Ecclesiastes 8:1-9

KEEP THE KING'S COMMAND - "Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, 'What are you doing?' Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt" (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9).

Respect for authority is a controversial topic in our world today. As we look around and see our secular culture spiraling further downward into a state of moral depravity and debauchery, it is evident that decisions made by authoritative figures in our sphere of governmental rule are greatly influencing the world around us.

In most cases, the premise behind such decisions is justified as a protection of civil rights which are assumed as being violated. Therefore, regardless of minority influence we are to abide by such verdicts whether we agree or not...or should we?

Ecclesiastes 8 sheds great light on this question and others like it. The ESV Study Bible summarizes Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 as simply, "Wisdom in Dealing with Foolish Authorities," which is an accurate description of the wisdom Solomon shares in order to address whether our hearts are content or discontent with decisions being made all around us.

More importantly, Solomon sifts through the clutter of our hearts to reveal the greater underlying issue—not whether we agree or disagree with a particular issue, but whether we are willing to submit to the various authorities over us who may indeed be evil, immoral or unjust.

For opportunities abound to bristle at the proclamations and edicts instituted by those in positions of authority, but our response must always be influenced by Biblical truth rather than emotional outrage and discontentment.

To begin, we must understand clearly what the Bible's stance is regarding authority, which the apostle Paul defines for us without hesitation.

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment" (Romans 13:1-2).

There are many of us who identify ourselves as Christians yet struggle mightily with this teaching. We question whether what Paul teaches is universal or restricted. Are we truly supposed to sit back and allow sin to be legally defined as moral and protected? It is a loaded question indeed! For as our world and culture continue to evolve, defining how we should respond to governing authorities who mandate legislation we vehemently oppose as Christians is a struggle.

We must keep in mind though that at the core of these issues are two foundations our culture desperately seeks to redefine: Truth and Identity.

Truth is simply a debate between what we as Christians trust as the absolute truth of the Bible, God's holy and inerrant Word, and relative truth which is not binding but ebbs and flows with our ever-shifting culture.

Relative truth exists without boundaries and is discretionary in application. Absolute truth is defined by God and unwavering. That is why Jesus said, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice" (John 18:37b).

Identity similarly mirrors the truth debate. Are we inherently good or evil? Are we born as righteous or sinners? Is our identity linked to our Creator? Are we lost or born again? Questions such as these force us to discern whether who we are is dependent on God or independent from Him.

Again, many would argue their identity is not a choice but ingrained in their physical DNA, regardless of what the Bible has to say. Let us be clear though on what our Biblical response should be to that argument: THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! The Bible 100% endorses that statement, just as a matter of spiritual identity, not physical.

"For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5 NLT).

As Christians, we believe we are born eternally separated from God. Our natural instincts and propensities serve our flesh to the extent we obey our selfish desires and justify our behavior without apology. Therefore, we need intervention. We need salvation from our identity at birth, for we did not choose who we are—that decision had already been made in the garden of Eden.

However, many would argue it seems cruel and ridiculous to believe and accept that our identity from birth is sinful. The simple truth is that the Bible declares such, again bringing us full circle to the truth debate and whether we believe Scripture is absolute or not. No one said believing was easy though.

Surrendering our personal will to God's will as revealed in His Word is a sacrifice, but it pales in comparison to the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf to free us from our bondage and slavery to sin. Therefore, when those we love live their lives so as to believe their sinful choices are deemed righteous as part of their God-given identity, we are reminded that self-deception is perhaps man's greatest adversary.

We cannot convince ourselves that we are justified to live as we please and assume those decisions are endorsed by God when the pages of Scripture clearly define our behavior as sin, otherwise we are destined to suffer the immeasurable consequences of our pride and disobedience.

But what of our culture? Per Solomon's exposition, it is apparent God's Word is no longer the supreme standard of righteousness our government uses to make its decisions and write laws into action. The wisdom we are given is simply to obey the authority entrusted by God to our governing authorities.

Keep in mind, we are not hindered from executing our ability to peacefully protest and oppose legislation and rule that undermines Scriptural truth, but we must be willing to suffer the consequences of our actions.

In the United States, we have freedom of speech and the ability to voice our displeasure for decisions made by higher authorities, but we are nonetheless required by God's Word to do so respectfully in order to draw our opposition into a discussion of the issues we disagree with and not fuel animosity.

For instance, there is no reason why the LGBTQ+ and Christian communities cannot come together and peacefully discuss our conflicting theologies and beliefs. In theory our beliefs would constitute us as enemies, but as Christians we must remember the instruction Jesus gave regarding how we respond to those who oppose the authority of Scripture and/or our Biblical doctrine. 

"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you" (Luke 6:27-28).

At times, this may require us to step forward in faith and speak truth in love. But as Solomon reminds us, we must discern the proper time and way to convey that we love our fellow man/woman enough to share the Gospel and hold one another accountable as brothers and sisters in Christ.

We must also remind ourselves that while earthly authority may be sinful or corrupt, we can rest assured that our supreme authority in heaven is holy, just and worthy to trust with our lives.

Both righteous and unrighteous authority exist under the supreme control of God. Therefore, we can trust Him at His Word because "the heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

Nothing we encounter or experience this side of heaven is a surprise to God, for He is all-knowing and all-powerful. The key for us is to not intellectualize our faith to the point where not understanding all the intricacies of His sovereignty fuels discontentment, doubt and inevitably unbelief.

Rather, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (Proverbs 3:5-8).

True discernment in the Spirit is allowing God to work even in the difficult circumstances and situations we experience personally and within the world around us. Therefore, no matter how challenging it may be to respect the various authorities over us, our response as Christians is to always submit unto God through the authority of man He has ordained and instituted in His sovereignty.

"For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7b), and the Lord will bring to fruition the day of judgment for all mankind where all will be held accountable to the choices they have made.