Ecclesiastes: Chapter 8
What is it with this world of ours? So often we see people never get caught for their crimes, prosper despite obvious immoral deeds, or never held accountable for the evil they have wrought. As in other chapters of Ecclesiastes, the author bemoans the fact that we cannot control many aspects of our life and certainly not the timing of our death. This lack of control is magnified by his observation that often he sees the righteous man get what the wicked deserve and the wicked man receive what the righteous deserve. One does not have to live in biblical times to see this type of injustice play out. There are any number of examples in our society where the deceitful seem to profit and the honest upstanding individual is left homeless and struggling.
This is where the faith of the author rises to the occasion, just as our faith needs to. This upside-down world would indeed be meaningless without our faith. Verses 12 and 13 are key verses because they announce his deep-seated knowledge that even though the wicked appear to prosper it will not go well for them because they do not fear God. When faced with what seems to be the injustice of this world we need to hold firm to our faith that God can and will make this right in one way or the other.
Key Verse:
“Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.” ~ Ecclesiastes 8:12
Questions to ponder:
- What examples of injustice bother you the most?
- What gives you hope that this situation could be resolved?
- How can you get involved?
