MESSAGE FOR MAY 5, 2013 FROM ECCLESIASTES 8:1-9
The section of Ecclesiastes we are looking at today was originally intended for a very narrow audience. The author Qohelet, who describes himself in chapter one as a former king of Israel, addresses this first half of chapter eight to that very specific group who personally attend the king as his advisers—members of his royal court. We may wonder what if anything this text has to say to us who have never even met a real earthly king. As we’ll see, there are a few words of wisdom here that apply only to royal counselors. However, many of these truths are transferable to us as we seek to know how to relate to all authority figures—in the home, in the state or workplace--some of whom can abuse their authority over us. As we’ve seen in other sections of the book, the author begins by giving a general tribute to wisdom. Verse one says, "
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." As we’ve seen, the author at times speaks very highly of wisdom while at others, he is careful to note its limitations.
Here he is inspired by wisdom. If you are wise, your face shines. Wisdom makes a hardened countenance soft. That is--if you consistently make wise decisions, your life will be much happier and fuller than if you make foolish decisions. We all know of people who are not very happy because of unwise decisions they have made. He takes up his main topic in verse two and says, "
2 I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing…" The first main truth about relating to kings and/or all in authority is—Respect those who have authority over you. 2
This is the consistent message of the Bible. In Romans 13, Paul teaches us how followers of Christ must relate to authority figures. In 13:7 he says, "
7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." We are called to respect those over us. In verses two and three, the author tells us HOW we are to respect those in authority over us and in verse four he tells us WHY. The first way we are to respect those over us—(in this case the king) is in verse two. "I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him." That is—we must obey those in authority over us because God installed them. This is a curious verse because it tells us that God makes oaths to kings. We know that God made oaths to David when he established a covenant with him, but probably what is meant here is more general and is affirmed in Scripture multiple times. That is—God makes a commitment to uphold the authority of his rulers because he puts them in place. In First Samuel 2:10 Hannah praises God saying, "10… The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed." The king belongs to God—he is his and he will exalt—lift up, support the power of his anointed.
Paul echoes this in Romans 13, "
1 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. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." Daniel 2:21 says of God, "21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings…" Daniel 4:32 says, "…the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will." John 19:10, in a famous exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate before his crucifixion says, "10 So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" 11 Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin." 3
When Pilate ordered Jesus’ crucifixion, he was doing so with the authority God had given him. This truth doesn’t condone evil acts and abuses of power by those in rather authority, but it does tell us that God sets up these authorities and, unless it brings us into disobedience to God—we must obey what those in authority tell us. If that rather muscular understanding of authority causes us to bristle, it’s an indication of the way our democratic, anti-authority culture has impacted us. As Americans, if we don’t like the current authority over us—we throw the bums out in the next election cycle. Because we don’t know what it is to live under an autocratic dictator, we are much more tempted to look at a law or regulation and say—"
That’s dumb—I’m not going to fill out that form or drive that speed or make that deadline."
It’s a wonderful right we have as Americans to peacefully vote our elected leaders out of office, but those rights are not in the Bible nor does our American system represent the Biblical norm as it relates to authority. When Israel wanted a king, Samuel told them in First Samuel chapter eight,
"These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." God never condemns the absolute authority of the king—he simply warns his people that they will not like it. 4
God set up a king in Israel, not because it was necessarily the safest way to ensure sound governance among fallen, sin-racked people. Israel had many terrible kings and a person who is evil and has absolute authority is a unique menace. God installed his Old Testament kings to prepare us for the King who was to come—King Jesus. There is no Biblical bias against very strong authority figures. It’s important for us to remember that by contrast, we live a country that has in its DNA a suspicion of authority. Our nation was birthed out of a rebellion against tyrannical authority. The framers of the constitution manifested this distrust of authority when they incorporated checks and balances within the federal government to guard against the abuse of power. That guarded attitude toward authority is in our nation’s genetic code and our personal attitudes about authority reflect that. That creates tension between the consistent Biblical support of strong authority and our inbred aversion to it. The Biblical culture and ours are very different as it relates to how we view authority. It’s very natural for Americans to bristle at this strong understanding of authority in the Bible, but we must by God’s grace work to conform to it.
