God’s Authority Structures

Transcript

GR 2132
07/07/2019
God’s Authority Structures
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the Book of Ecclesiastes, a very practical book. God put it here so that we would learn how to walk with wisdom through the difficulties and trials, pains and joys that come to us in our earthly pilgrimage. It’s about our life under the sun, this physical life. Brief as it is, yet very important that we live in a world and our life is lived within the bounds of things we have no control over. So, we’re learning how to conduct ourselves when things are out of our control, but only under God’s control. They are out of control, but they are under control, and keeping that perspective helps us walk through life with skill, with wisdom. Chapters 7 and 8 emphasize wisdom. We’ll be moving into chapter 8. The word wisdom or wise occurs 52 times in Ecclesiastes. We’ve mentioned the word breath translated in our New American Standard Bible, futility, but it means a breath; something transitory, temporary. That occurs 38 times, but the word wisdom or wise occurs 52 times, so it’s not just about the brevity of our life, but it’s about living wisely, with wisdom as we travel through this brief life. Interestingly the word good also appears 52 times. Wisdom and good appear most often. Those two words both appearing 52 times, but it’s about life, the reality of life. What we would call the good things and the bad things, the pleasant things and the unpleasant things, and all of it is out of our control. But we have to live through it, so we want to conduct ourselves with wisdom wisely.

Chapter 7 and chapter 8 connect with this subject of wisdom. Down in verse 26 we noted of chapter 7, a woman brought into the picture. He notes verse 25, “I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.” He wants to understand wisdom. He wants to know about folly, these two opposing areas, evil and good. Then he comes to verse 26 and he says, “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.” It seems maybe strange that he brings this woman into the picture here. He’s talking about wisdom, folly, and he’ll come back to that in verses 27 to 29.

We noted really the background for this is in the Book of Proverbs and this woman who is out appealing for people to come in for immoral purposes, appealing to the young men as Proverbs has it becomes a picture of the world’s wisdom appealing to people. Come back to Proverbs chapter 9. We were here in our last study but I want to remind you of this. The first nine chapters of the Book of Proverbs form a unit. It’s about wisdom, and it’s about folly, and warning the young men to walk with wisdom, to be careful of folly. It uses the woman appealing to him for immoral purposes, and then chapter nine concludes. It concludes that first section, the first nine chapters of Proverbs, and then when you start chapter 10 you have a list of these hundreds of proverbs, 325 proverbs that unfold.

These are individual brief statements of wisdom. As he concludes this early section contrasting and warning about the dangers of the immoral woman appealing, he really applies this as a picture, as a figure. He personifies wisdom and folly. Chapter 9 verse 1 says, “Wisdom has built her house…” We noted the word wisdom is feminine in Hebrew, and in other languages feminine, masculine, neuter. It’s natural when you personify it or carry it into poetry or things like, that you refer to it as a woman. She is woman wisdom here and she has a house she built, and she has prepared her food in verse 2. She made her house ready, then sends the maidens out, and they invite people to come into her house. Woman wisdom, which is really Solomon’s words, the truth of God, but it’s pictured as a house and a woman inviting you in to share all that she’s prepared, to partake of the wisdom God has provided. Verse 4 says, “‘Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!’” Whoever lacks understanding, she says, “‘Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed.’” Partake of the wisdom that I offer, “‘Forsake your folly and live, and proceed in the way of understanding.’”

Then down to verse 13, you have another woman. She also has a house, the woman of folly or woman folly. Verse 14, “She sits at the doorway of her house,” verse 15, she’s “…calling to those who pass by, who are making their paths straight…”to people that are walking properly, with wisdom. She wants to say, “Come over to my house, I have something better to offer.” You note she has the same invitation. Verse 16, “‘Whoever is naive, let him turn in here, and to him who lacks understanding…” So, that’s the same thing as we had in verse 4. Both women have the same basic invitation. One is genuine that has true wisdom to offer, the other is deceiving you.

