Wisdom Regarding the Wicked

Scripture Reading

Ecclesiastes 8:9–13 NIV84

9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. 11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

Introduction

During the course of this last week, Cindy and I sat one evening and watched a documentary-style movie about the murder of a young student in Italy.

It was quite a fascinating (and perhaps disturbing) look into the lives of some young students and the kinds of activities that keep them going, and the kind complications they can end themselves up in.

To be sure, we live quite sheltered lives - and I must add, that I am thankful that for the most part I was raised in a sheltered environment, and have lived a life that has been extensively sheltered from much of the evil that is engaged in by many people.

I am thankful for that!

There are times when such confrontations with other people’s lives are helpful, so that we can a sense of appreciation, and a sense of thankfulness for the graces of God in our lives...

In this morning’s text, Solomon goes on to evaluate wicked people.

It is good that we at times consider the life of a wicked person, not for the sake of indulging in or agreeing with any of their wickedness, but for the sake of learning from the consequences of their wickedness.

This is what Solomon helps us to do in the text that we will be considering this morning.

This section continues on from the previous section, where he was speaking about submitting to those in authority, even when those in authority are conducting themselves in a seemingly unreasonable manner.

In that particular context, he was speaking about the “king” or the ruling authorities.

As we come to this week’s text, we begin by considering:

1. The Wicked Man’s Misused Power

This follows directly on from what we looked at last week, with a person exercising authority over another in a harsh manner.

Ecclesiastes 8:9 NIV84

9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.

Solomon now refers again in verse 9 to the man who is harsh over someone else.

The man that Solomon has in mind “lords it over others.”

This lording over someone speaks again of the oppressive person.

It was to such people that Solomon said a person should submit, even when they are unkind or unreasonable.

What is important to note here is the hurt that is caused in such a situation.

Now some take this “hurt” to be referring to the person who is oppressed and the weight of the powerful ruler over them.

This is a very possible scenario, since Solomon is addressing those who are finding themselves under a ruler who is treating them wrongly, and telling them how to respond under such trying circumstances.

So it is almost implicit in the text that the person under such a “king” is being hurt through the conduct of the king.

But others say regarding this verse that the hurt that is being described here is the hurt that the king / ruler causes themselves as a result of their wicked and unwise conduct, and their own harsh exercise of authority.

Certainly, either of those translations are fitting and possible.

As mentioned, it is almost implicit in the text that the person who is under such a ruler suffers to some extent or another.

This is what we spent the bulk of last week considering.

But it is also most certainly true that an oppressive ruler, the one who rules harshly and doesn’t care much for his subjects under him, is himself going to suffer harm and ruin.

Now this may not be a harm and ruin that takes place very early on, and God may indeed allow a harsh ruler to continue in their evil ways for some time - many years...

(remember, the Lord works in different time scales to us. What we think is patience from our side is completely different to what God, who stands outside of time, sees as patience).

But let there be no doubt in our minds, that the harsh ruler will suffer harm.

God will bring the due and just punishment against those who are set against Him and His people.

Those who rule harshly, would be wise to consider that the Almighty ruler sees what they are doing, and will bring them the required punishment if they fail to repent.

The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 141:5–8 NIV84

5 Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; 6 their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. 7 They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.” 8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

In this Psalm, the Psalmist (David) is crying out to God as he himself pleads that God would deliver him from the deeds of evildoers and the rulers of the evildoers.

These cries of David were particularly against the surrounding nations who were set against Israel.

David was a man who was righteous, and sought to live a righteous life, as imperfect as he was.

What was interesting about David’s life was that he didn’t take matters into his own hands.

He didn’t carry out attacks on those who were over him in a position of authority - specifically, Saul.

David allowed Saul to harm him, but because Saul was over him, he refused to reach out his hand and strike Saul.

Instead, he entrusted himself into the hands of the living God, and cried out to God for God to deliver him from the hands of the enemy.

Even the Israelites themselves, at times saw the destruction of those wicked rulers around them.

The prophet Isaiah spoke concerning the relief that God would bring to the Israelites as they struggled under the oppressive reign of the king of Babylon.

