So You Need to Talk to the Boss . . .

Scripture Reading

Ecclesiastes 8:1–9 NKJV

Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is changed. I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.” Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?” He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly. For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur? No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

It’s obvious with even the briefest of glances that Solomon is talking about the King, and specifically about the King’s Commandment. It’s not every possible situation that involves a King, however. In the last verse Solomon tells us the situation he is thinking about - a time when one man rules over another to his hurt. Now it’s not clear in Hebrew whose hurt is being talked about. Is this a case where the ruler is hurt by ruling? Or is it a case where the ruler is doing the wrong thing and hurting people? It’s one of the two, but which one? the NKJV understands the ruler himself as the one who is hurt.

And this does sometimes happen. Saul is an example of a Ruler who ruled to his own hurt. After he was removed from being King in 1 Samuel 15, Saul’s life collapsed, precisely because he was the King. He was suspicious of David only because he was worried about his own job; he was plagued by a demon because he refused to accept God’s will; he then wasted Israel’s money trying to kill David instead of doing his job and protecting the people. And he finally died in ignominy and shame, because he spent so many years blatantly ignoring God, that one day it was Saul’s job to fight the Philistines when there was no chance of winning. Saul would have been much happier, richer, and more blessed if he had quit when God told him to.

But the Hebrew Grammar can equally be read as the one being ruled over is hurt by those in power. And I don’t need to explain how that can happen. Every despot and dictator in history has done it. But I don’t think we need to go quite as extreme as a dictator. Any ruler sometimes misses things, and in a sincere attempt to help actually makes things worse. Or a ruler may normally be a good ruler, but slips for a time, or for one kind of task, and makes things worse for you, even if he normally doesn’t do that. Since all rulers are imperfect humans, you’re bound to get that sooner or later.

Now since we have no king in this country, to apply this passage we’re going to have to do a bit of thinking. Of course, similar principles will apply when dealing with any branch of government or bureaucrat. Our elected officials do not have quite as much absolute power as a monarch, but they still have the power to mess up your life, so the same principles apply when they do that.

But the danger of ruling over another to their hurt isn’t confined to the political realm. It’s inherent in any exercise of authority

I. Understand the Situation

At first glance, the verse seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the section. Understanding the verse itself is fairly straightforward. Part of wisdom is “knowing the interpretation of a thing,” which means understanding something. If that something is a situation, then its only the wise man who understands what is really going on and therefore what to do about it.

But what’s this about making his face shine? well, what does your face look like when you’re trying to figure something out? exactly. And when it hits you what is really happening, what does it look like then? your face brightens doesn’t it?

By itself, that’s clear but not helpful. So what your face brightens when you figure something out? The so what depends on whether Solomon is writing this in reference to what came before or what comes after. He was just talking about trying to find wisdom and not quite being able to reach it (7:23-24). But I think its a bit hard to discover how this verse helps us understand that. But what comes after is a discussion of the “King’s Command (v.2).” What does that have to do with wisdom? Think of it like this. If you’re trying to get your local politician/boss/husband/pastor/parent to do something, what’s more likely to get results? When you’ve got a frown because you can’t understand what’s happening, or with a smile? Plus, when you really understand, you’ll have much more persuasive power to get your point across.

So how do you get to the place where you know you understand? Obviously experience helps. So does preparation, and thinking about it. Ultimately, wait to bring up the issue until you’re sure you know what’s going on, otherwise you will end up doing more harm than good.

II. Be Balanced in what you bring up

“keep the king’s commandment” should be pretty obvious. That’s simply an Old Testament version of Romans 13:1. The reason for doing this, however, is less so. What oath is Solomon talking about? No oath is recorded in the OT for relationships between a king and his people. It’s possible that Solomon made courtiers swear an oath of loyalty when they began their service, and if so, that’s what he’s talking about. It’s also possible, however, that he is speaking analogously. That is, Keep the King’s commandment according to your oath to God - that is, obey the King as you would a sacred oath. In which case he’s not thinking of any actual oath, but just telling you to really pay attention.

Romans 13:1 NKJV

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

This is the general plan for obeying those in authority over you, whenever they are legitimately exercising that authority. The only position of authority that is entirely unlimited is God’s; all others have their proper sphere. That’s what Jesus meant when he said Mark 12:17

Mark 12:17 NKJV

And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

The King’s authority is pretty far ranging, however. He does whatever he thinks is right without anyone being able to put a check on it. Our founding fathers put checks and balances, to prevent any politician from being able to amass that much power. Thus, when applying the principles that Solomon gives here to other spheres of authority, this statement is not quite true. A government official’s authority has been limited by what the system allows him or her to do. Within that authority he too does what pleases him, and as long as he isn’t contravening God’s authority, you need to obey.