First Peter 2:13-14 articulates the Biblical value system as it relates to authority. "
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good." We are subject to the human institution because as we are subject to them, we are showing our submission to God who put them in place-- whether it’s the president, the church, the local sheriff or the Department of Motor Vehicles. This doesn’t give those in authority a promise of God’s blessing when they rule in ways not in line with his word. God doesn’t sanction, nor does he approve of sinful and abusive expressions of authority. What it DOES tell us is that God has placed the authorities over us and he identifies so closely with them, that when you disobey them, you disobey God. Authority must always be checked against the Word of God, but the Bible invests strong authority in all human institutions. 5
A second way we are to respect authority is in verse three "
3 Be not hasty to go from his presence..." In the Ancient Near East, having an audience or appearing before the king was a great honor. In the book of Esther, Queen Esther was fearful that she might be executed if she approached the king without his personal summons and she was his wife! It’s out of that context that Qohelet writes. If you have an audience with the king, you do not leave his presence hastily. That would communicate contempt or even disgust, not respect. A second way we respect authority is: We must not show contempt for those in authority over us. This doesn’t mean we have to agree with all decisions made by those in authority, but it’s not appropriate to be contemptuous toward them. This sounds very strange to American ears where sneering at the political opposition is a way of life and the more abrasive you are, the better. The Biblical teaching on our posture toward authority is not consistent with most of what the media serves up on either conservative talk radio or liberal news channels. But we must see our cultural practice in the light of the Scripture. Peter says in First Peter 2:17, "17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." The emperor of the Roman empire at the time Peter was writing was Nero—who murdered his own mother and no small number of Roman Christians whom he burned as human torches. On a human level, he was certainly worthy of contempt, but Peter calls the church to honor him.
A third way we respect those in authority is in the second half of verse three.
3 "…Do not take your stand in an evil cause…" The call is—do not oppose the king when he is doing something you don’t agree with. In many cases when a king with absolute power is doing something you don’t agree with—you will only openly oppose him if you want to die. Again, there are times when we must oppose authorities if they are calling us to disobey God. In Acts chapter five, Peter told the Jewish religious leaders who ordered them to stop preaching Christ, "We must obey God rather than men." The point here in Ecclesiastes is a pragmatic one. He’s not calling these advisors to completely sell out in fear of the king’s punishment 6
because later on, he will tell those who advise the king that they can have influence over him, but not by direct confrontation. He’s saying in essence that –
if you openly oppose the king when he’s doing something you don’t agree with, know that he will kill you. So before you challenge him ask yourself—is this a hill I want to literally die on?
The point comes down to "choose your battles carefully" and that is something we ALL need to learn. People who contest or grumble against every edict or law or ruling of authority are not only miserable people, they lose their credibility—especially in church. Not everything we disagree with is worth going to the mat for—there are some things that are grievous, but if opposing the authority means death or it will end any future influence you might have, you better first carefully weigh out whether to bring open opposition to authority. We call this "discretion" and often it’s wise, not cowardly. The author gives two reasons why we should exercise discretion with our authorities. The first is in the second half of verse three, "…for he does whatever he pleases."
He is saying that
it is the authority figure’s agenda, not yours that determines the direction here. The king or authority figure does what HE/SHE pleases not what YOU please—that’s just the way God set it up. A personal, direct, frontal challenge to someone with absolute authority like the king will probably not separate the authority from his opinions, but it may separate you from your head. A second reason not to openly oppose the king is similar and that is—he’s not open to correction. It’s not just that he will do what he wants—kings don’t like to be corrected. Verse four tells us, "4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" This kind of open challenge to the king’s judgment will not change anything other than the length of your life or your career.