Folly, foolishness, invites to come in, “Stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” What I have is enjoyable too. It’s even more pleasant than what the other woman is offering. “But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” This picture of the two women with two houses as he pulls the first nine chapters together, pulls the wisdom from God and the foolishness of the world. And they appeal and it is important to see here, it doesn’t just appeal to one. The woman of wisdom, the woman wisdom, invites all to come in and learn from God, what really is the wisdom of God. Woman folly invites, come in and learn from me, but she’s deceiving, and she offers something she cannot provide. It looks pleasant, it sounds good, but you don’t know the dead are there. “There is a way that seems right unto man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.” It’s the way to death. “The wages of sin is death.” That’s what she offers, pleasure, good things, so that contrast between the two women.

You come back to Ecclesiastes chapter 7. We noted verse 26. That’s what Solomon has picked up here as he talks about wisdom in verse 25 and foolishness, folly. That contrast, “And I discovered more bitter than death that woman whose heart is snares and nets…” That’s woman folly that Solomon wrote about that was pictured so clearly. The sinner gets captured. Now remember, we have to be careful because up in verse 7 of chapter 7, “…oppression makes a wise man mad, and a bribe corrupts the heart.” Just like that man walking on the straight road in Proverbs 9. She invites to come in over here to lure him off the path. We have to be careful as wise ones. That doesn’t mean we’re above being deluded or deceived, even when you’re walking on that straight road, even when you’re walking with wisdom. But she is there saying come over here, come here, give this consideration. Look at how pleasant this.

Remember Moses chose to endure the hardships with the people of God in Egypt rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. That’s what she offers, pleasures, enjoyment. Life is short, enjoy it. And here’s what real understanding is, here if you really want to understand about life, come over here. This tension is going on in the Book of Ecclesiastes and it is a fallen world we live in, and we are getting instruction on how to live with skill, wisely navigating through the days of our brief life. Then we can experience the joy that God provides and intends even in the difficulties and the trials.

We are reminded that God is sovereign, He’s in control. Look at verse 9 of chapter 7. These things will be reiterated in a different way in chapter 8. “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.” See again; don’t leave the path of wisdom. Don’t go out of the path of wisdom and walk into the house of folly. Be careful; getting angry you lose your perspective. The former days were better. You start to look and maybe the woman of folly had something to offer, because these are hard days, these are things that are unpleasant. I’m going through trouble and here maybe there’s something to be said over here and you know, come on in. Remember in verse 13 and 14 there is a sovereign God who is in charge and He’s at work, and if He bends the path, you can’t straighten it. We walk the path as God lays it out.

Verse 14, “In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider—God has made the one as well as the other” and His intention is “…so that man will not discover anything that will be after him.” This is crucial when we come into chapter 8. We are not in control, but we recognize God’s control in everything and in every detail, the days of adversity, they have come from the hand of God. It’s not what I would have chosen; it’s not what I wanted. I’d rather have a good day, a pleasant day, a healthy day and so on. But this is what God has provided, so I recognize it’s not under my control. This is not the result I hoped for, this is not what I was praying for, this is not what I expected, but remember, it’s what God planned. It’s what He expected, if I can put it in our language, because He planned it. Learning to live with wisdom is learning to recognize and accept the hand of God in what is going on, and now I live it out.

In verse 29 of chapter 7, “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” Here’s what I find as I sort through, and you know we try to reconcile this, good and evil, the sovereignty of God, the responsibility of man. This one thing I can say, God made everything upright. Go back to the opening chapters of Genesis when He evaluated His creation. He declared everything good, exactly as it ought to be, upright. But man has sought out many devices, so the sovereignty of God, the responsibility of man. How did we get into this situation? It’s not God’s fault. He made everything upright. But as a result of sin, man choosing his own way, then God has brought His discipline and judgment, and the world has become an unpleasant and difficult place often. And all of us have to live in this world under the sun that is still under the curse of God’s judgment.

Chapter 8 opens up, “Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.” We’re going to look at the first nine verses of chapter 8. One writer put it this way. In this section he reasons that the wise person submits to the structure that God has embedded in His created order. In other words, God in His creating work, at the beginning, verse 29 of chapter 7, “God made men upright”, from the beginning in creation. He created an order that would be carried out in that creation. Now you will have that man has sought many devices, so there is the negative and the consequences of man going His own way. But those who have wisdom recognize God’s hand in the creation as He made it, intended it, and we accept that and live consistent with that.

