Ecclesiastes, Part 6: Wisdom and the Power of Authority

Ecclesiastes, Part 6: Wisdom and the Power of Authority

We do not usually report on news at Christogenea, and we generally ignore all of the school shootings and other mass shootings, unless we can document for ourselves the details. So I think the only mass shooting we wrote about or discussed here was the alleged Whorlando Homocaust. The recent Florida shooting seems to be just as real as that one, another fake news psy-op orchestrated in a community that is heavily Jewish. But neither is it our purpose to discuss that.

But there is another recent event which does have our attention, which shows just how fast we as a nation are sliding into the fires of hell. That is a recent court decision in Hamilton County, Ohio, where a seventeen-year-old girl has been taken from her parents because her parents were denying her desire to transition herself into somehow being a boy. This is according to WCPO in Cincinatti (or Sin-sin-atti, a name which should be spelled using the letter s, not the letter c), where we read in a recent article that:

A 17-year-old Hamilton County boy who has spent more than a year fighting to be recognized by his family and the world as a boy finally has just that.

A ruling handed down Friday by Juvenile Court Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon awards custody to the boy's grandparents, with whom he currently lives and who have supported his gender transition.

Notice that the article from WCPO has already accepted that this child is a boy, even while it is still a biological female and before it has actually undergone whatever medical procedure may make it a male [like, maybe medically attaching appropriate biological appendages]. The article also makes the supposition that because some local judge decided the girl can be a boy, that the entire world would support and follow the judge's decision. Continuing it says:

On the other hand were his parents, who lawyers say insisted he receive Christian therapy rather than be allowed to pursue hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or sex reassignment.

The only Christian therapy we can imagine that may help this child is a good stoning. The wording of the article also implies that “Christian Therapy” is not morally superior to the outright acceptance of perversion. Of course, we would be persuaded that some form of Christian therapy is necessary for this girl. However the judge, a woman in her 70's who was educated locally at the Jesuit Xavier University in Sinsinatti and the Salmon P. Chase College of Law a few miles away in Highland Heights, Kentucky, had a different idea:

The judge ruled the boy's grandparents shall have the right to determine what medical care will be pursued at Cincinnati Children's hospital with the caveat that a psychologist unaffiliated with the hospital shall first evaluate the teen to ensure consistency between the child's gender presentation and feelings of nonconformity.

His parents have been granted visitation rights, and Hendon encourages them "to work toward reintegration of the child into the extended family."

The judge's decision is clearly politicized, predicated on the legitimacy of corrupted children and rejecting any notion of possible correction by parents, who no longer have any authority in their own homes. The news outlet again continues to display its own pro-tranny bias by repeatedly referring to the girl with masculine pronouns. But now it shows even further bias where it continues and says:

Supporters of the trans community say acceptance is important.

"As they experience love and support in coordination with that, they become their best selves," said Dan Stultz of Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. " And they're able to contribute their strengths to the community.

The Living With Change Foundation expressed its support for the judge's ruling.

Of course, the media outlet, WCPO, never presented an opposing opinion. According to their own literature, this Lighthouse Youth and Family Services was primarily founded in 1969 by “a group of citizens from the Baptist Women’s Fellowship in Cincinnati”. Now they openly advocate for Sodomites under the cover of a slogan which proclaims that “discrimination is against the law”. It seems that all of these denominational organizations have eagerly become cucks for Satan. The so-called “Living With Change Foundation” is a local non-profit founded by a perverted Sinsinatti couple named Chris and Jessica Cicchinelli, who have made a living peddling sex and perversion. Their own daughter having been corrupted, they are now intent on corrupting a generation of Sinsinatti youth, using puberty as an excuse to corrupt young children permanently before they can even reach the age of puberty, and profiting from the corruption itself while they pose as philanthropists. Now it gets worse:

Hendon concluded her ruling with commentary on the legal system, encouraging lawmakers to set up a framework to evaluate minors' rights to pursue gender therapy.

