Authority and Trouble

Ecclesiastes Study, 2024

Series Title: Pursuit of Purpose

Message #19

Ecclesiastes 8:2-9.

ETS: Solomon reflected on the impact of authority in life.

ESS: We should understand the importance of authority and respond wisely.

OSS: [Devotional, Ethical] {I want the hearers to understand how to deal with authority wisely.}

PQ:

What are the subjects dealt with in the passage?

UW: Subjects

TS: Let us examine the two subjects together now.

Firstly, Solomon deals with authority. [vv. 2-5]

Specifically, he deals with the authority of a king and how one relates to it.

He reminds the reader of loyalty.

Phrases that hint this are as follows:

Do not be in a hurry to leave the king (disloyalty, Hosea 11:2 “2 Israel called to the Egyptians even as Israel was leaving them. They kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.” )

Don’t persist in a bad cause

There are two motivations for remaining loyal to authority, even amidst difficulty:

The king will do whatever he wants (he will punish accordingly)

The one remaining loyal will not experience any long term harm as a result of his/her disloyalty.

He reminds the reader of wisdom— remember who is wise?

The one who fears God.

This one has nothing to worry about— he is loyal to the king and his authority. (Romans 13:3 “3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval.”)

This is the one who has discernment to know the right time and procedure.

Examples given in one commentary are as follows:

Jonathan (1 Samuel 19:4–6 “4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father, Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David. He hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you. 5 He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?” 6 Saul listened to Jonathan’s advice and swore an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.””

Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1–14 Confronting David following Bathsheba incident)

Esther (Esther 7:2–4 “2 Once again, on the second day while drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done.” 3 Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire. 4 For my people and I have been sold to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.””)

Regarding such relationships where authority is involved, we should, because of our commitment to God, honor authority and remain loyal to it so long as it does not dishonor God, even in difficulty.

Secondly, Solomon deals with human troubles. [vv. 6-8]

Verse six continues the thought of verse five regarding the right time and procedure. Such is also reiterative of Ecc. 3:1-15.

However, verse 6b takes a turn acknowledging that the person may well carry heavy burdens or weights regarding different things in life— such leads into the remaining parts of this passage:

The trouble of general mention in Ecclesiastes is the trouble of human purpose.

The trouble of specific mention in these verses is the trouble of making sense of ultimate authority— no one is in ultimate authority under the sun.

Specifically, what about death?

Just as we can’t control the wind, we cannot control the day we die (v. 8a)

Just as the service person is not released amidst battle, so the person battling wickedness is not released from such a dark battle. (v. 8b)

Yet, for believers today, as we know, there is ultimate authority, over both the wind and death:

Mark 4:29 “29 As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come.””

John 10:18 “18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.””

2 Timothy 1:10 “10 This has now been made evident through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Such trouble is experienced when, like Solomon, we seek to make sense of things through human perspective without the influence of God.

Verse 9 functions as a transitional, conclusive verse to sum up verses 2-8 and transition further into the verses that follow. Verse 9b is really important to understanding the nature of the time in which Solomon is reflecting.

Reflective Questions:

[1] How do we ensure that we remain loyal, ultimately to God, and then to those He has allowed in authority over us, in a manner honorable to Him?

[2] How do we ensure we deal with human trouble in a way that invites God into the trouble so as to avoid working independently of God in our lives?