Now wisdom doesn’t answer all of life’s questions and verses 27 and 28 of Chapter 7 talked about that and we really don’t have all the answers, but we have the answers we need. This is important. I’ll read a quote in a little bit from one of the commentators on this section, and he thinks you can’t have wisdom because things are out of our control. Things are out of our control, but they’re under God’s control and we must learn to navigate through what God has ordained and planned. That will be according to chapter 7 verse 14 some days of prosperity and then also days of adversity. We don’t control it. I’m like you, if God said which day do you want, prosperity or adversity, I’d take prosperity. We all would, but we don’t get the choice. He makes the choice.

God has made the one as well as the other. When we come to chapter 8 verse 1, “Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.” What he’s saying here is the wise man navigates, he knows how to handle these situations. It may be the day of prosperity and happiness. It may be the day of adversity and sadness, but a wise man knows how to handle the situation. This is not something rare. Jesus talked about it in the Sermon on the Mount. Don’t worry about tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of its own. Now He didn’t say don’t worry about tomorrow each day can be trouble free. No, He says each day has enough trouble of its own. In other words, handle today, as you should. Deal with today and its difficulties, as you should. In the final analysis that’s the only preparation I can make with certainty for tomorrow. Oh, I make plans for tomorrow, but the reality is I have no control over tomorrow and the implication is there will be trouble in tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of its own. We get into trouble when we try to handle the troubles of the future.

We don’t control the future. A wise man, “…wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”
What does that mean? It brings light, it brings clarity. I’m drawing upon God’s wisdom, this is the situation I’m in today. This is what faces me today. I want to handle that with wisdom, with the skill that God provides and that’s the best preparation for tomorrow. We do that when we’re raising our kids and they want to bring up what’s going to happen when this or that happens. What you concentrate on, is do what you’re supposed to do today, and sometimes you tell them, I’ll take care of tomorrow. You do what you’re supposed to today. But what if they…What, now, and this is what God is training us to do as His children and what happens, God’s wisdom illumines us, causes our face to beam.

You know the tension. Sometimes you’ll say, I can see you are tense, I can see you’re good; I can see it in your face. You know and things start to tighten, and you know the pressures there and relax. And when you take hold of God’s wisdom, you go to woman wisdom and draw the wisdom of God from her and partake in her house. Yeah, you know, God gives me the grace for today. I’m working through. You say, how’s the day going? Yeah, I’m getting through it. That’s what, you know, we’re fine. What are you going to do if this doesn’t—I can’t handle that I can’t, I can’t tell you. I mean we don’t want to be short sighted like--we do make plans, but in the ultimate analysis this is the day that I have. I could have a stroke this evening. Tomorrow will be totally different than I planned it, if I survive. Just can’t say but I have now. That’s what he says, and it will change things, a man’s wisdom illumines him.

This was back in chapter 7. Look at verse 12, “For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.” Down in verse 19 of chapter 7, “Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers in a city.” The wisdom of God enables us to navigate the pressure. I have the confidence He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear. You know Lord, this is more than I can take. Then I stop and say, but Your grace is sufficient for me, so I proceed on. Remember, as Paul had to learn when God told him, My strength is perfected in your weakness. Well then, Paul says bring on the weakness, and I want to be strong in the Lord and for the Lord. So, “a man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”

Now we’re going to pull this into something very practical. We live in a world where God has established authority structures. He created that from the beginning, and we as believers tend to get drawn to woman folly, from woman wisdom if we’re not careful. You understand God established authority structure from the beginning of creation before sin entered the world. He created man as male and female, and in that, He established and ordained that the man would have authority over the woman. Paul makes that clear in 1 Timothy chapter 2. Paul says, I don’t allow the woman to have authority over the man, and the reason he gives, one of two reasons. The one we’ll focus on is that God created the man first, then He created the woman. There are other indications. Man, with his authority gives the name to the woman, which indicates his authority. So, you have two people in a perfect environment, it was all good, God said. He made them upright, but He had established an authority relationship. The man would have authority over the woman. That would have been true if the fall had never occurred.

Now as we see in all authority structures the negative wouldn’t be there, but that doesn’t change the reality. We always want to put a, but--but this, but He’s going to cover that and He’s going to deal with the king. Solomon is the king, and the king becomes representative. If it’s true of that person and as we’ll see, it’s true of all lower levels of authority as well. Authority structure exists. It exists within the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It does not indicate inferiority or inequality in the Godhead and that is true among male and female as well as any other authority structure.

