Ecc 8:3 | KingComments | STEP | Wisdom is first and foremost seen in the submission to the government that God has established ( ; ). The Preacher points to that with emphasis when he speaks out: “I say.” Taking into account the authority established by God is wisdom. We should not influence governments. Even when a government is unrighteous and randomly makes laws, it is wise to submit to it and not to revolt against it. An example of that attitude is seen in Daniel and his friends ( ). The Preacher assumes that the king has absolute authority ( ). Therefore, resistance against the king is folly, for by his authority he is stronger than we are. In addition, it is disobedience to God, for God has given him that power. Only in a case where the king or the government demands something from us that goes against God’s Word, “we must obey God rather than men” ( ). Therefore the friends of Daniel did not bow to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, despite his command that everyone had to fall down and worship it. They could not obey that command, whatever the consequences ( ). Our obedience to the king as the highest authority in a kingdom lies in the basis of “the oath before God” (cf. ; ; ). That oath may refer to ourselves. We do not take an oath in the usual sense of the word; however, if we claim to submit to God’s Word, it includes the obligation of submitting ourselves to the king. We therefore do not resist against the king and we will even less rebel against him, but submit to him ( ). It is wrong to withdraw ourselves from the obligations that we have toward the king and to turn against him on a whim of anger ( ). If we leave the king in a hurry, we indicate that we do not accept him any longer. We may think that we have reasons for that, for example that he does not meet our wishes and expectations. It is “an evil matter” to behave in such a way and hold on to it, for the king is an authority given by God. God has given the sword of power to him and he exercises that power as it pleases him. This may be in a good way, but also in a bad way. Therefore, the way he rules should not determine our attitude, but the position he has received from God should. This is also important for other areas of our life. You may become so disappointed in your spouse that you decide to move away from him thinking that you will be happier with a new spouse. You can be disappointed in the leaders in the church because of a small thing. Some people leave the church because of that, assuming they will not experience this kind of frustration in another church. This principle also goes for the job we may have. The ‘grass is greener syndrome’ – the idea that the grass with the neighbors is always greener – is very deceptive. With our attempts to escape our problems we can cause a lot of sorrow and pain to ourselves and also to others. There is no way to escape the king, for ‘he has many eyes, many ears and many long arms’. The power of the king is unlimited. We see that with a good king as Solomon ( ) and with a bad king as Herod ( ). It is about the power as such, not about the way it is exercised. The Lord Jesus never called us to overthrow the evil power. He also submitted Himself to the ruling power of the Romans, no matter how corrupt that power was. He says to the wicked Pilate: “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” ( ). The Lord recognizes Pilate’s position. Later, Pilate will have to account for the way he dealt with the power that was given to him. That was not an issue at the time. The reason why it is wise to do what the king says, is because “the word of the king is authoritative” ( ). There is power in his word. His word has authority and it must be obeyed. We are obliged to comply what he imposes on us (cf. ). He has received power to rule, we have not. The king is above his people. We cannot call him to account. His power is a reflection of the ruling power of God, Whom we cannot call to account either ( ; ; ). If we obey the command that the king has enacted, we will not have to fear any trouble from him ( ). This is the direct reward from God for a good behavior ( ). No matter how bad some governments are, without a government there will be anarchy. It is better to have a bad government than no government. He who knows the will of the king and takes that into consideration, shows that he has a wise heart. A wise man does at the right time and at the right moment or in the right way what the king expects him to do. The highest wisdom for people is to submit to the commandment that the highest authority has enacted. An additional result is that life becomes much easier. In general people will not get into trouble with the king when they do what he said. If you keep up the speed, you do not run the risk of being fined. Considering the commandment applies in the highest degree for the commandments of God. All the commandments of God are commandments for life. Whoever obeys them will experience the good and not the evil. Commandments are to make us safe and happy on the path of obedience. It is the path of self-preservation and of harmony within our environment. The great commandment for us is the commandment that we love one another. “Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” ( ). Love