Here we have several things going on. First, the news outlet voiced support only from pro-tranny proponents of Sodomy. Then we see the judge operating on the false premise that somehow minor children have a right to become sodomites and trannies, choosing at such a young age to permanently mutilate their bodies, and that protesting parents are somehow violating that right. Then, ostensibly, the parents are forced to finance the destruction of their own children. This is organized crime: the media is in bed with such corrupted judges to give the proponents of Sodomy the appearance of having a moral high-ground, when these corrupted children are actually among the victims of a racket being operated by the lowest scum of the earth. So it gets worse where it summarizes more of the judge's opinion:

"There is certainly a reasonable expectation that circumstances similar to the one at bar are likely to repeat themselves. The Legislature should consider a set of standards by which the Court is able to judge and act upon that minor's request based upon the child's maturity," Hendon wrote.

That type of legislation would give a voice and a pathway to kids in similar situations without embroiling their families in relationship-damaging litigation, Hendon wrote.

The fact that any such litigation is even possible is proof enough that America is doomed. Everyone who actually cares about God and Nation and comes to that realization will be better off the sooner they admit it. It is inevitable, America is doomed and it is scheduled to be damned and destroyed. The Word of Yahweh in Isaiah chapter 5 describes this situation perfectly: “20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” These words have described our media and our politicians for a hundred years or longer, and still the situation gets worse. Later on, Isaiah announces the coming of Christ our King and assures us in chapter 32, in part, that “5 The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be: bountiful.” We pray that the impending judgement of Yahweh comes quickly!

With this we shall commence with our presentation of Ecclesiastes chapter 8:

Where we concluded our last presentation of Solomon's Ecclesiastes with the end of chapter 7, we had for our theme Wisdom and the Power of Sin. Regardless of all of his great wisdom, his knowledge, and the thousands of psalms and proverbs which he had written containing hundreds of great moral lessons and proclamations, Solomon himself had nevertheless succumbed to a life of sin in both his sexual licentiousness and his overabundant lifestyle. So our conclusion was that without Yahweh God, man cannot keep himself from sin, not even a man as wise as Solomon. It cannot be said that Solomon did not have faith. It cannot be said that Solomon was unaware of the consequences of what he was doing. And in fact, Solomon himself admitted that he gave himself over to such sin purposefully, so that he may investigate whether it had any value. Such investigation is, of course, contrary to Christian values, and therefore we must interpret Solomon's admission as an excuse by which he sought to justify himself, even though the result of his justification, which is left to posterity in this book, Ecclesiastes, does indeed benefit us all.

Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is no lasting benefit in worldly riches, and there is no merit in mirth or in licentiousness. Ecclesiastes teaches us that all is vanity, and that all shall always be vanity, so long as we do not consider Yahweh our God. It is only with God that man has a purpose, and without God there is nothing but vanity. If we cannot learn these lessons from Solomon, who serves himself up as the preeminent example of these questions, then we cannot learn them at all, and we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the Preacher, and to exacerbate our own vanity.

Only Yahweh can keep us from sin. Regardless of our apparent wisdom or our own apparent goodness we simply cannot keep ourselves from sin. So when the apostles had asked Yahshua Christ how they should pray, He answered and said, as we read in Luke chapter 11: “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” When we sin, we ourselves should take all of the blame, however Yahweh, being God, knows when we shall sin, and we should pray that He keeps or delivers us from it. Without Him, we are certainly destined to sin. Solomon could not avoid it, and we are certainly no wiser or better.

