And so, yes, would you take your Bibles and open
them to Ecclesiastes chapter 8? Ecclesiastes
chapter 8, and we will look to do, or at least
to read through the whole chapter. If I can say
something about chapter 8, it's notoriously difficult
to translate. And so as we may be looking at
different versions within our English Bibles,
you may notice that yours sounds a little bit
different than mine. Again, it's notoriously
difficult to translate, but here is where prayer
helps us. We ought to always pray as we read
Scripture, and so I'm going to read this passage
for us, and I'll pray asking for the Lord's help.
Would you follow along? from Ecclesiastes 8.
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. 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 way. For he
does whatever he pleases. For the word of the
Lord or the word of the King is supreme. And
who may say to him, what are you doing? Whoever
keeps a command will know no evil thing. And
the wise heart will know the proper time and
the just way. For there is a time and a way for
everything. Although 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? 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.
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. Then I saw the wicked buried.
They used to go in and out of the holy place
and were praised in the city. where they had
done such things, this also is vanity. Because
the sentence against an evil deed is not executed
speedily, the heart of the children of man is
fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil
a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I
know that it will be well with those who fear
God, because they fear before him. But it will
not be well with the wicked. neither will he
prolong his days like a shadow because he does
not fear before God. There is a vanity that takes
place on earth that there are righteous people
to whom it happens according to the deeds of
the wicked and there are wicked people to whom
it happens according to the deeds of the righteous.
I said that this also is vanity and I commend
joy for man has nothing better under the sun
but to eat and drink and be joyful. for this
will go with him in his toil through the days
of his life that God has given him under the
sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and
to see the business that is done on earth, how
neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep.
Then I saw all the work of God that man cannot
find out the work that is done under the sun.
However much man may toil in seeking, he will
not find it out. Even though a wise man claims
to know, he cannot find it out. Friends, this
is God's word. Let us pray. Heavenly Father,
we come before you with your word open before
us. And in what is perhaps a difficult chapter
for us, we ask for your help. We know that it's
your word. and we know that you are all -wise
and all -powerful and all -righteous and that
your word is indeed truth. Lord, would you help
us to see it that way? Would you open up the
eyes of our hearts to trust you as we study Ecclesiastes
8? We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Do any of
you own or have you owned a greatest hits album?
You know what I'm talking about? Maybe your favorite
artist has been producing music for many years
or even decades and they've had all their hits
on the radio and So they come out with a new
album. That's not really all that new It's just
their best hits on the same album. You know what
I'm talking about. I have some of those Ecclesiastes
chapter 8 is kind of like Solomon's greatest
hits. As I have read this, maybe you're thinking,
well, I've heard a lot of this before, right?
You've heard the classic hit, Eat Drink and Be
Joyful. You've heard of that chart -topping single,
There's a Time for Everything. You certainly
know of the song, Applying My Heart to Wisdom,
and my personal favorite, The Fear of God. We
have heard these things before. Is there anything
new for us in Ecclesiastes chapter eight? Yes,
there is. There is something new here, but it's
mixed in with all of these phrases that we have
heard before. And yet there is an overarching
theme that is here. Ecclesiastes chapter eight
is talking about the limits of mankind, that
we are limited in all sorts of ways. And because
we are limited, in maybe our wisdom, maybe our
knowledge, or our power, we must look to the
one and rely upon the one who is perfect in all
of these ways. As we recognize our limitations
from this text, let us look to the God who is
all -powerful and who is all -wise. We see this
right from the start in verse 1, this rhetorical
question, who is like the wise? And who knows
the interpretation of a thing? The implied answer
is of course the wise do. The wise are the ones
who know the interpretation. And so what Solomon
is doing here is once again upholding wisdom
to say it's a good thing. But yet also look at
the very last verse of the chapter. Even though
a wise man claims to know, He cannot find it
out and so yes on one hand he upholds wisdom
on the other hand He says we don't have all of
the wisdom in the world Why because that certainly
belongs to God now just because we don't have
it all just because we are limited in these ways
Do we do we throw the baby out with the bathwater?
Of course not because he upholds wisdom, and
yet there are other things in our lives where
we recognize our own limitations, and yet they're
still good things. Think about the human body
for a minute. The human body is wonderfully made,
right? Think about the athletic achievements
of the human body. The sub four -minute mile,
I find that incredible. Those weight lifters
who can just lift so much weight or high jumpers
that can get to new heights quite literally.
