Ecclesiastes 7:15–8:14

Bringing the sermon home:

Our passage is bookended with the recognition that “the righteous” often seem to suffer and perish while “the wicked” flourish, which is a common theme in the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible. Most of us are more familiar with the Bible’s proverbial wisdom than with its contemplative wisdom that forces us to confront the pain and sorrow of life in a broken, crooked world, where things don’t always go well for those who diligently seek to know and to serve God. In other words, when proverbs are proven not to be promises.

7:15-18 calls us to avoid two self-assured approaches to life: self-righteous legalism, thinking you can manipulate God into blessing you, and self-serving lawlessness, thinking God will turn a blind eye to your sin. 7:19-29 calls us to consider the universal problem of sin. As we find ourselves demanding answers from God for why He allows suffering and injustice, we must remember that we do not deserve the good life we so often think we deserve. Instead, as sinners ourselves, we deserve death.

8:1-7 gets us thinking about how we would behave in the presence of an earthly king. Should it be any different given the ever-present watchful gaze of the Lord and Judge of all creation? For as 8:8-14 emphasizes, judgment is coming. While not every question will ever be answered, God has answered the most important question: Are you for me or against me? In Christ, we see He is both for us and with us.

O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? (Psalm 94:3)

(See follow-up article here.)