign will.
In the face of absolute power, we need to recognize our human limitations. We can’t capture the wind and we can’t prevent death. We can’t avoid the consequences of war when it is imposed on us no matter what we believe about it and the reason for it. Evil may seem to be the winner, but it will recoil like a spring and claim those who promote it. Even that is in God’s control, not ours. Solomon was the king of Israel and he recognize the danger of power that happens when a leader does not submit himself to his own rules. Power corrupts those who have it and misuse it. Absolute power victimizes others and corrupts those who have to live under it.
At funerals some of those who eulogize the dead who lived and died in sin, will say things like, “God picked a flower from His garden and took it to heaven.” The evil such people have done is quickly forgotten even between the grave and the home. On the way home the dead may be praised in the very place they have committed their sin and evil deeds. When justice and judgment are not carried out quickly, people are inclined to think they have gotten away with sin, and so plan other evil schemes. God may not punish sin immediately, but that doesn’t mean He does not know about or care about evil being done. There is a day of recompense for evil, but in grace God has provided a way to be just and the justifier.
The Preacher had lived long enough to have experienced the grace of God himself. He knew failure because of sin. He knew the fear of God grips the soul of a sinner and can bring repentance. He also knew repentance doesn’t overlook sin nor does the justice of God. When repentance is real, there is forsaking of sin and then forgiveness can come because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. As far as the repentant wicked person, justice will be served.
God has all the details in His divine will. We do not have the right, nor the need to answer all our own questions about things beyond out limited comprehension. The success of the wicked and the loss of the righteous sometimes happens. From our limited perspective of life “under the sun,” we may question divine justice, but this is not the end.
So what do we do with questions that are unanswered? Do we chew them over, meditate on them, become agitated because we can’t find the answers we want? The Preacher says to go on with life and look for the positive things. Enjoy what God has given you to enjoy and leave the things “beyond your pay grade” to the Lord who knows all things. Live for God and experience what He has given to the fullest. That will give meaning to your work and worth.
Focus your attention on what you know and can comprehend. Don’t allow those unknown things to negatively affect your faith, your work or your joy. Trust God to do what He does, and don’t waste your time searching for what is impossible to find or understand. We live here and now, so find your contentment and joy in what God wants us to know and experience in our own sphere of life and service.