Think about a rock climber, one of those solo
free climbers who are just clinging to the rock
face with their fingertips. That's incredible.
But what happens if that climber or that athlete
forgets the limitations of man? the results can
be dangerous, they can be catastrophic. And the
same is true with wisdom. When we forget that
we are limited in some ways in wisdom, we become
wise in our own eyes and yes, the results of
that are equally damaging. And so you see where
this is going here. It's talking about the limits,
but it's talking specifically about the limits
of power. Look in verse two. I say keep the King's
command because of God's oath to him. There is
a theological element to our earthly submission
to authorities. Westminster Confession 23 says
God the supreme lord and king of all the world
has ordained civil magistrates to be under him
over the people for his own glory and the public
good. And so what God does is he is the supreme
king, the ruler, the one with absolute power,
but underneath him are rulers who were installed
in positions of power. And in verse four, the
king that is mentioned here appears to wield
near absolute power over his subjects. But friends,
this king's power mentioned here is real, but
it's not absolute. Why? Because look at verse
eight. No man has power to retain the spirit
or power over the day of death. Notice that it
says no man. It's not just talking about kings
here, but certainly that applies to kings as
well. Kings and other rulers, other people in
positions of authority, they will die too. They
do not have power over their own death. God installs
people in positions of power. But he is the one
with absolute power. This week, some of you went
on a mission trip down to Mullins, South Carolina.
And it was a mission trip of service. And no
doubt, you, we worked with power tools. On my
job site, doing the Sheds of Hope, there must
have been about 12 DeWalt drill drivers that
were there. But how good are those drills if
they're not plugged in, if they're not charged,
right? They have to be charged to be effective,
to do anything whatsoever. Well, friends, when
it comes to authorities and rulers in this life,
God's the one who puts them on the charger. God's
the one that gives them the power, right? No
single person has absolute power. All authority
is derived from God and this is not just found
in this text it's actually taught throughout
the scriptures. Romans chapter 13 verse 1, let
every person be subject to the governing authorities
for there is no authority except from God. But
that too is not the only place. First Peter chapter
2 is another go -to location for this. First
Peter 2 13 says be subject for the Lord's sake
to every human institution, whether it be to
the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent
by him to punish those who do evil and to praise
those who do good, for this is the will of God."
What these scriptures are showing us is what
I've already said. God is the one with the power,
but he does place kings, presidents, governors,
mayors, people who were in positions of authority
on the job, people in positions of authority
in the church, God installs those people. Should
we rebel against those people? Well, Peter has
something else to say about this in 1 Peter 2,
17. He says, honor everyone, love the brotherhood,
fear God, honor the emperor. Now how incredible
is that that Peter says to honor the Emperor
knowing what we know about the early church and
the persecution that came upon the Christians
and yet Peter's encouragement his exhortation
is not to rise up to take down the Emperor no
it's to honor the Emperor and again it's not
just Peter and it's not just Paul we actually
see this in so many other places in the scriptures.
Jeremiah writes to the exiles and says seek the
welfare of the city or perhaps you remember Joseph
in Egypt or Daniel under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon
and especially those two are important because
they show us not only submission to authority
but they also show us wisdom. Because Joseph
and Daniel were the only ones able to interpret
the dreams in all of those empires such that
I think that verse 1 is very very true of people
like Joseph and Daniel. Look at the second half
of verse 1. A man's wisdom makes his face shine
and the hardness of his face is changed. The
very wisdom of God changes who we are. Philip
Riken says here, it is strange, but true. Godly
wisdom makes a difference in the way people look.
People who live without God in the world often
show the proud demeanor or stern expression that
comes from a heart hardened by sin. What the
preacher calls the hardness of face, but the
wisdom of the gospel turns the frown of sin into
the smile of grace. God's grace and his wisdom
changes everything about us. Even as we go through
the miseries of this life, I have had so many
conversations with so many of you as you go through
hard times and what do you say time and time
again that gets you through? It's God's grace
and what do you ask for? You ask for wisdom.
We rely upon God who is bigger than our problems
Mighty enough to handle them and friends should
you find yourselves lacking in these things lacking
in wisdom? Remember the book of James James says
to ask God for wisdom and he will certainly supply
but that's that's not all that's going on in
this text because actually as Kohelet Solomon
here the teacher speaks about power in the king.