So, he’ll say in Ecclesiastes 8, verse 2, “I say, ‘Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.’” Let me read you what one person writes about this. “Just as a person would seriously carry out an oath made to God, so a person should take seriously the command of a king by obeying it.” There are some possibilities of translation in this, because of the oath before God, but I think basically what he is saying is you view keeping the command of the king, like you view keeping the oath made to God. And we saw that earlier in Ecclesiastes. You’d better be careful about your oath made to God; He expects it to be carried out. When God establishes authority, He expects it to be obeyed by the fact He establishes it. Establishes the fact that it must be obeyed, because to disobey the authority He appoints is to disobey God, and it’s obvious.

When our kids were at home and we had to leave them with a babysitter, I’d tell them, you do what the babysitter tells you. You obey them. If you don’t, there will be consequences. If we come home, (of course, this never happened with our kids), and if the babysitter gave a bad report, they had to give an account to me and suffer the consequences. Why? Because the authority that babysitter had, had come from me, and disobeying them was disobeying me. It’s a simple principle and to navigate life here on earth skillfully, we must understand God’s authority structures. Believers sometimes get lured away from the path of wisdom into the house of folly and we act like it’s nothing. We live in a world where this is the way they function. There is no respect. You know, it’s appalling the way people will speak. We have a president and it doesn’t matter whether you call him a king, a president, a prime minister. Whoever is in charge, the principle is the same. They are to be obeyed, they are to be respected. This is God’s plan.

Before we go down these verses, let’s look at a couple of passages in the New Testament. I’ve just selected a couple. Romans chapter 13. We’re studying Romans in our Sunday nights together. We will get here if the Lord doesn’t come and I don’t die, depends on how long we go. Romans 13 verse 1, “Every person” everyone, this is clear. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.” Why? “For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God…”

See the principle. God says I have appointed that man as Caesar or President or King. How do you know God appointed him? I don’t think God would appoint him. Because he’s there! Oh, well I didn’t vote for him. God did. It’s a one vote system. You think Paul would have voted for Nero? Who would have? Caligula? These godless men revolting, not only to their own people. They have been established by God. When you resist their authority, you resist God. That’s it! That’s sin that’s not functioning with wisdom in this world. You’ve gone through the door of woman folly. It doesn’t matter the reasons, it’s clear. What are you going to say to God?

You know we’re so strong on some things and then it says here, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.” And every authority has been established by God. Remember He’s in charge. Even the wicked Nero was Caesar, because God appointed him. He’ll have Paul executed. He’ll have Peter executed. God appointed him. He was to be obeyed. Now, that doesn’t mean everything he does is good or righteous or any of that. We’re not looking for godly people in that area of the world. God appointed Nebuchadnezzar to rule Babylon. Daniel reminded him God puts in place the lowliest of men, the bases of men. He was a terrible guy. He got saved later, but you know what he did? He storms into Jerusalem, destroys everything, takes people captive, young people like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. You think he asked them if they wanted to come to Babylon? No! How did his parents get there? We’re not told. You know we have engravings of empires like the Assyrians, the Babylonians.

You know what they do when they take people that are going to be taken captive? Strip them of all their clothes, put a hook through their nose or their lips, connect it to the next person and here we go. Well, that’s not nice. God appointed him. Even the Assyrians are known in the ancient world for being one of the cruelest people. They impaled 3,000 people on stakes around a city just to let them know what’ll happen to you if you oppose us. Nebuchadnezzar, what did he do with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego when they wouldn’t worship the statue he put up? Throw them in the furnace, heat it up so hot that they’ll be disintegrated in no time. Not a nice man! You know who put him in place? God, for His purpose. So that’s the point and you know the world’s thinking, and we get all this going on in the world. The world is totally opposed to these ideas of this kind of concept.

I don’t respect him, he’s not worthy of respect. I won’t give him honor and they think they have to use the worse of obscenities to talk about him and that’s true. Not just the present one, the former one, the one after. We as Christians have to be different. Now be careful here. We have a pastor who makes me uncomfortable. He goes on and tells why Donald Trump is God’s man, and he’s going to bring this country back. We have to be careful as God’s people. I believe the president we had before this, and the one before that, and the one before that, and if time allows the one after this one. They’ll all be those appointed by God and every leader under and we recognize that. And if you’re going to navigate through life skillfully, you will have to recognize that.

