Ecclesiastes 8
Pastor David Groendyk

“Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?” You might be quick to answer that by saying, “No one!” But that’s not the point Solomon is making. Rather, he’s saying that wisdom is quite attainable, albeit, difficult to attain. Not many have this kind of wisdom, but some do, and all should strive for it. This chapter in particular could be considered wisdom for tricky situations that you don’t have control over.

Verses 2–9 are talking about servants who live and work in the royal court of a king, but they can apply to modern government also, as well as other forms of authority that we deal with. Phil Ryken outlines this section very helpfully. The general thrust seems to be that it is good and right to submit to our governing authorities, even if those governing authorities are abusing their power (v. 9). Why should we lean towards obedience rather than disobedience? First, because it is the divine right of authority figures to rule (v. 1). God himself has instituted human governments, and to resist human governments is to resist God’s rule (see Rom. 13:1–2). Second, it is a disrespectful thing to disobey rulers (v. 3a). “Be not hasty to go from [the king’s] presence,” according to Ryken means, “a hasty departure from the throne room was really a sign of disrespect, a way of turning one’s back on authority.” It simply is not right to disrespect authority figures. Third, we must be cautious of the temptation to rebel in an “evil way” (v. 3b). There will most certainly be times when we must disobey the government, but our disobedience should look more like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (see Dan. 3) rather than Moses killing a harsh Egyptian taskmaster (see Exod. 2:11–12). That being said, Solomon counsels us “there is a time and a way for everything” (v. 6). In other words, there is a time to leave, a time to disobey, and a time to make a stand, but it takes wisdom to know when to submit and when not to. Life is uncertain, and it is impossible to predict the future or what will happen to us (vv. 7–8). Many things are out of our control. We are all under authority and do not ultimately control our own destiny, so it is necessary for us to go to God, look to Christ, and search out true wisdom for how to live in those situations.

Verses 10–17 are another sobering yet comforting section in Ecclesiastes. Verse 10 in and of itself is a huge statement to make after the first nine verses: “Then I saw the wicked buried.” Justice very often doesn’t happen in this life, but praise God that there is a life after this one. Though evil people can accrue much praise, prolong their lives for years, and be rewarded for doing wicked things, all the while righteous people are trampled and oppressed, death leads to the great equalizing event—God’s judgment. After death, everything is exposed and made right. Solomon puts it simply: “It will be well with those who fear God… But it will not be well with the wicked” (vv. 12–13). Therefore, we can be comforted about the life to come after this one, but Solomon believes this should lead to something more. He goes so far as to say that we can even have joy in this life. In spite of all this vanity that he is seeing, the prospect of eternal life should infuse this current life with new meaning. We can enjoy food, drink, work, fellowship, and other things, knowing that they are gifts from our Creator and that he is sovereignly working out not just our individual lives but the whole of history for his glory. Even though it looks like the wicked are getting off scot-free, that shouldn’t dampen or nullify our enjoyment of God through his gifts. Even though we cannot know everything that God is doing (vv. 16–17), we can trust him since he is the all-knowing, all-wise, all-good, all-just God.