will never lead anyone to violate any commandment of the law, but on the contrary will fulfill every commandment of the law. The heart of the wise considers the time in which he lives and the opportunity he has to live. He can see through the decisions of the government in the light of the circumstances and knows how to behave. The wise knows the time of God and sees the opportunity or procedure to act. Examples of such wise men are Jonathan toward David ( ), Nathan toward David ( ) and Esther toward Ahasuerus ( ). When a man violates the commandments, the result is that “a man’s trouble is heavy upon him” ( ). This happens according to the law of sowing and reaping that is related to each act ( ). When the proper time and opportunity are ripe, the harvest comes, in whatever form. “Every delight” or “every purpose”, also the decision of a government, takes place at a certain point in time which also offers the opportunity for that delight. Because the world lies in sin, everything that happens, also the delightful things, do not benefit man, but causes trouble that is heavy upon him. At the beginning it may look as if it is getting better, because man has more to spend. But the delight of prosperity becomes his death. “Trouble” may also consist of frustration, stress, chaos and disorientation. Those are things that make life very unpleasant instead of delightful. Everything that man possesses and invents without God, leads him to destruction. Some inventions may lengthen the duration of his life, but not its quality. However, with the duration often sorrow increases. In order to make ‘a way of escape’ from that, people invented ‘voluntary euthanasia’, so that a human being is able (to allow) to put an end to his life. However, who thinks about coming in such trouble from which he will never ever be able to be freed thereafter and that the trouble will be heavy upon him? The trouble of is mainly caused by the fact that man has no control over the future, for “no one knows what will happen” ( ). Man without God does not know anything about the future. No one can tell him, certainly not the fortune tellers. Only God knows the future and knows what will happen ( ). He also makes that future known and tells us when certain things happen. In view of the future He warns man. For the man who does not trust in God, the insecurity of the future becomes an oppressive burden that leads him to madness ( ). He wants to know how politics will develop and how the world economy will run, so that he can make the right decisions and make a profit. This goes for speculations, but also for an education and purchases. Four things are mentioned here that place a limit to any authority ( ). Those are things that prove that man is not able to control circumstances: 1. “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind.” The word for ‘wind’ is also ‘spirit’ or ‘breath’. Over all these things man has no authority. The breath or spirit of man is in God’s hand ( ), which means that God has power over life and death. God gives spirit or breath and He also restrains it or takes it back. Another thought is that a man has no power over another man’s spirit, just as he has no power over his own. We see that for example with Nebuchadnezzar who wants his wise men to tell him which dream he has had ( ). That is of course an impossible and foolish question. It also appears that he too, with all his power, is not able to influence their spirit in such a way that they can tell him his dream. 2. Man also has “no authority over the day of death”. Only God has that authority ( ). Our times are in His hand ( ; ). If man puts an end to his life by himself and even determines the day and the means for it, it seems as if he is mocking this word of God. However, he does not realize that he is induced to commit this deed by the murderer of men from the beginning, satan, the great adversary of God. The life of a human is determined by God or under the permission of God by satan and not by himself. 3. “There is no discharge in the time of war”, which is the war against death. The word “discharge” alludes to the obligation of military service of all Israelite men over the age of twenty years ( ). Certain categories of those were discharged ( ). From the war that the Preacher means, the war against death, not one is exempt. For no one there is “discharge of this war”, nobody escapes from this war against death, a war he will always lose. Everyone is a sinner and has to deal with the consequences of his sin: the inevitable death ( ). 4. Also “evil will not deliver those who practice it” from death. Whatever tricks the evil man invents to escape from it, it is meaningless. In obituaries you may read that someone has ‘lost the unequal fight’. It is about for example the fight against an incurable disease that a person died from. The famous soccer player Johan Cruyff said at a certain moment that he, in his fight against the cancer in his body, was leading with 2-0 in a match which was not over yet. He added: ‘But I know for sure that I will be the winner of this fight.’ What an arrogant narrow-mindedness. He has lost the fight and did not escape death. His death was announced with the words that he died ‘after a fierce fight against cancer’.