For example, the author of Hebrews makes an analogy between God’s right to chasten his children and a father’s right to do the same Hebrews 9:9-10. The authority of a parent over his or her child is very nearly as unlimited as the kings - only in our society a parent doesn’t have the power of life and death; the King did have that power. It was essential to doing his job. A parent’s authority allows him or her to do what seems best to them, and as long as they aren’t going outside of their legitimate sphere, they have the right to order their children to do things.

Hebrews 9:9–10 NKJV

It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

Other positions of authority are quite a bit more limited. Your boss’ authority ends at the workplace. He can tell you what to do while you’re on the job; to a degree he can order you to work or go home; he can reprimand you or fire you so he can be an effective leader at work. But he doesn’t have any right to tell you what to do with the rest of your time. So you need to obey when you’re at work; if you don’t like the rules and you can’t change them, you can quit. Within your boss’s legitimate sphere of authority, he has the right to tell you to do things, and you need to obey. Outside that sphere, it’s only advice, take it or leave it as it seems best to you.

III. Pick the Right Time

Again Solomon reminds us that the king is powerful - no kidding? That means that no one can check his power - “what are you doing?” is not a simple request for information, but someone who has the authority to make him accountable. Now there is always an exception. God has always reserved the right to hold kings accountable when they try to interfere with God’s business.

When applying these principles to other positions of authority, the same cannot be said. Some people can say “what are you doing.” however, within their proper spheres of authority they too have unrestricted power.

Your boss has the right to hire and fire - it’s intrinsic to running a company. So if that’s what he says, that’s the way it is.

Your parents, children, have the right to tell you what to do. so if that’s what they say, that’s the way it is.

Since keeping quiet and obeying orders will not get you in trouble, the wise man or woman will wait for the best time to bring up a contentious issue. The “time and judgment” means that the wise man will know the right time and the right way to bring up your problem. You want your problem fixed, don’t you? so patiently wait until the best time, and use the right attitude and procedure.

Example - Nehemiah 2:1-6

Nehemiah 2:1–6 NKJV

And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

Example - Esther.

there’s a right time and place for mentioning everything, so there’s a right time and place for mentioning your problem. But the difficulty is that while you wait your problem won’t be fixed - your boss can’t read minds, so if he doesn’t know there is a problem, you’re pretty much guaranteed that he won’t fix it. All the while your frustration is building while your boss is oblivious to the problem. So wait for the right time, and do it the right way, but don’t wait forever.

IV. Remember Human Limitations

Again at first glace the next two verses seem to have not much to do with the context. Of course no one knows the future. So what?

To answer that, first we need to know who Solomon is talking about? is it important that we remember that we can’t tell the future, or is it important that the King can’t do that?

Turn that question around. Who can’t know the future? both! man in general, which is the nearest noun. So if its both, how does that help you.

Fear of the unknown will play tricks on your mind - unknown about how the king is going to react; unknown about how your problem is going to get fixed. you’ll need to keep a lid on your own fears, to be successful in appealing to your boss.

The king also must deal with the unknown future. He might have missed your problem because he didn’t anticipate the results of an earlier policy that has since messed you up. He might be reacting to the fear of the unknown himself - fear about national foreign policy; fear about local unrest; fear about potential coups.

Fear makes tyrants of us all. So see things from his perspective. It might help you win him over.

The other limitation is that life is short and judgment is certain.

The Hebrew here is quite difficult to translate.

First problem - “Spirit” and “wind” are the same word in Hebrew; usually its pretty easy to figure out which is meant, but here both make sense. If “Spirit” then it means about the same as the second clause “power in the day of death.” If “wind” than Solomon is making a parallel between trying to hold the wind and trying to hold onto your life.

Similarly, Solomon could be talking about “that war” which is the war with death; or “war” as in you can’t be released in battle, so in the same way wickedness will not deliver the wicked.

Either way, two points are clear.

no one lives forever

wicked will never prosper; though usually the reason people do bad things is because they think it will help them, at least at the moment.

So the point about wickedness is that when you’re pressed by a problem you need to ask your boss about, you might be tempted to solve it in less than honest ways. Don’t do that, it will come back to bite you eventually.

The other point is that both you and your boss are temporary. Neither of you will live forever, so don’t wait too long to bring it up - don’t rush, as you’ll blow your chance to actually do anything meaningful; but you don’t have forever to fix it.

The King won’t live forever either, so eventually he’ll be off the scene, and either won’t be a problem, or, if he is a good man, you might have a problem you didn’t have before. That’s the sentiment that David expressed about his problem, King Saul. 1 Sam 26:10

1 Samuel 26:10 NKJV

David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.