Ecclesiastes Chapter Eight, When The Wicked Lead

Ecclesiastes 8:9 All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt. [10] Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten (alt. praised) in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

To get a little better grasp of verse 9, we will quote from several other translations. The ESV renders the latter portion of the verse, “when man had power over man to his hurt.” The NIV translates the passage, “There is a time when man lords it over others to his own hurt.” The RSV is similar in tone to the NIV, though not word for word. The HCSB renders the passage, “at a time when one man has authority over another to his harm.” Finally, the Tanakh treats that portion of the verse thus, “while men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly.”

Ecclesiastes Chapter Eight, The War With Death

Ecclesiastes 8:8 No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

The Hebrew in this verse is certainly worth pausing to consider. Twice the word, “power,” is used in this verse, with slightly different Hebrew words employed each time. The first is, “shalliyt,” and means, “potent,” also meaning, “a prince or warrior.” Its root is the Hebrew word, “shalat,” which means, “to dominate, govern or permit.” The second usage of the word power is the Hebrew, “shiltown,” meaning, “potentate.” It also has an Aramaic counterpart, essentially defined the same way.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Eight, Kingly Power & Future Judgment

Ecclesiastes 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” [5] He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment, [6] because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly. [7] For he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur?

Verse 4, and the beginning of verse 5 both speak about the king’s power (authority) and the hearer’s wisdom to obey his command. Doing so (that is, being lawful in the country one is a citizen of) will keep said citizen from experiencing harm. This harm, of course, would come from law infraction and the penal consequence it incurs.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Eight, Hasty To Do Evil

Ecclesiastes 8:2 I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. [3] “Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

The word, “say,” in verse 2 is actually interpolated, and not a part of the original text. For instance, the HCSB removes “I say,” entirely. The LXX does likewise. All manuscripts do seem to agree that the word, “say” is not in the original text, however. Even without this addition, the text reads the same. 

Ecclesiastes Chapter Eight, Like The Wise

Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed.

Verse 1 has a few diverse renderings, depending upon what you’re reading from. The LXX translates the verse, “Who knows the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a saying?” The Tanakh renders the verse, “Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of the adage:” The NIV has, “Who knows the explanation of things?” Oxford defines, “like,” as, “having the same characteristics as something else.” Who is similar in form and function to a genuine wise man?

The Absurdity Of Theistic Evolution

Darwinian Evolution, or Neo Darwinian Evolution, can be simply defined as molecules to monkeys to men. Darwin’s theory, established in 1859 and permeating the educational systems shortly thereafter, teaches that man has evolved. To be more specific, man has evolved from lesser forms of life. Life on earth can be traced, says the theory, from molecules that somehow became a living thing, which over the course of time developed in complexity from amoebas to fish to amphibians to reptiles and so on. Now this is horridly simplified for the purpose of expediting laying out the premise. In short, evolution’s theory rests on the endless progressive cycle of improvement for given species, with death and new life being the catalyst for said improvement.

The Doctrine Of Eternal Security

What is eternal security? How does one define it, and where in the Bible can it be clearly and plainly explained? First, eternal security is the Christian belief that could be summarized as “once saved, always saved.” Detractors would also attribute the doctrine to a facet of “easy believism.” To be even more specific, eternal security is a doctrine that teaches that when we have believed the gospel of Jesus Christ we are saved. Now when I employ the word saved, I use it in its Biblical and fullest sense. The Biblical teaching of salvation is that Christ saves the sinner from sin’s penalty (justification), power (sanctification), and ultimately its presence (glorification). In short, when someone is saved through the gospel of Jesus Christ, they are saved eternally. That is why the Bible claims that when someone believes, they have eternal life, a phrase that is used in excess of 40 times in Scripture.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, The Schemes Of Men

Ecclesiastes 7:27 “Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason, [28] which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: one man among a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found. [29] Truly this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

The preacher reveals what he has, thus far, discovered. He has found it by adding one thing to another. In short, he’s viewing all that he sees individually, and then drawing back for a panorama of sorts, seeing how each thing examined fits into the larger tapestry of life and its functions. His ultimate goal, of course, is to discover the purpose of what is done under heaven, or under the sun.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, Seeking The Truth

Ecclesiastes 7:23 All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me. [24] As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, who can find it out? [25] I applied my heart to know, to search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness. [26] And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be trapped by her.

The preacher states that he proved or tested all of what he is conveying by wisdom. Of wisdom, he says that he would allow it to direct his life, but wisdom eluded him. Wisdom, like that which is exceedingly deep and far off, is beyond his apprehension. It may stand to reason that wisdom rests with the unknown truth that the preacher cannot, as of yet, attain. Paul, in Romans, says of humanity after rejecting the presence of God and therefore purpose, “Professing to be wise, they became fools,” Romans 1:22, NASB.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, Being Cursed

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. [22] For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.

This passage certainly hits close to home. People talk. People gossip. We all say cruel things about one another, embellishing what is true or outright lying for a multitude of perceived reasons. But the ultimate reason we do it is because we want to. Jesus our Lord once said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” Matthew 12:34. A person prone to belittle, degrade or insult others has a heart filled with petty malice.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, Wisdom's Strength

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. [20] For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

The DSS renders verse 19, “Wisdom helps the wise more than ten rulers who are in a city.” Solomon’s books are fixated on the concept of wisdom, and to no surprise. Solomon, when made king, prayed to Yahweh for the sagaciousness to govern the massive nation of Israel as David left it. God answered the king’s prayers and gave him godly wisdom, the likes of which no common man had ever or would ever receive again.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, A Balanced Life

Ecclesiastes 7:15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. [16] Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise, why should you destroy yourself? [17] Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: why should you die before your time? [18] It is good that you grasp this, and also not to remove your hand from the other; for he who fears God will escape them all.

The preacher confesses that his own life is vain. He makes an umbrella statement, that in the duration of his vain life, that he has seen, “everything.” It reminds me of the cliche New York cabbie saying that he has seen everything in regards to city life. Of course this is a gross embellishment, referring to the wild diversity of metropolitan life and the many people one comes into contact with. The preacher is saying something of the like. He has, in his reign, observed and dealt with many differing types of people from various walks of life. As the king of the greatest national power of its time, this is to be expected.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Seven, Considering God's Work

Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? [14] In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider; surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

This passage addresses the Creator God as sovereign. All God does is beyond man’s comprehension. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor or your ways My ways,” says the Lord,” Isaiah 55:8. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,” Ephesians 3:20. What God has done, who can undo? God is, in a very real sense, an incomprehensible being.