‏ Ecclesiastes 8:3

Respect For the Authority Given by God

Wisdom is first and foremost seen in the submission to the government that God has established (Ecc 8:2; Rom 13:1-7). The Preacher points to that with emphasis when he speaks out: “I say.” Taking into account the authority established by God is wisdom. We should not influence governments. Even when a government is unrighteous and randomly makes laws, it is wise to submit to it and not to revolt against it. An example of that attitude is seen in Daniel and his friends (Dan 1:1-20).

The Preacher assumes that the king has absolute authority (Pro 24:21-22). Therefore, resistance against the king is folly, for by his authority he is stronger than we are. In addition, it is disobedience to God, for God has given him that power. Only in a case where the king or the government demands something from us that goes against God’s Word, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Therefore the friends of Daniel did not bow to the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, despite his command that everyone had to fall down and worship it. They could not obey that command, whatever the consequences (Dan 3:14-18).

Our obedience to the king as the highest authority in a kingdom lies in the basis of “the oath before God” (cf. 2Sam 5:1-3; 2Kgs 11:17; 1Chr 29:24). That oath may refer to ourselves. We do not take an oath in the usual sense of the word; however, if we claim to submit to God’s Word, it includes the obligation of submitting ourselves to the king. We therefore do not resist against the king and we will even less rebel against him, but submit to him (1Pet 2:13-16).

It is wrong to withdraw ourselves from the obligations that we have toward the king and to turn against him on a whim of anger (Ecc 8:3). If we leave the king in a hurry, we indicate that we do not accept him any longer. We may think that we have reasons for that, for example that he does not meet our wishes and expectations.

It is “an evil matter” to behave in such a way and hold on to it, for the king is an authority given by God. God has given the sword of power to him and he exercises that power as it pleases him. This may be in a good way, but also in a bad way. Therefore, the way he rules should not determine our attitude, but the position he has received from God should.

This is also important for other areas of our life. You may become so disappointed in your spouse that you decide to move away from him thinking that you will be happier with a new spouse. You can be disappointed in the leaders in the church because of a small thing. Some people leave the church because of that, assuming they will not experience this kind of frustration in another church. This principle also goes for the job we may have. The ‘grass is greener syndrome’ – the idea that the grass with the neighbors is always greener – is very deceptive. With our attempts to escape our problems we can cause a lot of sorrow and pain to ourselves and also to others.

There is no way to escape the king, for ‘he has many eyes, many ears and many long arms’. The power of the king is unlimited. We see that with a good king as Solomon (1Kgs 2:29-46) and with a bad king as Herod (Mt 14:9-10). It is about the power as such, not about the way it is exercised.

The Lord Jesus never called us to overthrow the evil power. He also submitted Himself to the ruling power of the Romans, no matter how corrupt that power was. He says to the wicked Pilate: “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (Jn 19:11). The Lord recognizes Pilate’s position. Later, Pilate will have to account for the way he dealt with the power that was given to him. That was not an issue at the time.

The reason why it is wise to do what the king says, is because “the word of the king is authoritative” (Ecc 8:4). There is power in his word. His word has authority and it must be obeyed. We are obliged to comply what he imposes on us (cf. 1Sam 8:10-18). He has received power to rule, we have not.

The king is above his people. We cannot call him to account. His power is a reflection of the ruling power of God, Whom we cannot call to account either (Job 9:12; Isa 45:9; Rom 9:20).

If we obey the command that the king has enacted, we will not have to fear any trouble from him (Ecc 8:5). This is the direct reward from God for a good behavior (Rom 13:3-4). No matter how bad some governments are, without a government there will be anarchy. It is better to have a bad government than no government.

He who knows the will of the king and takes that into consideration, shows that he has a wise heart. A wise man does at the right time and at the right moment or in the right way what the king expects him to do. The highest wisdom for people is to submit to the commandment that the highest authority has enacted. An additional result is that life becomes much easier. In general people will not get into trouble with the king when they do what he said. If you keep up the speed, you do not run the risk of being fined.

Considering the commandment applies in the highest degree for the commandments of God. All the commandments of God are commandments for life. Whoever obeys them will experience the good and not the evil. Commandments are to make us safe and happy on the path of obedience. It is the path of self-preservation and of harmony within our environment. The great commandment for us is the commandment that we love one another. “Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10). Love will never lead anyone to violate any commandment of the law, but on the contrary will fulfill every commandment of the law.

