Wake Up Call Part 7
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Introduction
Introduction
Eccl. 8:1-9:1
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 cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For 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.
But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.
School Shooting: Many people are wanting this event to not just be another statistic, but a wake up call. How do we keep our kids safe at school? Big question!
Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes is giving us a series of wake up calls.
“Wake up Call” = a person or thing that causes people to become fully alert to an unsatisfactory situation and to take action to remedy it.
WAKE UP CALL: We must submit to authority.
I don’t know about you, but I’m going struggle with this one.
Submitting to anyone has always been a tough order for me. Ill. Daddy Issues.
Many of us struggle with authority, in part due to pride, but also because much authority has been abused and is abused.
Modern Americans love the idea of “sticking it to the man”.
Main Idea: We are called to submit to all authority because it ultimately means we are submitting to God’s authority.
Submit to God’s Authority in Leaders
Submit to God’s Authority in Leaders
Ecc. 8:2-9
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 cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For 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.
Every leader that is in place is there only by the sovereign providence of God.
Romans 13:1-2
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
And it is assumed, like here with Solomon, that some leaders are not going to have the best intentions for those that they are supposed to serve
see Samuel’s words to Israel).
David recognized this principle. He would not take the opportunity to kill or capture Saul even after he had been anointed and ordained as king.
What do we do when that authority is unfair? Or wicked?
Do we rebel? Do we repay evil with evil?
Eccl. 8:3-4 —NO!
Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
We are told here to submit and wait for the possible opportunity to make a change
Becoming a Christian is an act of submitting ourselves to God’s ultimate authority. This means
We only submit to human authority under his ultimate authority
We receive everything we are dealt in this life as from God’s authority.
Submit to God’s Authority in Unfairness
Submit to God’s Authority in Unfairness
When we see events like this past Wed., it is so easy to say, “Why God? Why would you allow 14 and 15 year olds to die like that? There’s so many wicked people that should receive a bullet, but they get away and seemingly go on to enjoy their life.”
Illustration: Coby in Sudan … still runs loose
Read Eccl. 8:14 — Solomon is recognizing what we all experience. Good happening to bad people and bad happening to good people.
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.
But the truth we are given throughout the Bible is that everything we experience (good and bad) ultimately comes from God. --- and ultimately is for our good.
So we are called to submit to God’s authority even though we don’t understand it.
When bad things happen to us, we inevitably think, “Im a good guy. This shouldn’t happen to me.”
Who said you’re a good guy?
R.C. Sproul used to say, “We alway ask why do bad things happen to good people. But we should really be asking why do good things happen to us bad people?”
If we are complaining about how life is so unfair we are forgetting that we need to be praising God for being an unfair God – because if God were “fair”, we would be without hope.
Submit to God’s Authority and have Joy
Submit to God’s Authority and have Joy
Eccl. 8:1 —“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.”
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.
Solomon begins this whole passage declaring that the wise person’s face will shine and the “hardness of his face” will change. In other words, he will have peace and contentment … and even joy.
But how—if, as we’ve seen, rulers are going to be evil and unjust, if evil deeds will not be punished quickly, if bad things happen to the righteous and good things to the wicked?
Solomon tells us in a few places.
Eccl. 8:8 —“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.”
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.
Eccl. 8:12-13 —”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. 13 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.”
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.
Eccl 8:15-9:1--
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.
But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.
So knowing that God is in total control,
Conclusion
Conclusion
The greatest motivation beyond finding joy and peace in submission to God is realizing that Jesus fully submitted to God.
Had Jesus not willing submitted himself to God’s severe authority, we would not be saved.
Illustration: soldiers submit to severe orders in order to keep their nation/people safe
Jesus, like a good soldier, cried out to God, “If there is any way let this cup pass from me, but your will be done.”