With this, we shall commence with Ecclesiastes chapter 8:

Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

Brenton's Septuagint reads the passage to say: “Who knows the wise? and who knows the interpretation of a saying? A man's wisdom will lighten his countenance; but a man of shameless countenance will be hated.” The Preacher is warning that wisdom would remove boldness from a man's countenance, that wisdom would cause a man to set aside a bold disposition. Writing in Proverbs chapter 16, Solomon said “12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.” This shows once again that he should have known better than to commit his own sin. Then, relevant to the opening verses of this chapter of Ecclesiastes, in the next verse of Proverbs 16 he continued by saying: “13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right. 14 The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it. 15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. 16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”

Now Solomon's warning in Proverbs concerning the power of a king is predicated on the notion that the king is a righteous one, as we saw in verse 12 where he wrote “for the throne is established by righteousness.” However this exhortation from Proverbs chapter 16 has a parallel in the warning of Paul of Tarsus in Romans chapter 13 where the apostle wrote, as it is in the Christogenea New Testament: “1 Every soul must be subject to more powerful authorities. Since there is no authority except from Yahweh, then those who are, by Yahweh are they appointed. 2 Consequently, one opposing the authority has opposed the ordinance of Yahweh, and they who are in opposition will themselves receive judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good work, but to evil. Now do you desire to not be fearful of the authority? Practice good, and you will have approval from it; 4 a servant of Yahweh is to you for good. But if you practice evil, be fearful; for not without purpose will he bear the sword, indeed a servant of Yahweh is an avenger with wrath to he who has practiced evil. 5 On which account to be subordinate is a necessity, not only because of indignation, but also because of conscience. 6 For this reason also you pay tribute; they are ministers of Yahweh, obstinately persisting in this same thing.”

So now we shall see another similar exhortation, where the Preacher continues here in Ecclesiastes chapter 8 and says:

2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.

The exhortation to keep the King's commandment “in regard to the oath of God” has nothing to do with the Israelite's obedience to the covenant, or to God, but only with individual obedience to the king. In order to understand that this is what Solomon meant where he referred to “the oath of God” here in verse 2, we must compare language employed in the descriptions of the acts of Solomon's life in 1 Kings chapter 2. There, in verse 37, the young King Solomon warns a man named Shimei and he says “37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. 38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.” Then after Shimei had eventually disobeyed Solomon, we read a little further on: “42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. 43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?”

So “the oath of God”, or “the oath of the Lord”, is an oath made before Yahweh, invoking His Name, and not necessarily with Yahweh. So here in verse 2 where the Preacher says “2 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God”, he refers to any oath made with the king by any individual. Then he warns “3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him” because the king has the authority to do whatever pleases him, so for that alone he is warning that a man must be humble and obedient to his king. For that he adds that there is no one who may question the king's motives, where he says: “4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” Then he advises that it is better to be obedient because “5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.”

Looking at the early actions of Solomon after he came to the throne of David his father, we see a history which precisely fits these exhortations. For this we will read a longer portion of 1 Kings chapter 2, including the verses concerning Shimei which we have just cited: “12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. 18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. 19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. 21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died. 26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. 27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. 30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. 32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD. 34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. 36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head. 38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. 40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. 43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; 45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever. 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”

Here in Ecclesiastes, Solomon is asserting that the man of wisdom would obey the king, because if he did not obey the king, the king has power to do with him whatsoever he pleases. For that Paul of Tarsus said, in Romans chapter 13, that “1 Every soul must be subject to more powerful authorities. Since there is no authority except from Yahweh, then those who are, by Yahweh are they appointed.” For this we also read in the law, in Exodus chapter 22, where we shall endeavor to translate the passage from the King James Version a little more accurately: “28 Thou shalt not revile the judges, nor curse the ruler of thy people.” The lesson here in Ecclesiastes is that the king has absolute authority to do as he wishes, so the wise man is obedient to the power of such authority. However Solomon expected the throne to be “established in righteousness”, and not in wickedness. The lesson in Romans chapter 13 is that government is a punishment from God, and that people ultimately are rewarded with the government that they deserve.

This is proven where the Kingdom of Judah was to be punished for its sin, and told that if they did not serve the King of Babylon, they would die. So it says in Jeremiah chapter 27: “1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: 10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. 11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.”