Come over to 1 Peter 3. Now that’s all the way toward the back of your New Testament, after the Book of Hebrews, the last large book before the Book of Revelation. You’ll have James and then you’ll have 1 Peter. Peter is going to die a martyr’s death, according to tradition he’ll be crucified upside down. First Peter chapter 2 verse 13, “Submit yourselves” note this, “…for the Lord’s sake…” “Submit yourself for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God…” You see what Solomon said, it is sound biblical wisdom. You can’t honor God and not give respect and obedience to governing authorities.

We think we pick out these sins and talk about the rulers and the leaders that God has appointed however they want, and you know we think well, I don’t think I’ll have to obey him. There will come a time, Peter and Paul are going to be executed because they could not do what the command was, but that doesn’t change anything. They still say here’s God’s will. This is the will of God. You do it for the Lord’s sake and we function as God’s slaves, as noted at the end of verse 16. And so, I recognize I’m the slave of God.

I am under the authorities that God has appointed to govern this world, and we are privileged to live in a country where we have certain freedoms that would not be present in others. And you’ll note what he says in verse 17 while you’re here. “Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God…” We see that in Ecclesiastes a number of times. “…fear God” and what’s the next line? “…honor the king.” Now you keep in mind, if you wonder, you can get books like The Lives of the Twelve Caesars. You’ll feel like taking a shower after you read about these despicable men. But He says, you give them honor. Why? Because we fear God. We are God’s slaves, and these are leaders He’s appointed over us.

Come back to Ecclesiastes. As you do, remember Jesus before Pilate, the night of His trial where it would be followed by His crucifixion. Pilate asked Him a question Jesus didn’t answer, and Pilate said, “Do You not know I have authority to set You free or to have you executed?” This is in John 19. What did Jesus say? You’re a despicable godless man who’s not doing the right thing! No, He said, “You would have no authority unless it had been given you by My Father.” Pilate was put in position ultimately by God, for God’s purposes, even when it would result in the crucifixion of the Son of God. Now Pilate will be responsible for his actions. God didn’t make him sin, He put him there where he would choose the devices, the evil that he wanted to do.

I want to say I have a sidetrack. We’re talking about authority, governmental authority. This carries over to the other areas. I need to get this off my chest as well, and it fits with what he’s saying here. Navigating life is recognizing the authority structures God built in. This is true in the home. It goes back to the opening chapters of Genesis and it’s carried through the Old Testament. You’ll have to come back to the New Testament. I should have kept you here. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 18, a command is given, “…be filled with the Spirit.” There’s the command. Be under the control of the Spirit of God, so now you’re functioning with wisdom as God has instructed, as God would have you function, and then it’s modified by this series of participles. The command is be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another, giving thanks, being subject, and then he goes on to elaborate that subjection into the family, wives to your own husbands. Note this, “…as to the Lord.” That sounds like what we read about being subject to governing authorities.

Well wait a minute, my husband is not the Lord. No, but a wife evidences her submission to the Lord by being submissive to the authority God has put over her. As the church is subject to Christ, so wives be to their husbands in things they agree with. There are no godly women who don’t submit to their husbands. Now I realize it’s like in government. If they say something that is clearly sin, but just because you don’t like the geezer, doesn’t mean you don’t obey. We could have looked in 1 Peter chapter 3. It says wives you submit to your husband’s even if they’re unbelievers. Now again if they require unbiblical conduct, if you know they threaten your life, but we always want to think but… What about the "but?” But the, but the normal flow here is what is done. Verse 24, “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands…” in most things. You know we edit Scripture, it says, “…in everything.” That’s an order. So, we want to function with wisdom, get my information from woman wisdom, not from woman folly. That’s what it said, and I realize this is way off from where the world is today, but that’s not surprising. That’s woman folly’s house. I don’t want to go there. He goes on to talk about that husbands have responsibility.

We’re going to see with rulers, but right now he’s talking about the structure of authority. And then you come to chapter 6 and that’s for children. Again, woman folly tries to pull children out from the authority of their parents and break that all down. One thing you’ll note when the structure of authority that God has established begins to be ignored, it begins to spread. And we see that, so the rejection of authority in one area soon has us rejecting authority in another area and the despising of authority. But that’s the kind of information you get in the house of woman folly. Now woman wisdom, the wisdom of God, is laid out here.

