Heritage Reformed Baptist Mission
ECCLESIASTES
Chapter 8
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17
v. 1 - Who but a wise man (one who fears the Lord) is able to "rightly divide the word of truth" and be a help to others in understanding and knowing how to live - cf. Isaiah 50:4
- Wisdom which comes from God (cf. James 3:17) causes one to be at peace within and with himself, and makes him a willing and useful tool of righteousness in the hands of God for the benefit of others, as well as bold to stand for truth against those who oppose it
v. 2 - cf. Romans 13:1-7
- "in regard . . . oath of God" = obedience to civil authority is to be given consistent with obedience to the overruling authority of God
v. 3 - "Be not hasty . . ." = Think well and long before rebelling against God-ordained authority
- "stand not . . ." = do not continue in law breaking
- "he doeth whatsoever . . ." - cf. Psalm 115:3
v. 4 - "word of a king" - cf. Hebrews 4:12; Romans 1:16
- "power" = mastery; authority
- "What doest thou?" = God is the Head of all earthly authorities; they derive their power and authority from God so that their words, given according to God's laws, are unimpeachable
v. 5 - Whether they be the commandments of God or government (which is ordained of God), obedience to them avoids punishment, which a wise man takes to heart and obeys - cf. Romans 13:3-4
v. 6 - There is a right time and a right way to do everything God has purposed in our lives; misery comes as the result of refusal to recognize and accept that and to live life accordingly
v. 7 - None but God knows either the what or the when of the future; those who do not fear the Lord are taken by surprise, both by changing events in this life and judgment in the next; but those who obey the Lord and rest in Him are prepared for both - cf. Psalm 112:7
v. 8 - "no man" = it is the work, the power of God that not only created man, but also sustains his physical life, keeping man's spirit contained within his body
- "no discharge" = Heb. = release - cf. Deuteronomy 20:5-8
- "power in the day of death" = those who have power/authority in the world of business or politics or law or government or family lose it at death
- "no discharge" = Heb. = release - cf. Deuteronomy 20:5-8
- "wickedness . . . given to it" = cf. Isaiah 28:15-20
v. 9 - "to his own hurt" = (1) the hurt of the oppressive/tyrannical ruler - cf. Rehoboam in 1 Kings 12; (2) the hurt of the people ruled, which naturally follows in the reign of a tyrant; (3) the hurt which one voluntarily brings upon himself by being obedient to God-ordained authority (cf. Psalm 15:1-4); each of these statements is true, but the context favors (1) as the proper interpretation of this verse
v. 10 - "wicked" = evil rulers, magistrates, judges, priests
- "this . . . vanity" = (1) the power such had in life, having not been used wisely in the fear of the Lord; (2) the pompous recognition of them in death by those who probably despised and/or were oppressed by them in life
- "place of the holy" = any office ordained by God
- "forgotten . . . where . . . done" = given a pompous funeral in spite of their wicked doings while alive, and then the memory of them quickly forgotten - cf. Proverbs 10:7
- "this . . . vanity" = (1) the power such had in life, having not been used wisely in the fear of the Lord; (2) the pompous recognition of them in death by those who probably despised and/or were oppressed by them in life
v. 11 - the wheels of God's justice grind slowly, but they grind completely - cf. Nahum 1:3; see also Romans 2:4
vv. 12-13 - Those who fear God, no matter how hard their present lives may be, will prosper in the end; the wicked, no matter how prosperous their shadow of a life may be, will suffer in the end
v. 14 - Aside from the Preacher's own observation in his day, simple observation of history and the present state of things in this world show the truth of this verse, which truth must be accepted as one of the mysteries of the providence of God "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph 1:11b)
- "this also is vanity" = in view of the certainty of judgment, another proof of the vain and sensual pursuit of the things of this world which God never designed to be the source of happiness and contentment
v. 15 - "commended mirth" = rather than fretting over the prosperity of the wicked and what one does not have, be content with and enjoy what God, in His providential purpose, has given - cf. Philippians 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:17
vv. 16-17 - Other than the Lord Jesus, the Preacher was the wisest man who ever lived, and His wisdom was not worldly wisdom, but was the gift of God; yet, though he labored incessantly and sleeplessly to discover the why and wherefore of the happenings he observed in life, he was unable to do so; that is a lesson to simply trust God, believing He is in control and always does what is right and what is best