The Preacher, from his own experience, is teaching what we also see in Jeremiah chapter 27 and in Romans chapter 13. But Paul of Tarsus was teaching from the words of the later prophets and history of Israel. So in Romans chapter 13 Paul ultimately encouraged his readers to keep the commandments and to depart from sin, where he urges “14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” So even the prophet Daniel served the King of Babylon, so long as his service to the king did not cause him to transgress in his service to God. When the king of Babylon tried to command Daniel to transgress against his God, that is when Daniel refused him, and suffered his punishments instead, in the lion's den and in the fiery furnace. Daniel being righteous, Yahweh saved him from both, and that is our example to this very day, where the words of the Preacher remain relevant.

Christians cannot allow themselves to be compelled to evil by kings or judges, even if it costs them their own parents, or their own their own children – as in the case of perversion and corruption we just illustrated from Sinsinatti Ohio. In the Book of Acts, the apostles informed the Pharisees and Sadducees that “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In ancient Mesopotamian literature, heaven represented the seats of government, and earth the general mass of the people. With that understanding we should read among the consequences for sin given by Yahweh in the warnings of Deuteronomy chapter 28: “23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.” This is the trial we all face for the sins of our people. So now, because those who would obey Yahweh their God must face the lion's den and the fiery furnace, but they do not know whether they will survive such trials, in relation to the judgment of man the Preacher asks:

7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

The King James Version unnecessarily and incorrectly added the word that to the text. Brenton's Septuagint reads this passage to say: “For there is no one that knows what is going to be: for who shall tell him how it shall be? There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; and there is no power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in the day of the battle; neither shall ungodliness save her votary.” As Solomon personified wisdom in the Proverbs, here the Preacher personifies ungodliness as a woman who cannot save those who worship her – at least according to Brenton's reading of the Septuagint.

As we had cited discussing Ecclesiastes chapter 6, there the Preacher had asked “12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?” And of course, only Yahweh God knows how each of us should be tried in this world. Therefore we read from Revelation 13:10: “If one is for captivity, into captivity he goes. If one is to be slain by the sword, he is to be slain by the sword. Thus is the patience and the faith of the saints.” The point here is that men must submit to those who rule over them, as they cannot save their own lives from their oppressors. So here the Preacher is also elaborating on a theme which he introduced in Ecclesiastes chapter 4 where he wrote “1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.” In the end, the oppressor was no better off than the oppressed, and both are at the mercy of the judgment of God. So as we see in the example of Daniel and the apostles in Acts chapter 5, we must submit ourselves to worldly rulers only up to the point where they attempt to force us to transgress against Yahweh our God. Therefore now he adds to that the confession that:

9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

In chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon spoke of the plight of the oppressor as well as of the oppressed, the ruler as well as those who are ruled over, and of the foolish king and his vanity compared to the wise child who would become king, and he asserted that the people would not rejoice in either. Then in chapter 5, writing in reference to the oppression of the poor, he spoke of “riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” Now building on the same theme he mentions “a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.” Earlier in Ecclesiastes, Solomon acknowledged even his own vanity, that departing this world as everyone else, he also would face the judgment of Yahweh. Thus is wisdom and the power of authority, and we can notice an over-arching theme in the exhortations of the Preacher, that rulers should exercise their rule in righteousness, for fear of Yahweh, while those who are ruled over should be obedient to a righteous ruler.

Now we must notice that immediately after warning that a man can rule over others to his own hurt, the Preacher continues in reference to the wicked, which must be a continuation of that same warning:

10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.

The Preacher first mentioned the wicked in a reference to the judgment of God in chapter 3, and then began comparing the righteous and the wicked in chapter 7 where he said, reading from the Septuagint: “16 I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man perishing in his justice, and there is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness.” The “old and foolish king” of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 must have been one such wicked ruler, ruling over men to his own hurt, as the Preacher said that he would “no more be admonished”, meaning that he would not accept correction so he said that “he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.”

In Proverbs chapter 20, the same writer makes an exhortation which summarizes what is being related here in Ecclesiastes: “24 Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” The question parallels what we read here in verses 7 and 8. Then he continuing he says: “26 A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. 27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. 28 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.” In verse 26 the King James translators missed an allegory, which we shall read from the New American Standard Bible: “A wise king winnows the wicked, And drives the threshing wheel over them.” This is what Solomon had done, at least in large degree, as it is described in 1 Kings chapter 2.