That’s what Paul will say in Romans when he gets to chapter 12. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the making new of your mind. Don’t get your wisdom from the house of folly, get it from the house of wisdom kind of thing. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord…” And then he goes back to the Old Testament. “…which is the first commandment with a promise.” This is not new material. It’s consistent. This is what Ecclesiastes is. It’s not inconsistent. It’s just giving them the practical way and where we live.

While you’re here come back to Acts chapter 20, the church. God established authority for His people Israel in the Old Testament, Moses and Aaron. Korah didn’t like the way Moses and Aaron lived and he got two hundred and fifty men of renown, reputation to come and join him, Numbers 16 and say, we don’t think we’re all holy, we don’t like the way you’re doing it. You know what, it’s hard to find an example of God’s devastating judgment on a sin that is more direct, and clear than the judgment on Korah and those aligned with him. The ground opened under Korah and he and his family went down to the grave, and the two hundred and fifty men. Fire comes out from the Lord and there all burned and charred to nothing. God is serious when He talks about obedience. We want to be careful as believers that we walk with wisdom. This is why Solomon is writing this under the direction of the Spirit. If we are not careful, we get lured over to the house of folly, and we’re taking in information from the world, and we’re subtly being conformed to the world.

Acts chapter 20, leadership in the church. God calls for the elders from the church at Ephesus. In verse 28 He tells them, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers…” That’s authority appointed by God. These are men from Ephesus at the church there, says that the Holy Spirit appointed you. That’s the position you’re in, God appointed you for that. You shepherd the church of God. Now you know the shepherd is over the sheep. You cannot just disregard those that the Holy Spirit appoints to lead. It happens every time there’s a conflict in the church. Some people decide God’s appointed them to be the evaluator of the decisions of those that God appointed to make the decisions. You’re trying to pick on things. We can’t function with wisdom when we ignore God, and what He’s talking about the authority structures He’s put in place, whether they’re secular human government, whether they’re in the family, whether they’re in the church.

If the Holy Spirit appoints elders and you disobey the elders, to whom are you being disobedient ultimately? Ah hum, well other people agree with me. Well, Korah had two hundred and fifty men of renown who agreed with him. God is not taking votes. Now the elders tell you to do something that’s unbiblical, promotes a doctrine that we no longer believe, in the deity of Christ, then I can’t follow that. But you know what? I find subjective things. I have people come to see me that are leaving. Well I just want you to know it’s not about doctrine. Well what’s it about? Oh, I don’t like the decisions of the elders, one thing, and another. Sometimes we pride ourselves in being so wise when we’re really being disobedient and functioning like fools.

Come back to Ecclesiastes chapter 8. This whole principle, we recognize that’s why that one writer says in this section, “Solomon reasons that the wise person submits to the structure that God has embedded in His created order.” That’s what He intended when He created things, that there would be order and He has established the order for His purposes. We recognize it, we submit to it, or we are in sin for rebellion against God. Look at chapter 8, verse 3. “Do not be in a hurry to leave him. (The king) Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” Part of when we recognize that authority, we recognize God has put them there for His purpose. Daniel is in Babylon, not because the king of Babylon happened to get into power in a sneaky way, and was doing things that God wouldn’t want done. God put him there to accomplish God’s purposes. Now that doesn’t mean some of the things he did were not sinful, and God didn’t cause him to sin, but God put him there because his sin would accomplish God’s purposes.

What did He say to Pharaoh? “I raised you up for this purpose.” But he’s going to oppose the Jews, he’s going to intensify the persecution of the Jews. He’s—"I raised you up for this purpose.” So, this is what wisdom does. I recognize I’m not in control, God is. This is the situation in which He has placed me. This is the authority He has put over me. Now I draw upon His wisdom to navigate skillfully, as I should, handling these various situations and circumstances. Don’t be ready to disregard the king, get away from what he says. Don’t join others just because you’ve got other people that agree. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care what you think of this president. He’s the one God has appointed. I recognize and honor him and if the next president is totally opposite in his positions and does… I will honor him. And that’s true for all levels of government and then it spreads out into all other areas as well.