Isaiah 14:3–7 NIV84

3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! 5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, 6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.

Indeed, an unwise ruler will ultimately bring upon themselves the wrath of the Almighty, Holy God.

Throughout the history recorded for us in Scripture, God did this...

He was the deliverer of His people from evil and tyrannical rulers.

And so too, in our day, God will ultimately bring his judgment and wrath to bear upon those who rule in this kind of oppressive manner.

2. The Wicked Man’s Misinterpreted Praises

But notice secondly concerning the wicked, this morning, “The Wicked Man’s Mis....

Ecclesiastes 8:10 NIV84

10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.

Well there we have it… the wicked are finally buried.

Even the very ruler that was considered in the previous verse may be in view here.

But suddenly, Solomon’s mind is turned to consider that fateful outcome of the wicked ruler.

In fact, these words are not necessarily limited to that ruler.

The application is broader - to those who are wicked, and have lived the wicked life, but their life now having come to an end.

Hebrews 9:27–28 NIV84

27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Those who were evil within their hearts, and whose hearts had turned away from the living God, could not escape the claws of death - they went to the grave, and they would there face God.

But notice what he says about them - and we would do very well to carefully consider these words ourselves.

He describes these wicked people that have been buried as “those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this.”

It is evident that the person who Solomon is describing here is someone who has gone through the motions of serving God.

They would come and go to the holy place, and they would worship God and sing His praise.

They would offer up sacrifices to God along with all the other people that would go up to the holy places, and would present themselves along with others as a worshiper of God.

It may very well be that this even refers to the religious leaders, who could freely come and go in the temple grounds, but who themselves were corrupt.

But certainly, the words are applicable to anyone who goes up to the place of worship, but who is wicked in their conduct towards others.

Friends, we must apply this directly to our own lives in this day, and ask ourselves to what extent, if any, we tend to go up to worship God without ensuring that our heart is right with God?

There is no stopping any wicked person from going through the motions of worshiping God - people have done that for centuries, since the days of Solomon, at least....!!

These are those who honour God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him (Matt 15:8)

We must remember that what comes out of us, is what defiles us.

This ruler that was harsh over those he ruled may have gone through the motions of worship, but Solomon knew that the man was a wicked man - someone far from God.

And we need to be cautious in our lives that our hearts are alive to Christ.

Do we have a deep passion for Christ?

Are our hearts warmed by the thought of living for Christ, and sacrificing for Christ, and pursuing obedience to Christ?

Are we committed to the life that Christ has called us to? a life in community, and a life that is growing in holiness?

Is this where we are?

We must ask these questions, even of ourselves.

What a shame it would be if we went through our lives thinking that we were great people - even fantastic rulers or leaders, only to find that our hearts were far from Christ, and all we were doing was feeding our own self-exalting pursuits.

I want to ask you this morning, are you close to Christ.

Are you close to Him?

Are you filled with His word, and is that word impacting your heart and your life and your thinking and your emotion? Your whole being as a person?

So many people today are going through the motions… we must get away from that!

3. The Wicked Man’s Delayed Punishment

Thirdly, Solomon considers the wicked man’s ....

Ecclesiastes 8:11 NIV84

11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.

Solomon now moves his attention onto the effects of the wicked person’s conduct to society around him when there is not swift sentence for a crime committed.

If a wicked person commits a crime or does wrong;

...when they go against the laws that are in place...

...if that crime or wrongdoing is not swiftly punished with an appropriate sentence, then the hearts of other people will be filled with schemes to do wrong.

Solomon speaks here of a singular crime.

“…the sentence of an evil deed is not executed speedily.

But how often does this not begin with one evil deed, which is not punished, which then emboldens the individual further and leads to another evil deed and so on...

Psalm 36 speaks of such an evil man who does not flee away from evil, and does not consider evil to just what it is.... evil!

Psalm 36:2 NIV84

2 For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.

This person is a sinner, and devises evil plans in his heart.

