Ecclesiastes 8:1-8

Cross-references For Better Understanding a Related Topics b Additional Materials c

Summary

• The need to obey authority. This is directly related to the Fifth Commandment.

Details and/or Comments

• Authority must be obeyed. However, there may be times in which obedience is very difficult or undesirable. (And as seen in other passages in Ecclesiastes, the commands of an authority might not always be wise.) Knowing how to respond in such situations will require wisdom.

• There is an "exception" to the requirement of obedience, though not the focus of this passage: When a human authority gives a command that goes against God's authority, the human authority must be disobeyed, and God obeyed. This is a legitimate form of Civil Disobedience.

• Context: At this time in history, Israel was ruled by a king; and this passage is based on how to respond in such a situation. However, the principle taught here is applicable in any situation in which a person is under an authority. This is why it is applicable today.

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 8:1-8

Scripture Passage	Comments and Links
Ecc 8:1 Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.	The emphasis in this verse is that nobody is like the person who has wisdom and understanding. If a person has these things, it will affect his entire attitude toward life (as well as affecting his actions). Wisdom This truth is applied in the rest of the passage.
Ecc 8:2 I say, "Keep the king's command!" because of the oath to God. Ecc 8:3 Don't be hasty to go out of his presence. Don't persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him, Ecc 8:4 for the king's word is supreme. Who can say to him, "What are you doing?"	The need to obey authority, and to not be quick to join an opposing "cause." This passage is given within the Old Testament context of living under a king to whom one's allegiance has been sworn. But the principle found in this passage is applicable in a New Testament context, as well. (A New Testament example is found in Romans 13 1-7.) King Authority
Ecc 8:5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure. Ecc 8:6 For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.	Obedience, guided by wisdom, will keep a person out of trouble. (This is what we can normally expect. "Persecution for righteousness' sake" is a different issue. See 1 Peter 3:14-14; 4:14-15; etc.) The Need for Obedience Obedience will not always be easy, and at times it may even be quite unpleasant. But wisdom will help you in determining how to respond the right way.
Ecc 8:7 For he doesn't know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be? Ecc 8:8 There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.	Ultimately, you don't know the final outcome, anymore than you know anything else in the future. Yet acting wisely increases the probability that favorable results will occur. In contrast, you do know that choosing to rebel will get you into trouble (and possible death). Disobedience and Rebellion The Future - something we can't know (other than what Scripture tells us).

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—— To avoid any copyright issues, all Scripture is either from a public domain translation (such as the World English Bible), my own translation, or a combination of these. ——

The name "Yahweh," when present in an Old Testament passage, represents the Hebrew name for the God of the Bible.

Unless otherwise noted, all notes and comments are © by Dennis Hinks.