INSIGHTS INTO THE

MEANING OF LIFE

ECCLESIASTES 8:1-17

LIVING WISELY IN A WORLD OF VANITY

ECCLESIASTES 8:1,2

“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.I say, "Keep the king's

commandment for the sake of your oath to God."

EXPRESSIONS OF WISDOM

• “Who is like a wise man?”• “Who knows the interpretation of a

thing?”• Wisdom causes a man to keep his

composure in all circumstances• Peace in knowing—makes one’s

“face shine”• A wise man need not demonstrate

haughtiness or puffed-up attitude• “Sternness of face changed”—grows

in wisdom, confidence also increases

EXPRESSIONS OF WISDOM

• Wisdom should cause one to keep the king’s commandment

• Best to avoid the king’s wrath• Dangerous to question or disobey

• Earthly king fits context better than

God (Principle fits God also)– Romans 13:1-7—authority from

God– 2 Chronicles 36:17– 2 Kings 11:17

ECCLESIASTES 8:3,4

“Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil

thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say to him,

"What are you doing?"

ECCLESIASTES 8:5

“He who keeps his command will

experience nothing harmful; and a wise man's heart discerns

both time and judgment,"

ECCLESIASTES 8:6,7

“Because for every matter there is a time and

judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly. For he does not

know what will happen; so who can tell him when it

will occur?"

RESPECTING AUTHORITY

• “Don’t be hasty to flee from his presence.”

• “Do not take a stand for something that is evil.”

• In a hurry to “do evil” breaks the oath to the king—and to God

• God and the king have ability to punish the evil doer– Job 34:18–Ecclesiastes 3:17

RESPECTING AUTHORITY

• King issues a command—subject in no place to question him

• Such authority cannot be questioned without reprisals!

• Keeping king’s command keeps one from harm

• Wise man’s heart judges (discerns) both time and judgment

• Know the law and obey it!

RESPECTING AUTHORITY

• All things work out in time• Disobedience to the authority

(unless causes one to disobey God) places one at odds with God too

• Wait on God…• Pray for them and obey them

–Proverbs 24:22–1 Timothy 2:1,2–1 Peter 2:13-17

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.”

LIMITATIONS TO AUTHORITY

• Many things we cannot control• One cannot keep the spirit from

departing from the body– James 2:26

• No one has the power over the day of death—we will die–Hebrews 9:27

LIMITATIONS TO AUTHORITY

• Many things we cannot control• No discharge in the war—no man

can retain his spirit at the end– Ecclesiastes 12:7

• Wickedness cannot deliver those who are given over to it

• Sin cannot benefit the sinner• Proverbs 13:15• Galatians 6:7,8• Numbers 32:33

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.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:10

“Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come

and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the

city where they had so done. This also is

vanity.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:11

“Because the sentence against an evil work is not

executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in

them to do evil.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:12

“Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear

before Him.”

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Men cannot truly exercise authority over others without God’s help profitably

• Solomon applied his wisdom to all his work “under the sun”

• End of hurting self and others—why?• Did not use God’s wisdom by

choices made!

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Wicked are given a decent burial• Come and go from the place of

holiness• Praised in the city• Soon forgotten• Wicked did evil—no voice raised in

objection• Did “justice” get overlooked?• Vanity - man’s attitude towards evil

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• “Sentence against evil is not done speedily”

• Why do people continue to do evil again and again?

• No immediate punishment• Quick response—brings less

wickedness• No fear of God—false sense of

security– Romans 3:10-18– 2 Peter 3:4-9

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• When a sinner lives a life, seemingly going unpunished, no need to envy

• Regardless of outward appearances and actions, sinner does not have God’s approval

• Blessings do not mean that God approved of his deeds

• With God, sin is empty and an unprofitable lifestyle

• In the long run—things will be for the one who fears God!

ECCLESIASTES 8:13

“But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will

he prolong his days, which are as a shadow,

because he does not fear before God.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:14

“There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there

are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to

whom it happens according to the work of the righteous.

I said that this also is vanity.”

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Be sure it will not be well with the wicked

• Shadows—don’t last long• Wickedness shall not prosper

beyond the grave!• Eventually face the wrath of God• Eternity will not be pleasant for

those who failed to fear the Lord– 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9– Revelation 20:13-15

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Sometimes the righteous receive the “punishment” the wicked deserve

• Wicked receives the “righteousness” the righteous deserve

• Misfortunes and blessings come to both the wicked and righteous– Psalm 73:1-17; Matthew 5:45

• Do not allow to be a stumbling block• System of justice and retribution

sometimes seems “uneven”

ECCLESIASTES 8:15

“So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will

remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under

the sun.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:16

“When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees

no sleep day or night.”

ECCLESIASTES 8:17

“Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find

out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts

to know it, he will not be able to find it.”

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• One should still seek to enjoy one’s life

• Make the most out of life here• Blessings of life come from God• Life can still be enjoyed, even when

evil is present, if one has God as part of it• Keep things in proper perspective• Enjoy life—but not at the expense of

one’s duty to the Lord and His work!

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Solomon has given his all to attaining the meaning and purpose of life

• Worked 24 hours a day to find the answer—but has failed!

• Man alone—separate and apart from God—cannot find the true meaning and purpose of life

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S WAYS

• Wise man may make elaborate claims to know the true meaning of “life”

• Need to be content with man’s “limited wisdom”

• No man knows the future• Only with God’s revelation can man

make sense of life• Man’s wisdom is empty and

worthless

CONCLUSION

• Need to keep things in proper perspective

• True wisdom can be found only in the hands of God

• Life presents us with choices and those choices can be helpful/hurtful

• Learn from Solomon’s “research” and “mistakes”