Psalm 36:4 NIV84

4 Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

In Psalm 10, the Psalmist speaks of such an evil man in these words:

Psalm 10:2–6 NIV84

2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. 4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 5 His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. 6 He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

In such a man, there is no fear of the Lord and of His ways.

He loves the paths of wickedness, and with great arrogance laughs off any possible threat, saying that he will always be happy.

Why? Because punishment and proper retribution fails to be carried out.

But the consequences that come about from the single person’s act, perhaps even a single act of evil, do not stop only at this wicked man whose heart is wicked.

As this man engages in his acts of evil, others around him are witnesses.

Perhaps they witness the incident directly, or they may simply be aware of the person’s planned course of action, and know that it was carried out.

Others become aware as they come to hear of what the person did through others who were witnesses.

But the fact is that this evil becomes known, and the people will be waiting to hear of what the consequences will be for this man.

The sad reality is (and that which Solomon deals with directly in this verse) if there is no swift action taken as due punishment for the crime / evil act, the people watching on begin to see that law and order is not in place, it is ineffective.

And so, this will lead them also to decide that a sinful course of action is not so bad after all.

There really are no consequences.

There are so many current examples of this that I could give within our own context in South Africa.

One of those examples is that of the looting of trucks when there is an accident.

We’ve seen those videos on the news, where a truck has been involved in some kind of accident, and instead of seeking to provide assistance to the driver and the owner of the vehicle, the crowds swarm in to steal whatever they can get their hands on.

Mobs of people, stealing, and no consequences whatsoever.

And no, they don’t just rush in to steal food that’s going to go off if it’s not eaten (think frozen fish…) they even rush in to steal beverages, and alcohol....

There is a brazen attitude… each man for himself.... take what you can get, load it up and get out of there.

Friends, may it never be that we as Christians involve ourselves in such theft (evil) simply because there are no consequences, and everyone does it and gets away with it.

We can also consider the example of bribery and corruption in our country.

Let’s be clear, bribery and corruption has been a problem for just about as long as man has been on the face of the planet.

But we live in a time in South Africa where there has been little to know dealing with such crime and corruption, and the crime just increases.

Violent crime in South Africa is on the increase.

I’m convinced that part of the reason for this is that there simply is no justice measured out, there are no consequences for sin, and so people become far more brazen in their attitudes, and far more likely to engage in these vile acts that are so contrary to God’s ways.

Again, where do we as Christians stand on such things, not only in the “big sins” like murder, bribery, corruption, but even on the smaller matters.

We see those around us getting away with doing something that we know is contrary to the law.

We may see this escalating, and begin to see even people that we know getting away with doing that which is contrary to the law (even the small things).

And so what do we do - well we begin to ignore the law ourselves and do our own thing, because everyone does it and gets away with it.

Don’t indulge… one thing leads to another… slow but steady degradation to society...

It doesn’t take much or long for things to deteriorate drastically.

As those who love Christ, and those who proclaim Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are to do good, even when no one is watching…

We must obey the law and uphold the law, even when the chances of there being consequences are so small...

We must live honorable lives...

Let me take this one step further, to another point of application.

Consider within the church...

In Corinth, people had become proud… proud of their tolerance!

1 Corinthians 5:1–6 NIV84

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? 3 Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. 6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?

The clear picture here is that the Corinthians were failing to deal with sin in their midst, and in fact were using sin in their midst as a means of celebrating their tolerance…

In our day, we see much of this in the church… tolerance for that which is sin.

And how quickly has the church not begun to change shape...

Gender roles, transgenderism etc. All coming into the church and transforming.

A church that tolerates wickedness in its midst walks down this path of the schemes of men being entertained in their midst.

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 NIV84

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

The Lord is concerned for the church to be a holy people, dealing with sin.

Galatians 5:9 - Paul also used this phrase

Galatians 5:9 NIV84

9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

In that context, there was a false Gospel being proclaimed...

They were saying that works of the law, obedience to certain things (circumcision) was necessary for salvation...

Paul spoke about how dangerous this was.... they were to deal with such a false teaching, because a failure to deal with it would lead to the entire batch of dough becoming infected.