He seems like he is addressing, yes, a familiar
topic, oppression and injustice. He raises it
again here in order to encourage, because verses
two through five seem like they're written to
a servant in the king's court. And what does
he tell this servant? He says to go about his
work quietly. without causing a scene. He's essentially
saying in these verses, don't stand up for yourself
just because you're not getting your way. It
is wisdom to know it will not go well with you
in such a scenario. Look at verses five and six.
Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing
and the wise heart will know the proper time
and the just way. For there is a time and a way
for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy.
on him. You see, the wise man knows the right
thing to do and the right time to do the right
thing. The wise man knows the right thing to
do and the right time to do the right thing.
Let me illustrate this, and I'm going to illustrate
it with perhaps, in light of this text, a silly
illustration. Certainly nothing on the level
with what's being described here, but I want
you to get the point of submission to authority.
and using wisdom. When I was in the 10th grade,
I played baseball. Not very well, but I played.
And that year, the head coach of the varsity,
who is also in charge of putting players where
they ought to be on the field for the JV, told
me right before the season started, you're going
to be our starting second baseman. I said, yes.
But a couple days later, that head coach quit.
He just up and quit baseball altogether. And
the JV coach now was the varsity coach, and he
got to make all of the decisions about who would
start. And right before a preseason game, I was
in the on -deck circle, getting ready to no doubt
hit a home run or maybe just ground out. But
he comes over to me and he says, hey, Kenny,
I've been thinking a lot about it. And you're
not going to start at second base. Joe's gonna
start in front of you. And I thought, what? Joe's
in the ninth grade. I'm in the tenth. Pride,
right? And so I stepped into the batter's box
and I drew a walk. Nothing exciting, just a walk.
But then I stole second. And then I moved to
third base. And when I got to third base, that
coach was standing there as also the third base
coach. And I said to him, coach, I've been thinking
a lot about what you said. And I tell you what
I'm gonna do. I'm going to score. I'm going to
touch home plate, and then I'll come back to
you. I'm going to hand you my jersey. I'm going
to get my stuff, and I'm going to leave. And
I quit. And that's exactly what I did. When I
got home, I was absolutely crushed. I'd quit
the baseball team, all I'd ever wanted to do.
Now, that coach is in a position of authority.
Maybe it's a small position of authority, but
still a position of authority. And what I did
was not submitting to authority. It was seeking
to show up the coach, right? To somehow prove
that I was better than what he thought. Friends,
that's not how Christians are to be. That's not
the encouragement from this text. No, it says
keep the King's command. We are to be in submission
to the King. Really what this is all getting
at in a way is the fifth commandment. The fifth
commandment to honor your father and your mother,
right? But by extension of that as Jesus teaches
on it we recognize that we are yes we are supposed
to honor other people too or in positions of
authority Now keeping the fifth commandments
pretty easy When you like everything that that
person does when you've got that great boss or
that great coach or that great mayor or president
or whoever it may be But how are we to be? When
we don't like those people And we don't think
they're doing a good job. Well friends, let's
think about this as well. God is the supreme
ruler, the supreme. He is the king of kings,
right? He is generous and he is kind and he is
loving and do we keep his commands? Do we always
honor God? No, we don't. And so how much more
do we need God's grace? with those who are oppressive
or who are perhaps bad rulers. Now, I know what
you may be thinking. Is there a time to take
a stand? Is there a time to say no to those wicked
rulers? Yes, of course. When wickedness arises,
we are to take a stand, but not just for self
-interest, but to take a stand against evil.
There is a time to stand up, and it's against
sin. Benjamin Shaw says here, to follow the command
of God is always a wise path. As Paul observes
against such, there is no law. But friends, we
do not combat wickedness with more wickedness.
We do not seek retaliation. That's not the instruction
that the text offers to us, and neither does
Jesus. Jesus, like Solomon, called his disciples
to exercise wisdom. in such situations. Jesus
said in Matthew 10 -16, be wise as serpents and
innocent as doves. This is who we are to be,
asking God for his help, asking for him to supply
us with wisdom when we find ourselves under difficult
authorities. But we should also take the long
view in these things. Look at verses 11 and 12.