From Proverbs chapter 25 we read: “5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.” This is also relevant to what the Preacher describes concerning the wicked here, and what Solomon had actually done in 1 Kings chapter 2.

At the beginning of this chapter the Preacher had said “a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.” Then Solomon wrote in that same chapter of Proverbs, in the verses which follow: “6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.” We see this same concept related by Christ in the Gospel, that they who humble themselves shall be exalted.

Now continuing the Preacher warns:

11 Because 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.

We have already cited 1 Kings chapter 2, where we saw that many of the men who had wronged King David during the time of his rule did not suffer any apparent worldly punishment for their deeds until long after they were committed, when Solomon himself chose to avenge his father. So once again we can see that the Preacher is writing from direct experience, and continuing he elaborates:

12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

The New American Standard Bible has the last clause to read “who fear Him openly.” Here the Preacher attests that when such wicked men are not punished, they are encouraged to commit even more wickedness. When sinners get away with their sins, they justify themselves and continue committing more and more of the same. This is our situation among our judges and rulers today. Within the last century, first Sodomy ceased to be punished as a crime, and soon after that the Sodomites themselves became a protected class. Now Sodomy is being promoted to children, and the children are being literally torn from the hands of their protesting parents by the courts. Those who advocate Sodomy are even seen as being more moral that Christians! This is one readily-apparent example of the evils which the Preacher is warning about which are now manifest in our seats of government today. We have legislators and judges who have been spreading evil in their seats of power for 40 or 50 years, and they never seem to die. Now the Preacher offers a word of encouragement:

13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

The wicked seem to rule forever, but in the end their wickedness will not prevent them from death. Death will be well for the righteous, but for the wicked, death will not be well as they also shall be judged by God. But where the Preacher continues, he is referring to the apparent injustice of this transient life, he says:

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

Speaking of the wicked among his own people, the children of Israel, the prophet Jeremiah inquired of Yahweh with apparent exasperation, and he said in Jeremiah chapter 12: “1 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. 3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.”

But there is an assurance that for the righteous, the end will result in righteousness, in the 37th Psalm: “5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.” Now the Preacher revives another subject which he had discussed earlier:

15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

Where the Preacher seems to contradict himself, it is evident that once again he is expounding upon this subject so that he can introduce a new concept into his teaching. He had already said in chapter 7 that “4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” But it seems that, all worldly things being vanity, if all things were equal than mirth is an attractive choice. The Preacher will elaborate upon this in Ecclesiastes chapter 9. There it becomes apparent that he is speaking only in respect of the righteous, where he says “7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.” If God accepts one's works, then ostensibly, one has good works for God to accept, and the admonition to “eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart” simply reflects a consignment of one's fate to God. This is reflected in the prayer which Christ had taught His apostles, where He said: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

For now the preacher continues and says:

16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

The Preacher had said in verse 9 that he had “applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun”, and here he admits his failure, that he cannot possibly discover all of the work that is done under the sun. In chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes he had said that “10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Then in that same place he spoke concerning the works of men and said “12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.” So here once again we see that he is elaborating on a topic which he had already discussed, and his repetition will allow him to introduce another aspect of that topic. That we shall see as we progress into chapter 9 of this work.

This is wisdom and the power of authority, that as Solomon had proclaimed, the throne is established in righteousness. Even Paul of Tarsus, who insisted that Christians submit themselves to worldly authorities, expected them to be righteous to a degree, where he told his readers that “rulers are not a terror to good work, but to evil”. America is doomed because its rulers are evil, and Yahweh will not allow them to prolong their days. America is doomed because its people have accepted the evil. They went along with it when Sodomy was legitimized. They embraced the Sodomites when they became a protected class. Now they will go along with it as judges tear children from the arms of their parents and ensure that they remain in their Sodomy. It is time that Christians, those who fear God openly, buckle down and say “We ought to obey God rather than men.”