The first part of verse five tells us WHY we must respect the king’s authority. "
5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing..," Obedience to the king will keep you out of trouble. Again, in Romans 13 Paul speaks to this 7
and says of the governing authority, "
4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer." God puts authorities in place to punish those who do wrong. This doesn’t mean that all the king’s or state’s laws and regulations are just, but it does mean that God uses civil authorities as his servants to bring his wrath on wrongdoers. The point of the first four and a half verses is—respect the king’s (or governing authorities) authority whether that be in the form of paying the taxes you owe, observing traffic signs, corporate laws or any other law or regulation given by the governor or your boss—providing that does not cause you to disobey Scripture.
The second main truth is found in the second half of verse five. "…the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.
6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him." Though he discourages openly opposing those in authority, here he recommends that we: Use wisdom to influence those in authority. Open opposition is often not very effective as we have seen—especially in the case of a king with absolute authority. It’s better to use wisdom to influence the decision-makers over you. The text doesn’t tell us how to do that. It merely assures us there are ways beyond open opposition to bring influence. Let’s take a look at some wisdom from the Proverbs as well as the example of Old Testament figures of this kind of wisdom. Here are some ways to use wisdom to influence those over you. First—be gentle. Proverbs 15:1 says, "1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Some people are impassioned about everything and they feel duty-bound to express that passion on every matter. These people end up just stirring up the anger of those they oppose and have very little influence. The soft answer—the gentle way of saying something—being less direct (if it will communicate what needs to be said) can be more effective than a blatant challenge. People who only openly confront when they disagree with 8
something come off as edgy and contrarian. They’re more concerned with voicing their displeasure than in exerting influence.
A very wise expression of this kind of gentle wisdom is in Second Samuel 12:1-8. David had committed adultery and a host of other sins and Nathan the prophet confronts him about it but it’s initially very indirect. He tells him a story about a rich man who kills the one ewe lamb of a poor man to feed a traveler instead of taking one from his huge herd of sheep. David sees the injustice of this abuse of power and he is incensed. When David himself speaks the hard word—"this man deserves to die." Nathan then says, "You are the man!" God through his prophet wisely communicates the truth so David could vividly see the evil of his own sin and be more likely to own it. Nathan would have been just as truthful to say,
"You are an adulterer, a murderer and have horribly misused the power of your office and you deserve to die!" That was absolutely true, but David as king might very well have become unnecessarily defensive. The approach Nathan took more clearly and more gently allowed David to see what his sin was to God.
A second expression of wisdom in influencing others in authority you disagree with is—
pray and think about what response would be most impactful. People who boast, "You know me, I tell it like it is" with no forethought, much less prayer--often only make difficult situations worse. Proverbs 15:28 says, "28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." Don’t simply react to a decision with which you disagree. First, think and pray about how best to communicate your concerns. A third expression of wisdom in influencing others in authority is--suggest alternatives requiring God’s intervention. Don’t just disagree, suggest a different path to the same goal and bring God in on it. Think about Daniel when, as a young man he and his friends are taken into exile and ordered to eat unclean food. He could have said, "Look, we are not going to eat this—this is against our law and that’s that." Later on in the book, he does use this kind of direct response. In chapter six, Daniel blatantly defies the edict against praying to Yahweh and he 9
spends some time in a lion’s den. But in 1:12 he suggests an alternative solution to an order he cannot obey. When the Babylonian overseer orders them to eat unclean food, he suggests an alternative, "
12 "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see."
He was not openly opposing this man—that could have killed 70 years of powerful influence within Babylon for Daniel. He comes alongside and suggests an alternative and places the responsibility on God to vindicate him. An example of this today would be if an unbelieving husband told his wife, "
I don’t want you to go to church anymore—you will stay home with me on Sundays." You COULD tell him, "You and I are just going to have to disagree on this one honey because God calls me not to forsake the assembling of God’s people so I’m going to church." That may be appropriate, but pray about doing what Daniel did. "How about if we try an experiment, dear? How about if you let me go to church for three months and at the end of that time, see if I’m am not a better wife to you and our marriage isn’t happier than it is now?" Then trust God to do that. That leaves it in his court.