Let me read 11 again. Because the sentence against
an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart
of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
Sometimes those who perform acts of wickedness
seem like they're getting away with it, so they
keep doing it. And sometimes we who observe this
think they're getting away with it, and we lose
heart. But also, look at 12 and 13 here. Though
a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs
his life, yet I know that it will be well with
those who fear God because they fear before him,
but it will not be well with the wicked. Neither
will he prolong his days like a shadow." What
you see in here is this sentence that says that
the sinner will prolong his life in verse 12,
but in verse 13 it says he will not prolong his
life. And so the question we have naturally is,
is this contradiction? Which is it? Does he prolong
his days? Or does he not? Well, don't forget
about the important little word in verse 13 of
shadow. The key word there is shadow. Any prospering
of the wicked is only a shadow. The wicked may
seem to prolong their days. The wicked may even
seem to prosper, but do not be discouraged. The
prospering of the wicked will not last. It will
not be well with them. A shadow only exists while
the sun shines upon something, but when there
is no sun, there is no more shadow, just darkness,
and the sun will set on the wicked because they
do not fear God. And as I begin to wrap up here,
I just want to spend a few minutes on this idea.
The fear of God, the fear of the Lord. Solomon
has touched upon this previously and he's gonna
touch upon it again in chapter 12. So consider
this the fear of the Lord part one. Just three
quick ideas about the fear of God. To fear God
is to forsake sin. To fear God is to have a proper
object of fear. And to fear God is to believe.
You see, within the text in verse 12, the sinner
just goes on sinning. His ways are called wicked.
Unrepentant sin and the fear of God do not go
together. They are incompatible. You cannot fear
God and enjoy your sin at the same time. You
can't. Paul addresses this in Romans chapter
3 when he says, there is no fear before their
eyes. He's talking about universal sin. He's
talking about unrepentant sin. He's saying there
is no fear before their eyes. Matthew Henry says,
where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected.
And so that's quickly point one. Point two, to
fear of God is to have a proper object of fear.
We have many misguided fears in this life, and
I'm going to elaborate more on this, Lord willing,
in chapter 12. Many misguided fears, and there
are many fears that we may have, that we see
within Ecclesiastes, the fear of the oppressive
ruler, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing
wealth, the fear of suffering and the fear of
death. Christian, what do you fear? These things
are not to be feared. These are things that if
you do fear them, to take them to the Lord, ask
for repentance, ask for forgiveness, and fear
God alone. Thirdly, to fear God is to believe,
to wholeheartedly trust in Him. An unbeliever
can tremble before God and they will if they
remain in their unbelief, but the believer fears
God in faith, a trembling belief and reverence
in awe of who God is. and the fear of God produces
in us a desire for righteousness that is not
present in the unbeliever. Psalm 112 verse one
says, blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments. But
maybe there's somebody in this sanctuary today
and you're asking, how can I fear the Lord? How
can I have this belief? Friends remember what
I've been talking about talking about limits
here You are limited by your sin You cannot produce
belief or the fear of God in yourself You're
dead in your trespasses and therefore you who
are not in Christ. You need God to move You need
a new heart planted in yourself Because Christ
has done what we could not do again from first
Peter, which begins, according to his great mercy,
he has caused us, he does the work, to be born
again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Jesus does this. Now you talk to all kinds of
Christians, About what God can do and just about
every Christian will say God is sovereign. Yeah,
I believe that But then when it comes to salvation
People want to insert themselves into the equation
as if they have something to do with their salvation,
but no friends It is all God's grace God is not
limited where we are. He has done what he does
within us and it's something we just could not
do. And knowing this, knowing what God has done
in Christ Jesus for us, this should produce incredible
amounts of joy in our lives. And so final thing
here, there is a link between the fear of the
Lord and the joy of the Lord. Psalm 47, clap
your hands all peoples, shout to God with loud
songs of joy, for the Lord the most high is to
be feared, the great King over all the earth.
Solomon in verse 15 commends joy immediately
after this section on the fear of God. You see
friends, when you are regenerated, when you are
born again, when you come to faith in Jesus Christ,
you do not come to God kicking and screaming.
Because God changes our affections. We love Him
because He first loved us and sent Christ to
die for us such that what we find at the end
of this section is truly true. We can now in
Christ Jesus enjoy God and we can enjoy what
God gives to us such that I would say Westminster
short of catechism number one. is very, very
correct when it says, man's chief end is to glorify
God and to enjoy him forever. It's written, this
is written in such a way that only the believer
can truly understand. Fear of the Lord is the
joy of the Lord. Friends, let us recognize our
limits. Let us trust in Jesus, the one who is
unlimited in all that he can do, and let us live
wisely and joyfully giving thanks always for
what Christ has done for us. Indeed, thanks be
to God. Let's pray.