Ecclesiastes 8

Ecclesiastes 8: 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

I want to start with these two verses that end this chapter, as these bring some clarity to me of what I otherwise find a somewhat confusing chapter.

No matter how much effort a man puts into trying to understand the ways of God, he will find that much of it is beyond his grasp or understanding. I keep returning to the book of Job when considering some of these passages in Ecclesiastes. Job’s friends tried to explain the situation with a human understanding of good and evil: the good man prospers and the wicked man suffers. But Job knows this isn’t always the case.

Yet, as the reader of Job knows – unlike the actors in the story – the events occurring to Job are a result of a discussion between God and Satan, and there is a purpose to God’s allowing Satan to enact these inflictions on Job.

So, as Solomon writes, “…then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it…” Some things of God are infinitely above our pay grade. Change that: most things, or almost all things….

Ecclesiastes 8: 1(a) Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

When it comes to the things of God, the answer is often “no one.” We want God to fit in our human box, but that isn’t how things work.

2 I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

I had to spend some time on this. I have a natural reaction against “keep the king’s commandment” kind of admonishments. But there is a qualifier: for the sake of my oath to God. Is it my oath about obeying the king, or my oath about obeying God? Yes, I am to obey the king, but what if this violates my oath to God? I think the answer here is easy as to what to do.

3(a) Do not be hasty to go from his presence.

I take this to mean don’t make a rash decision in the king’s presence or about any of the king’s actions. But it is not a prohibition about deciding against his action. Just don’t be hasty about it.

3(b) Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

This seems to support this view: the king will do whatever pleases him, but if it is evil I am not to stand for it. Yet, I still don’t understand why God allows it.

4 Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment

It is true, if I do not question the king’s commands, I will be kept from harm – superficially. But the wise man discerns time and judgment. There is a time and place and method of when and how to deal with troubling commands.

11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

We see examples of this daily, and when evil goes unpunished or when punishment is delayed, it only encourages more evil. Why does God allow this? This is one of many reasons why I began with the closing two verses. We cannot always know or understand.

14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

We see this also.

Conclusion

Again, why does God allow such things? It seems to me that to spend too much time trying to understand the answer to this question is vanity: futile, a waste of time and effort. God has His reasons and purposes.

Does this mean I am to sit by, and not do what I can for justice? Not at all. Perhaps God is presenting me with an opportunity to do just this.

For me to take some action is not vanity.