Verse 4, “Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”
Rhetorical question. “What are you doing?” is a challenge to someone’s authority. Like, do you know what you’re doing? Several writers, commentators, said he is using a rhetorical question that is found in several other passages that speak of God’s sovereignty, like Job 9:12, Isaiah 45:9 Daniel 4:32. He indicates that a wise person would no more question the king than criticize God for His actions. That’s the point. If He has put this person in authority, He hasn’t put me over this person to be the evaluator of the person in authority. Would you challenge God? This is where you have to be careful. The question, do we say to God, “What are You doing?” as though He owes us an answer. Well, He put that person into place. When I question His authority and refuse to submit to it, it’s really a challenge to God.

Think about the way people talk about people in authority. The terrible things they say and God says He takes that personally. What’s this president thinking? What’s this person, the mayor thinking, what does…? Well really, God, what were You doing in putting that person into place? And we pride ourselves that we are very godly, righteous people. I’ve asked people this, what makes you think that God appointed these people into this position of authority, and that He gives you all the wisdom to decide whether they do the right thing? Maybe God should have put you in that place instead of them, but He didn’t. You know, we don’t function with skill wisely. This is the president, God put in. I know, but he didn’t get the majority vote. I know, but I didn’t vote for him. Irrelevant, no matter how he got there on the human level, he got there by one way and that’s true for each person in that place.

“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble…” Now be careful with that. Generally, the life is orderly and patterned. Even when I was in a communist country there was an order, there was a pattern. I was glad for governing authorities. There were crowds in the street and then, if there were no governmental authority, I don’t know what would happen. We see that in countries where all respect for the governing authorities breaks down and there really ends up no governmental control and authority exercised. It becomes chaos. Everybody does what’s right in their own eyes. Government brings order, even what we call bad government. Even in China, Russia, there is some authority structure compared to certain countries where the authority structure has totally collapsed, and we have nothing. So, we avoid trouble.

“…for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight,” or a word that is sometimes translated event, here a matter in Ecclesiastes. “…when a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.” Note this, “a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every event, when a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.” This goes back to chapter 3 verse 1, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under the sun.” Verse 11, “He has made everything appropriate in its time.” We recognize the sovereign hand of God. When we were in chapter 7, we read verses 13 and 14 that He makes the day of prosperity and the day of adversity, and we can’t discover what will come; we can’t determine the outcome. We’re not in charge. The point is, verse 7, “If no one knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen?” We don’t control the time or the event, God does. I don’t understand, why did He put this person in this position, at this time? I won’t know and I don’t know tomorrow, God’s purposes. You know someday God will have the Antichrist rise to power. The most godless of men, the Antichrist, but in God’s plan that is what he has appointed for that time.

There’s a recognition of our position so no one knows what will happen and who can tell when it will happen. If we don’t know what, we sure don’t know when, and so one commentator wrote this, “The arbitrary nature of the events of life makes it virtually impossible to live according to wisdom.” That’s depressing. Give up. “The arbitrary nature of the events of life makes it virtually impossible to live according to wisdom.” Then why did Solomon write this dumb book (laughter) where he says he was telling us about wisdom, but none of us can live with wisdom? It’s impossible because the events are arbitrary. No, no, no, they are not arbitrary. They’re out of our control, that doesn’t mean they’re arbitrary. They are carefully orchestrated and planned by the sovereign God. Now He directs His people who draw upon His wisdom how to navigate skillfully, through all these events and matters and situations that He has appointed. He’s appointed the time, He’s appointed the matter of the event for the time, the when, and the what.

It sounds like it’s out of control to me. Tt is out of control for me, but what would this world be like, if it was under our control? And that’s the amazing thing. My mind cannot grasp the greatness of a God who knows all down to the smallest detail of each of your individual lives. He’s got nations to run, nuclear issues to deal with, climate control, and He’s got time for you, for me. He is a God beyond. Remember He’s in heaven, we are on earth. Remember, we were reminded of that. You come to worship God, you remember, He’s in heaven, you’re on earth. Close your mouth and open your ears. Listen to God. We’re so quick to come up. This is the wisdom that we’re talking about. So, He gives four examples of what we don’t control, just to show we don’t have control over the things that matter.

