Eccl 8_9-13
There is usually one child in every family who never seems to get caught. In my family it was Maggie. She had the uncanny ability of sneaking away right before mum or dad came on the scene. I was usually the one left holding the bag.
I can still hear my dad coming into the sitting room saying “Who is making all the racket in here?” I would try to say Maggie but by then she was nowhere to be found.
How come some people seem to get away with it all? It’s just not right.
In our passage for today Solomon gets frustrated when he observes leaders who seemed to get away with their evil deeds. In the end however his perspective gets changed.
Today, there is even greater cruelty and injustice in the world just because there are more sinful people around. This might cause you to become frustrated or even angry. Well this passage will help change your perspective as well.
Please turn with me to Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 (READ)
I. Let’s look at what Solomon has observed
A. Solomon noticed leaders who were abusing their power.
9 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.
Solomon is describing tyrants. A tyrant is someone who rules over others in a cruel way. Solomon says these people had power over others to their hurt. The word hurt means giving pain, unhappiness, misery or injury.
From the reference to the Temple in verse 10 It seems that these leaders were serving in Israel. That makes their behaviour all the more repulsive because they knew God’s Word which says in Lev 19:18 you shall love your neighbor as yourself:
(ILL) Leaders like this still exist today. The world has many dictators, military leaders, unjust kings and even religious leaders who rule with an iron fist. They crush anyone who disagrees with them and they only look out for their own interests.
What shocked Solomon was not that leaders like this existed but rather he was amazed by how they were treated.
B. Solomon observed that these tyrants were given an honourable burial.
v. 10 Then I saw the wicked buried. You might think that Solomon is saying thet got what was coming to them but in Solomon’s day burial was seen an honourable end to a person’s life. These tyrants were given a decent burial despite their wickedness.
(ILL) I grew near Al Capone’s part of Chicago. He was a ruthless gangster who terrorized many yet when he died he was given a huge send off as if he was a hero.
(ILL) One of the missionaries at the conference we attended last week had this on the back of his t-shirt. “Live your life so that the preacher won’t have to lie about you at your funeral”.
C. Solomon also observed that these tyrants lived with impunity.
v. 10 They used to go in and out of the holy place. You get the idea here that they went to the Temple regularly and no one said anything about their evil deeds.
· They should have been challenged about how they were ruling.
· They should have been warned about sinning against a Holy God.
· They should have been reminded that the Lord will hold them accountable
for how they carried out their duties.
This was never done with the leaders Solomon observed. Because of their reputation the priests were probably afraid of them. They feared man more than God.
(ILL) I was thinking that this should never occur in our church. This ought to be a place where sin is confronted, not covered up. To knowingly leave a person in their sin is not an act of kindness but rather its evidence of a lack of love.
Galatians 6:1 says Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
Matthew 18 and Titus 3 guide us in how to help those caught up in sin so that they will not come under God’s discipline and judgement. The church is to be a place where sinners can hear of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Not a place where sin is swept under the carpet.
D. Solomon makes one more observation. He saw that these men were praised in the city where they had done such things.
Some translations say they were forgotten in the city, meaning their evil deeds were forgotten.
Here were men with authority and they used their position to hurt other people and yet they are spoken highly of.
(ILL) You can go to Moscow today and many will speak highly of Stalin. In Romanian there are people who praise Nicolae Ceausescu. Even Hitler is praised by some.
Amos 5:15 Hate evil, and love good, This was obviously not happening in Solomon’s day and it does not always happen in our day either.
I’m sure you have observed some of the same things Solomon has. You have at least heard of leaders who used their power to hurt others. You might have seen a funeral where a godless person was buried with honour. You might even have been in a church that turned a blind eye to sin. Or you heard evil people being praised in the media.
And in your heart you know these things are not right.