Just one final aspect here… we must not presume upon the kindness of God.

In terms of the greater aspect of sin and evil, just because God is slow to punish us and treat us according to what our sins deserve, we should not presume upon that grace.

Romans 2:4–5 NIV84

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

We must take sin seriously - particularly as the church - and remember that God is attentive...

4. The Wicked Man’s Demise Permanent

Finally, we must consider the demise of the wicked man.

Ecclesiastes 8:12–13 NIV84

12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

As Solomon continues his look at the wicked man, he confirms that it may very well go well with them, at least for a time.

The wicked man may commit a hundred crimes, and get away with it every time, and may even live long.

But consequences will come.

What happens after we die?

“Solomon believed there would be a final righting of all wrongs.

True, he was troubled by the common injustices of life in a fallen world.

But he was also convinced that God would make things right in the end.

Taken by themselves, these verses might possibly refer to our present existence.

Whether or not things will go well for us depends on whether or not we honor God.

But given the verses that come before (in which the Preacher talks about death; see Ecclesiastes 8:10–11) and the verse that comes after (in which he describes the vanity of earthly injustice; see Ecclesiastes 8:14), it seems more likely that he is looking ahead to the future.

Even if he does not explain exactly what happens after death, Solomon knows that justice will be done. Although he knows that the world is full of injustice, he also believes in the final justice of God.

Things will not turn out well for the wicked, who will come to a bad end. Whether they sin a hundred times or a thousand, there is no blessing beyond the grave.

So too for all who live today: for the wicked, their lives will most certainly not be extended into eternity.

Although they may get away with wrongdoing now, it will all catch up with them.

But friends, let us not forget, that if it weren’t for the grace of God towards us, these verses would be applicable even to our own lives.

The battle with sin is tremendous.

The depravity and wickedness of the heart of man is great.

Every man in this world knows that they are evil (they may argue that they are not, but that would only be if they’re holding themselves up to the standard of the average man… or the man that is more evil than them.)

But when we place ourselves and our hearts and our lives in the light of the purity and holiness of God, then our perspective is radically altered, and we see ourselves for what we are.

That was what happened to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6...

He beheld the glory of God, and he was undone...

Like never before in his own life, he saw his sinfulness, and he cried out to God.... he pronounced a curse upon himself because he had beheld the glory of God.

And all of us would be as Isaiah was, probably worse…

But the Gospel of Christ is our hope.

Christ came to save sinners...

As Solomon looks at this, he considers the man who fears God.

“…I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before Him...” / they are reverent before Him...

As Christians, reverence for God is demonstrated by our willingness to voluntarily die to self and obey His commands (Galatians 2:20; 5:13; James 2:12).

The Gospel is profound… it is an amazing reality… when we think about all that God has done for us...

Jesus reminded us that we must properly reverence God. He taught the disciples to begin their prayers with “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9–13).

Hallowed means “set apart as holy.”

We are to treat the name of God that we carry around with us, that we demonstrate to the world around us, with reverence.

To live with reverence for God is not only to stop ourselves from blatant blasphemy, or carelessly using God’s name as a swear word… saying “OMG”… etc.

This is about us living righteous and holy lives before the world, because the God that we serve is a righteous and holy God.

We show reverence by taking seriously His hatred of sin and the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent.

Colossians 3:6 NIV84

6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.

Romans 1:18 NIV84

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

We pursue holiness because He is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Reverent people desire “to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).

Application / Conclusion

Friends, in closing...

Solomon has spoken much about the wicked man and his ways.

He’s spoken about the consequences of sin, and the consequences of failing to deal with that sin.

I would urge you as you go into this week to live a holy life before God, and to remain steadfast in Christ.

The salvation that we have is great.

The power that we have available to us for godly living is great.

Let’s avail ourselves of that, and remind ourselves that wickedness will never be worth it.

To live in continued sin, is never worth it.

May the Lord strengthen us with renewed resolve to live out who we truly are in Christ Jesus...

Sinners saved by His grace and mercy, now walking in holiness and purity.