The heart of the wise considers the time in which he lives and the opportunity he has to live. He can see through the decisions of the government in the light of the circumstances and knows how to behave. The wise knows the time of God and sees the opportunity or procedure to act. Examples of such wise men are Jonathan toward David (1Sam 19:4-6), Nathan toward David (2Sam 12:1-14) and Esther toward Ahasuerus (Est 7:2-4).

When a man violates the commandments, the result is that “a man’s trouble is heavy upon him” (Ecc 8:6). This happens according to the law of sowing and reaping that is related to each act (Gal 6:7). When the proper time and opportunity are ripe, the harvest comes, in whatever form.

“Every delight” or “every purpose”, also the decision of a government, takes place at a certain point in time which also offers the opportunity for that delight. Because the world lies in sin, everything that happens, also the delightful things, do not benefit man, but causes trouble that is heavy upon him. At the beginning it may look as if it is getting better, because man has more to spend. But the delight of prosperity becomes his death. “Trouble” may also consist of frustration, stress, chaos and disorientation. Those are things that make life very unpleasant instead of delightful.

Everything that man possesses and invents without God, leads him to destruction. Some inventions may lengthen the duration of his life, but not its quality. However, with the duration often sorrow increases. In order to make ‘a way of escape’ from that, people invented ‘voluntary euthanasia’, so that a human being is able (to allow) to put an end to his life. However, who thinks about coming in such trouble from which he will never ever be able to be freed thereafter and that the trouble will be heavy upon him?

The trouble of Ecc 8:6 is mainly caused by the fact that man has no control over the future, for “no one knows what will happen” (Ecc 8:7). Man without God does not know anything about the future. No one can tell him, certainly not the fortune tellers. Only God knows the future and knows what will happen (Isa 46:10-11). He also makes that future known and tells us when certain things happen. In view of the future He warns man.

For the man who does not trust in God, the insecurity of the future becomes an oppressive burden that leads him to madness (Lk 21:25-26). He wants to know how politics will develop and how the world economy will run, so that he can make the right decisions and make a profit. This goes for speculations, but also for an education and purchases.

Four things are mentioned here that place a limit to any authority (Ecc 8:8). Those are things that prove that man is not able to control circumstances:

1. “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind.” The word for ‘wind’ is also ‘spirit’ or ‘breath’. Over all these things man has no authority. The breath or spirit of man is in God’s hand (Dan 5:23), which means that God has power over life and death. God gives spirit or breath and He also restrains it or takes it back.

Another thought is that a man has no power over another man’s spirit, just as he has no power over his own. We see that for example with Nebuchadnezzar who wants his wise men to tell him which dream he has had (Dan 2:1-12). That is of course an impossible and foolish question. It also appears that he too, with all his power, is not able to influence their spirit in such a way that they can tell him his dream.

2. Man also has “no authority over the day of death”. Only God has that authority (Deu 32:39). Our times are in His hand (Psa 31:15 ; Psa 39:4-5; Job 14:5). If man puts an end to his life by himself and even determines the day and the means for it, it seems as if he is mocking this word of God. However, he does not realize that he is induced to commit this deed by the murderer of men from the beginning, satan, the great adversary of God. The life of a human is determined by God or under the permission of God by satan and not by himself.

3. “There is no discharge in the time of war”, which is the war against death. The word “discharge” alludes to the obligation of military service of all Israelite men over the age of twenty years (Num 1:3). Certain categories of those were discharged (Deu 20:5-8). From the war that the Preacher means, the war against death, not one is exempt. For no one there is “discharge of this war”, nobody escapes from this war against death, a war he will always lose. Everyone is a sinner and has to deal with the consequences of his sin: the inevitable death (Rom 6:23).

4. Also “evil will not deliver those who practice it” from death. Whatever tricks the evil man invents to escape from it, it is meaningless. In obituaries you may read that someone has ‘lost the unequal fight’. It is about for example the fight against an incurable disease that a person died from. The famous soccer player Johan Cruyff said at a certain moment that he, in his fight against the cancer in his body, was leading with 2-0 in a match which was not over yet. He added: ‘But I know for sure that I will be the winner of this fight.’ What an arrogant narrow-mindedness. He has lost the fight and did not escape death. His death was announced with the words that he died ‘after a fierce fight against cancer’.