II. Beginning in the second part of verse 10 Solomon draws some conclusions from his observations.
A. The first two conclusions are from a temporal perspective. A perspective that focuses on the here and now.
1. From this perspective he concludes that This also is vanity v.10b . This is not the way life should be. Evil men being praised. Evil men able to go into the Temple of God without so much as a word spoken to them about their sin?
From a temperal perspective Solomon feels like throwing his hands up in the air and giving up.
2. His frustration is compounded because he concludes that evil will only prosper when this situation continues.
v. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil.
Solomon knows that people will be encouraged to do evil when they see others getting away with it.
(ILL) We see this happening regularly. In school if one child gets away with cheating then pretty soon 10 others follow. All it takes is for one person to get away with looting after a hurricane to open the floodgates of thieves.
Q: Maybe Solomon is wondering why the Lord is allowing this situation to continue.
In 2 Peter 3:8-10 Peter explains why God doesn’t always carry out justice right away. (READ)
God’s patience is abused by those set on doing evil but one day they will be judged. Num 14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty,
A day of reckoning is coming and no lawyer will be able to delay the sentence against the evil doer.
B. From a temporal perspective Solomon finds these situations vain and frustrating. But then he draws some conclusions from an eternal perspective.
1. He concludes it will be well for those who fear the Lord.
12 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.
Solomon gets us to look beyond just this life, into eternity. Basically what he says in verse 12 is even if a sinner lives a long life and seems to get away with all kinds of evil, ultimately the one who fears the Lord will be the one who is blessed.
He says I know it will be well (joyful, good) with those who fear God.
This is the perspective you need to maintain as a child of God. If you just focus on the here and now you will come to the wrong conclusions.
· You will start to think that life is meaningless.
· You may get cynical and think that serving the Lord is a waste of time.
· If you lose an eternal perspective you might start to believe that the greatest thing you can do for others is to get involved in social action so that people can at least have a good life here on earth.
a. But when you keep an eternal perspective you will remember that life is not meaningless. Each situation is part of God’s perfect plan. You will remember that the Lord is working in all circumstances to bring about His glory and your good.
b. You won’t become cynical if you keep an eternal perspective. In light of eternity serving the Lord now will bring great reward then.
c. With an eternal perspective you will remember that the greatest good you can do for others is to share the Gospel with them. If you truly want to help mankind then seek to make disciples so they are ready for eternity.
As you do that there will be opportunities to feed the hungry and clothe the naked but these will be the fruits of sharing the Gospel not the Gospel itself.
If our eyes look forward towards eternity then you will have the confidence to know it will be well with those who fear God. Those who love and obey Him.
2. Solomon also points out that it will not be well with the wicked.
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.
Isaiah 3:10-11 says the same thing. Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
The wicked may seem like they are getting away with evil but Solomon says their days are like shadow. A shadow only lasts a few hours and then it’s gone.
Warren Wiersbe said: Solomon may be suggesting that the long life of the wicked man is but a prelude to eternal darkness. What good is a long life if it is only a shadow going into the blackness of darkness forever
In Proverbs 23:17 Solomon said Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
At the judgement seat of Christ a great division will take place. Those who walked in the fear of the Lord, those who lived in light of eternity will be ushered into the presence of the Lord.
Those who continued in their wickedness, who lived for this life alone will be sent to an eternal judgment.
Let me read Revelation 20:11-15 (READ)
How can you keep from getting frustrated when evil men seem to triumph? By walking in the fear of the Lord and keeping an eternal perspective.
(ILL) Say the news comes on and it starts talking about some dictator in the world. You can remind yourself that the Lord is in charge and that He will bring about justice in His time.
Pray for those leaders because they are facing a Christless eternity if they don’t repent.
You can also look for ways of helping those oppressed people by first of all sharing the Gospel with them. As you do that there will be opportunities to give material aid as well but the Gospel is what is most important when you take eternity into account.
May the Word of Lord shape your thinking, stir your heart and guide your steps this week.
Let’s pray!