Here are examples in verse 8, “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind…” The point is, no one controls the wind and we’ve seen that before, it’s the whim of the wind. It’s out of our control. “…or authority over the day of death…” That’s back in chapter 3, there’s a time to be born and there’s a time to die. I don’t get to pick it, I don’t get to plan it, God does. “…and there is no discharge in the time of war…” Now be careful and all the commentators, there’s not any real disagreement on this. Basically, you think once the battle’s on, you can’t ask for a discharge. You’re on the battlefield, you don’t say to your commander, I’d like discharge papers. It’s not going to happen at a time of war. You’re in it. You can’t get out of it; it’s out of your control. “…and evil will not deliver those who practice it.” And that is it. Going to the house of folly won’t help.

Think well, you know, I’ve done my best just like Joseph in Egypt, and all he’s been through and his own brothers sell him into slavery. Now he gets into the house of Potiphar and Potiphar’s wife wants to get in bed with Joseph. You think well, if I don’t do it, she’s going to be upset and that will only make my life worse. Maybe, the better option is woman folly, come on in to my house. She’s going to have a relationship with you. No! The best thing to do, run. Run from the house of folly, get away, so evil won’t be a deliverance. Don’t think in these things you can’t control, you could control them by doing the wrong thing for a time, and then that’s never an answer. Just a reminder that we’re not under control.

Verse 9 concludes it, “All this I have seen and applied my mind to every deed that has been done under the sun…” So, this is not something Solomon thought up one evening. He has been giving careful attention, applying himself with the wisdom God has given to evaluate. What has he seen? “…wherein a man…” This is what’s done under the sun. “…wherein a man has exercised authority over another man to his hurt.” He realizes authority is abused; that’s the real world. I mean if everybody who has authority always functioned in a godly way, for the good of the person they have authority over, we’d be in the Millennium, we’d be in the kingdom. People are selfish, they are self-serving. The rulers we have in our country are looking out for themselves. They may be only concerned about winning the next election. If we have to run over a few people, so be it. Winning matters! He’s a realist, he’s a king. I’ve seen those in authority misuse their authority for the hurt of others, so don’t think he’s too idealistic. We always want to bring in and think that puts “a but” in our position. But I don’t, but they did this. Wait a minute, Solomon’s taken that into consideration as the Spirit has directed him.

Go back to chapter 7 verse 7, “For oppression makes a wise man mad, and a bribe corrupts the heart.” Be careful. You need to live within the authority structure that God has established and placed you in. Don’t use their misuse as an excuse for you to go to the house of folly to think you’ll get some relief. Evil is not an answer, disobedience to God is not the answer. Sometimes you say, Lord, I don’t know how to navigate this. I’m not sure I’m going to need wisdom from You for the next step, but the next step is not to disobey God. Evil will not deliver those who practice it. Sin is not the escape that’s the door to the house of folly. Come in here, what I have will be pleasant. Take off the pressure, get away from the pressure. Well, oppression can make a wise man mad. Be careful, because we’re walking by wisdom now, doesn’t mean I have to stay on that path. I am alert. That’s why he put in verses 25 and 26, and through the chapter on this wisdom. Be careful of the subtle things.

We’re navigating through a difficult world. God has established authority in all areas. Now sometimes that authority can be abusive, unpleasant. But be careful like Paul will tell slaves in the New Testament, you recognize you are a slave of God when you obey that master, so navigate skillfully. If we’re off track here, then we’re looking for God’s answer, for how we cannot fuction according to His will. Lord, I’m not going to do what you said, now guide me. Wait a minute, Lord, I’m going to do what You said. I can see it’s not going to be easy. I will trust You for the wisdom to navigate through what you have placed me in, what is now my situation, and we recognize, Lord that You are sovereign. I submit to You as my Lord. I want to function with wisdom.

Let’s pray together: Thank you Lord for Your Word. Lord, it is a practical word. You have appointed us to live at this period of time, in this sin cursed world, and all around us, we see open defiance and rebellion against You, manifest in a variety of ways. Lord, we want to be careful. We want to be discerning. We want to be wise. We want to get the wisdom from that house of wisdom, not be drawn to the house of folly. Now Lord, we don’t know the outcomes, we don’t know the tomorrows, but the tomorrows are under your control, in your hands. That’s good enough for us as Your people. May we trust You for today, learn and grow through functioning wisely today, so that we are prepared for what you have prepared for us for the tomorrows. Bless this day we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.