A final expression of wisdom in influencing those over you is the most difficult, but surely the most effective and that is—
daily live wisely, making wise decisions for a long time in his/her presence. Daniel is again our example here. A significant piece of his influence in Babylon was that when the king had a problem, Daniel—because of his consistent record of wisdom and God’s work through him, became the go-to guy. As you live before the authority or boss and consistently act wisely, making good decisions, those in authority will take notice and he/she will be much more open to hear what you say. They may even come looking for you to get your opinion on a matter. There are obviously many other ways to influence those in authority over us, but the word of God here in Ecclesiastes says, "…the wise heart 10
will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything." What a comfort that is—as we seek God to help us bring influence into a dark place—there is a way to do that.
The second half of verse six injects a cold blast of reality into this context. He says, "…there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him." I think what he means there is:
Influencing those in authority over you can be very difficult. It sounds so easy when we read about Nathan’s words or the wisdom of Daniel. The truth is—this is hard. It’s so much easier just to blow up and storm off or give up. In these situations, there are many questions to think through and our feelings cloud our judgment. For instance, the boss orders you to take on a responsibility you’re not comfortable with. You’re not sure if it’s sin—it’s kind of a grey area and wisdom and counsel from others is required as you ask the question, "Is this a deal-breaker? Do I need to quit this job or sever this relationship? Do I need to openly refuse him over this?" Those are very tough places to be because we have warring agendas within us. We like our job and WANT to be gainfully employed, not having to seek another job, but we also don’t want to sell our soul to the company store.
These things require much prayer and often some outside objective counsel, not only for wisdom, but so we can begin to see what the main issues are. Our emotions easily muddy our thinking. In the end, after you’ve prayed, thought and received counsel, if it still feels wrong to obey the authority even if you’re not sure why, then you must refuse to do what you’re told. Paul says about another matter of conscience in Romans 14:23, "
23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." In matters of conscience, you’re sinning if you can’t believe what you are doing is right. If your conscience is not clear, gently refuse the order and trust God with the consequences. 11
Another reason this can be so difficult is related to this and is in verses seven and eight. "
7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8" This is hard because we cannot know the future implications of making a poor decision. We do not "know what is to be, for who can tell [us] how it will be?" This requires faith that God will honor your decision and trusting God is always the hardest thing to do—we aren’t very practiced at it. We are so limited and the author gives three examples of our limitations. "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." The word translated here as "spirit" is also often translated "wind" and I think that is better here—no one has the power to stop the wind or delay the day of their death. If you are in a battle, you can’t even run from those who are fighting against you without being killed by your superiors. We are so limited—when we’re forced to make a tough decision like disobeying those in authority over us, that’s hard.
Briefly, the third and final main point is in verses 8-9. The author says, "
8 …nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 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." He is saying that wickedness in a ruler or authority figure will ultimately bring down consequences on him/her. That’s what it means when it says, "wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it." The final main truth in this matter of relating to those who have authority over us is: The negative consequences of sinful decisions will ultimately come to those who abuse power. In the short term, if you refuse to do something because if you do it you will be sinning and are you fired…or killed—you are the "loser." But in the long term—any authority figure will ultimately see the negative consequences of their sin—if not in this life, then in the next. History doesn’t vindicate the Hitler’s and Stalin’s—it condemns them even though many people believed in them while they were alive. King David paid horribly for his abuse of power. This truth should encourage us. Though in the short term, I will pay the price--in the 12
long term—those who are over me and making sinful decisions will pay a much bigger price. Those of us in positions of authority should take note of this! Respect those in authority—use wisdom to influence those in authority and trust that those who abuse their authority will one day suffer the consequences. May God give us the grace to believe and act on these truths for his glory and our joy.
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